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We all have that one dream item we’d rush out to buy if we received an unexpected windfall. First on my list if I get a winning lottery ticket? A Gucci Bamboo, currently £3,120 – and that’s the almost-microscopic mini version too.
According to HSBC, the average price of personal luxury goods (hello, designer bags) has risen 52 per cent in Europe since 2019 alone. The result? Once aspirational, ‘if I save I could treat myself’ purchases are now four-figure pipe dreams. Luckily, between the two extremes of Prada and Primark, there sits an anti-fashion, pro-style bracket of brilliant brands committed to specialised production of just one thing.
The result of such specificity is that they are forced to become pretty good at their chosen product. So forget the logos and read on for our guide to the best.
Shoes – Camilla Elphick
Camilla Elphick cut her teeth interning for footwear legends Charlotte Olympia and Sophia Webster before founding her eponymous brand in 2014. Manufactured in Portugal, her shoes fuse world-renowned leather craftmanship with contemporary design. Indeed, the Princess of Wales chooses to place Camilla’s shoes in her wardrobe alongside four-figure creations from the likes of Louboutin and Jimmy Choo. Kate’s pick? Camilla’s Lucia slingbacks. Or head to the website’s sale section for serious bargains – the pink ‘Natalie’ heels (reduced to £78 from £195) are particularly standout.
Bags – Tusting
Dubbed the ‘maker’s maker’, Tusting produces leather goods for some of the world’s most esteemed brands as well as for its own range. No wonder – every Tusting item is made entirely from scratch in a traditional leather workshop in Lavendon. Headed up by Gillian and Alistair Tusting, the brand has been family-owned and run ever since its founding in 1875 – Alistair is the great-great-grandson of founder Charles Pettit.
Their mini Holly bag (£385, tusting.co.uk) is a 1950s-inspired design whose top handle is a practical style solution for summer events. The Princess of Wales has the taupe version, while Zara Tindall wore the mini Hettie in silver (£390) to Ascot last year.
Tailoring – Anna James The Label
My mother bought a cream Joseph trouser suit in the ‘90s that she wore to my sister’s graduation last year. She nearly fell off her chair when I showed her how much an equivalent suit from the same brand would set her back today. (‘It was like shopping at Jigsaw or Reiss in 1998!’).
For those looking in 2025 to make a tailoring purchase whose quality will similarly endure, enter Anna James. Founder Anna Watson hails from the Courtauld family, who established one of the world’s leading textile businesses in 1793, so it fits that fabric quality is at the core of her brand – Anna scours the UK and Europe for the best. Combined with a cut that reflects Anna’s 13 years in tailoring, these are Savile Row-worthy suits. The sky-blue linen (jacket, £355, waistcoat, £175, and trousers, £225, annajamesthelabel.com) is a shortcut to best-dressed guest.
Jumpers – Navy Grey
Rachel Carvell-Spedding started jumper brand Navy Grey after a lifelong love affair with a jumper of her mother’s. ‘I spent 20 years trying to find a jumper that felt that good’, she says. When she couldn’t, she set about making her own. For Rachel, the sturdiness of 100% Scottish-spun lambswool is key, but it’s made miraculously soft rather than itchy because the water used throughout the spinning process is so pure. No wonder Vogue call the ‘Relaxed’ style ‘jumper cut heaven’. Not bad for £235 (navygrey.co).
Dresses – One Addington
If you’re going to specialise in making one thing, there’s not much room to hide if you’re not that good at it. Luckily, Olivia Havelock is rather good at making dresses. Handmaking them to order, to be specific. Her signature Eden dress (£360, oneaddington.com) is a cowl-backed, bell-sleeved dream: its unique ecovero (a silky fabric made using wood pulp) and viscose composition is equal parts sensual and comfortable. I wore the green to a wedding reception in December and can confirm it’s a green so vividly emerald it rivals that of Keira Knightley’s famous dress in Atonement.
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Secret labels the Royals love revealed: It’s time to nab an incredible bargain in the sales, says fashion editor ALICE HARE