The Red High Street Style Awards are here
In recent years, the British high street has undergone a rollercoaster of changes, losing headline names (RIP Topshop) and gaining a fresh crop of brands that are redefining the shopping experience. Red’s ethos is to buy less and buy better – but that doesn’t always mean spending a fortune. The High Street Style Awards is our celebration of the best in class. These are the brands that excel in quality and classic yet contemporary designs that defy their non-premium price tags. We couldn’t get dressed without them.
The high street will always have a place in our fashion hearts, whether it's translating catwalk trends or allowing us to shape our everyday style in an affordable way. But not all brands are created equal – and some really excel at certain things. Here, the Red fashion team has selected 12 key categories, from denim, to coats, to cashmere, and awarded the high street heroes doing it best...
Reader's Choice
Winner: Hush
Runners-up: Anthropologie, Marks & Spencer, Phase Eight
What happened when Hush’s founder, Mandy Watkins, brought the laid-back attitude of her Australian roots to the bustling fashion capital of London? A brand was born that puts an effortlessness and nonchalance into of-the-moment fashion. Starting out as a cosy collection of loungewear (so you know everything will feel as good as it looks), Hush now produces expertly fitting wardrobe essentials with updated twists, whether it’s preppy slogan sweatshirts, statement cape coats or pretty, scallop-edged bikinis. No wonder Red readers voted it their favourite.
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Best Denim
Winner: Whistles
Runners-up: Arket, White Stuff, Zara
Look to Whistles for your next denim fix. Not only are the key cuts available in petite as well as regular length, its signature shape (and fan favourite), the exaggerated ‘barrel’, comes in both authentic and stretch denim, for the perfect fit. An extensive range of jeans, as well as shirts, jackets, dresses and jumpsuits in the illustrious blue fabric, all flatteringly cut and with that extra fashion element, make Whistles our go-to when it comes to shopping for this wardrobe staple.
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Best Basics
Winner: Uniqlo
A brand famously known for being at the forefront of textile technology, Uniqlo’s basics give a whole new meaning to making your wardrobe work harder. Its AIRism lightweight material adapts to release heat and moisture for keeping cool, while Heattech ultrafine fabric underlayers have been devised to retain body heat. All this without compromising on style – its tank tops, T-shirts and shirts are the ultimate outfit building blocks all year round.
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Best Athleisure
Winner: Varley
Runners-up: Alo, Lululemon, Sweaty Betty
The first brand to bring true athleisure to the market, Varley’s sophisticated designs and bestselling DoubleSoft® fabric has us wearing its pieces all day long, not just to the gym. While its high-rise leggings and half-zip sweaters earned cult status, the latest Club collection captures the tenniscore trend, with each piece created to go from court to commute. Game, set, match!
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Best Outerwear
Winner: Jigsaw
Runners-up: Cos, H&M, Wyse London
Created from patterns at its in-house London Atelier, Jigsaw’s standout designs have a unique way of modernising the classics when it comes to outerwear. For example, the Nelson trench reworks the style’s usual proportions into a generously voluminous shape with an oversized collar for added drama you wouldn’t expect from the high street. Using fabrics responsibly sourced from the finest mills in the UK and Italy, Jigsaw also runs a repair service for worn or damaged pieces, so you can carry on wearing them forever.
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Best Jewellery
Winner: Oliver Bonas
Runners-up: Pandora, Sézane, Swarovski
With its fabulous in-house offering, it’s no surprise Oliver Bonas has secured collaborations with two exciting jewellery brands. It has recently joined forces with British designer Mikaela Lyons to create nine uniquely crafted pieces, handmade in the UK, showcasing classic shapes with a modern twist, and partnered with Fairtrade brand Just Trade for a collection inspired by Indian block prints, made using traditional techniques by skilled artisans in India. Watch this space for its next collaboration, which will thrill fashion and history buffs.
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Best Swimwear
Winner: & Other Stories
Runners-up: Boden, Next, Reiss
With an impressive variety of cuts and fabrics, not to mention its lower-cut styles – a refreshing sight amid the sea of barely-there high street bikini bottoms and triangle tops – & Other Stories gets our vote when it comes to swimwear. These clean-cut designs in an enduring palette of white, black and chocolate brown, along with carefully curated grown-up colours, possess a Celine-inspired minimalism that makes them timeless – and always the first piece in our beach bags.
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Best Cashmere
Winner: The White Company
Runners-up: Gobi Cashmere, Marks & Spencer, Uniqlo
Whether it’s traditional crew-neck jumpers, contemporary hoodies, short-sleeve tees or just simple socks that first lure you in, you’ll soon discover high street cashmere doesn’t get cosier (or chicer) than at The White Company. It's the first British retailer to be certified by The Good Cashmere Standard®, meaning all its cashmere is fully traceable, while improving the lives of the farmers and livestock. Set to celebrate its 30th birthday in September, this brand has long been synonymous with both style as well as substance. Happy Birthday, The White Company – here’s to the next 30!
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Best Eventwear
Winner: Mint Velvet
Runners-up: & Other Stories, Anthropologie, Sister Jane
After a triumphant launch earlier this year, Mint Velvet’s premium occasionwear line, Mint Studio, is already shaking up our social calendars with its edit of cool and up-to-date silhouettes, meticulously curated by its in-house designers. Dresses and co-ords are elevated by luxury finishing touches of floral appliqué lace, organza ruffles and exaggerated bows, officially raising the bar on what’s possible for high street eventwear – don’t RSVP without them.
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Best Accessories
Winner: Sézane
Runners-up: Cos, Jigsaw, Phase Eight
Sézane’s accessories add a soupçon of French-girl coolness to any wardrobe (we’d expect no less from this homegrown Parisian brand). Its modern-vintage bags have the charm of a rare French brocante find. The Claude, Milo and Romie are made by artisans at its Italian atelier, using leathers that look better with age for future heirlooms and the ultimate wardrobe pièce de résistance.
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Best Footwear
Winner: Mango
Runners-up: Bobbies, LK Bennett, Zara
From cult-worthy mesh ballet flats to catwalk-inspired rope sandals, Mango’s footwear collection is loved by fashion editors for being a one-stop shop of heavenly, trend-led designs, with a price tag to suit us mere mortals. We’re going to need a bigger shoe closet…
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Best Tailoring
Winner: John Lewis & Partners
Runners-up: Arket, ME+EM, Massimo Dutti
There’s something satisfying about buying one British icon – a two-piece suit – from another. And it will come as no surprise that John Lewis & Partners takes its tailoring very seriously. For SS24, the brand’s womenswear and menswear design teams collaborated to create updated and oversized ‘borrowed from the boys’ tailoring, while maintaining the wearability, quality and craftsmanship this high street brand is known for.
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Styled by: Jodie Dunworth, @jodieldun
Model: Sara Mey, @sarameyn
Makeup: Lee Will, @_leewill
Hair: Christos Kallaniotis, @christoskallaniotis
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