UK-Autumn-Issue25

Autumn has always been my favourite season. After a long, heady summer, there's something grounding about the first chill in the air, the shorter evenings, the sense of reset. It feels like a pause, yes, but also a chance to step into something new. This feeling is what we wanted to capture with our Autumn Issue, and our cover star, British actor Olivia Cooke, embodies it beautifully. For our shoot, we celebrate undone elegance and imperfection over polish, and the result couldn't feel more right for now. In conversation, Cooke is sharp, funny and strikingly self-aware—not someone trying to present a side of herself that people expect, but someone entirely comfortable in her own contradictions. Both serve as a reminder: authenticity is far more compelling than perfection ever could be. You'll find this thread running throughout our accompanying articles. We turn our attention to fashion's enduring fixation with preppy style. Why does it resurface decade after decade? Perhaps it's nostalgia, an attempt to reclaim or reconnect with past versions of ourselves. Or maybe it’s the comfort of a familiar framework to draw upon for your next chapter. Ultimately, it reminds us that style is never static; it blurs the lines between who we've been and who we're becoming. Elsewhere, we chart the beauty moods that will dominate autumn, each inviting you to explore different facets of your persona through the medium of makeup. And in our Who What Wear 100, we've distilled the most exciting pieces of the season into a shopping edit designed to help you find what feels most "you". More than anything, this issue is about embracing all the versions of yourself—the messy, the thoughtful, the evolving. I hope it makes you feel inspired to step into autumn as your most authentic self. Because that's where true style lives.

The Enduring Appeal of the Basket Bag

the who what wear 100: every autumn item worth seeing

The only new-season shopping edit you need.

Only key buys need apply.

Insights from stylish dwellers in Paris, New York and more.

I Just Re-Created 5 Stunning Autumnal Makeup Looks in Minutes

Let me show you how.

Discover the visionaries redefining modern American fashion.

How to Have Your Chicest, Most Fulfilling Summer Yet

7 Scent Notes That Smell Like a Holiday in a Bottle

Discover the visionaries redefining modern American fashion.

COVER STORY FEATURING IMMY WATERHOUSE

Ambitions, imperfections and how she'd rule for a day – olivia cooke speaks her truth

The British actor will always tell it to you straight.

Fashion Refuses to Outgrow Preppy Style, But Is That Such a Bad Thing?

One writer investigates.

Deputy Editor