Autumn Lookbook: Six Looks in Berry and Bone

This season's pages are quiet and rich. Six looks, shot in dim corridors and sudden light, in the colours we kept reaching for: berry, oxblood and bone. Each one is captioned below, as in the printed issue, with the cloth and the intention.

The looks

Look one: The Long Coat. An oxblood coat in dense wool, cut to the calf, worn open over a bone-coloured knit. The shoulder is soft and the lapel generous. Nothing else competes. Cloth: heavy wool melton. Mood: arriving somewhere late and unbothered.

Look two: The Evening Jacket. A berry cotton velvet jacket with one button, over a black silk slip and a long skirt. The light catches the shoulders and loses the rest. Cloth: cotton velvet. Mood: the last table in a good restaurant.

Look three: The Quiet Suit. Charcoal flannel, a straight trouser and a short jacket, worn with a cream silk shirt buttoned to the top. A single pearl at the ear. Cloth: mid-weight flannel. Mood: a meeting you already won.

Look four: The Knit Dress. Bone-coloured merino, long and fitted, with a deep ribbed hem. Worn with boots and nothing at the neck. Cloth: fine merino. Mood: Sunday morning, no plans.

Look five: The Wrap. A wide wrap in berry wool and cashmere, thrown over a plain black dress. It can be a scarf, a shawl or a blanket in the back of the car. Cloth: wool-cashmere blend. Mood: wherever the day ends up.

Look six: The Heritage Shirtdress. A rust-brown cotton shirtdress, belted, with sleeves pushed to the elbow and a pair of worn leather boots. The kind of dress you wear for ten years and then give to someone you love. Cloth: washed cotton twill. Mood: unfussy, enduring.

How we put it together

The pieces came from three small makers, including the atelier we visited at the House of Corvane. Nothing was bought for the shoot and nothing is meant to be thrown away after it. Every garment returns to its maker's rail, and some will return to ours the following year.

We styled each look with the same rule: one piece does the talking. In the first, it is the coat. In the second, the velvet. In the third, the quiet of the whole. The others hold their tongues politely.

Reading the page

If a look appeals, start with the cloth. Note its weight, and ask yourself how it will behave in your own life: the commute, the weather, the cupboard. Our guide to fabric weights is a good first stop, and the colour of the season explains how we landed on this palette.

Then take your time. Slow fashion is mostly a matter of waiting until you are sure.