011: HELGA BURRILL

lives in 80s inspired bomber jackets (ideally by Nicolas Ghesquière)

This week’s newsletter features Helga Burrill, a stylist and senior editor at Pop Magazine and Arena Homme+. The first time I met Helga, I was struck by her fresh sense of style. I noticed right away that she has the ability to wear a heavy-hitting designer piece with a cool sense of ease and groundedness (at the time she was expertly pulling off those sheer leggings from the Row). Helga, who is Swedish but lives in London, clearly loves fashion, but she doesn’t lean heavily into trends or try to look like anyone else. She has a keen eye for what suits her, and that knowledge has helped her build a wardrobe filled with special and wearable pieces.

Helga wears a leather jacket by Louis Vuitton from Vestiaire Collective, denim and bag by Balenciaga, and sneakers by Loewe

I asked Helga about what she’s living in now.

My go-to item right now, and it has been for a while, seems to be an 80s inspired bomber jacket. And if I can dream big it's ideally by Nicolas Ghesquière...

I've picked up a few Louis Vuitton (and Balenciaga) jackets by Ghesquière over the years on eBay and TheRealReal and I tend to always throw one of them on, whatever the occasion is. I love jackets with big shoulders, volume and a cropped waist. Ghesquière does that flawlessly. A good jacket makes me feel dressed up and more put together, especially if I'm wearing something basic like jeans, or even joggers. It makes the sloppiest days a lot better.  

I keep coming back to an LV denim bomber I found on eBay a couple of years ago that I wear with pretty much everything – jeans, joggers or even an evening dress. It works with everything. It all comes down to a bit of jacket action. 

HOW HELGA WEARS IT:

DRESSED UP:

Helga wears a Louis Vuitton jacket from eBay, dress and shoes by Bottega Veneta, ring by Fendi, bag by Prada

DRESSED DOWN:

Helga wears a jacket + earrings by Louis Vuitton from eBay, top vintage Dior from Vestiaire Collective, Levi's denim, shoes by Louis Vuitton 

SHOP THE LOOKS:

1. The essential bomber. I didn’t find you a light denim bomber like Helga’s but I did find a bunch of Nicholas Ghesquière on TheRealReal. Look for pre-2012 Balenciaga, or post 2012 LV.

   

   Balenciaga, Louis Vuitton, Louis Vuitton, Balenciaga, Louis Vuitton

2. A minimalist evening dress. Helga’s dress in the photo is from Bottega, but I have also seen her wear this dress from Wolford, which she told me is a great basic and very easy to style up and down.

   

   Bottega Veneta, James Perse, Helmut Lang, Wolford, COS, Reformation

3. Unexpected evening accessories. What I love about Helga’s evening look are all of the extra touches. Of course the Bottega yellow platforms are singular (I found a few on Vestiare here, here, and here), but I also hear great things about the platforms from Larroude. And why not throw a giant scrunchie on your wrist? I have this one from Maryam Nassir Zadeh and I love wearing it to add interest to an outfit.

   

   Larroude, By Far, Bottega Veneta, Bottega Veneta, Simon Miller

   

   Bags: Prada, Mowalola; Earrings: Dorsey, CompletedWorks, Scrunchies: L.Erickson, Maryam Nassir Zadeh

4. A preppy-with-a-twist sweater. V-neck with a little something extra.

   

   Wales Bonner, Tory Sport, Jacquemus, Sporty & Rich

5. Slouchy jeans.

   

   A.Golde, Madewell, Levis

6. Extras. Again, I love the little touches, especially the feminine earrings mixed with skater shoes and an otherwise tomboy-leaning look. Also, you really can’t go wrong with a Balenciaga moto bag. I found a few options on the resale market.

Sneakers: Eytys, Adidas, Acne Studios; Earrings: Marni, Panconesci; Bags: Balenciaga 1, 2, 3

Thanks for reading this week! As always, if you enjoyed this letter please share it with a friend or send me an email. I love to hear from you.