Baukjen’s New Collection With Katherine Ormerod Has Everything You Need To Create Your Spring Capsule Wardrobe

When Katherine Ormerod started thinking about her collaboration with Baukjen - the journalist and influencer's first foray into design - she had a very specific idea in mind. Instead of trying to chase down trends, she wanted to base her 10-piece capsule around the kind of clothes that you could wear a million times over. 'While I, of course, get contacted about new-season knockouts (like the Mango dress I wore recently), I have a few pieces in my wardrobe that I have been wearing pretty much since I started on Instagram. They’re so timeless that it’s almost become a joke amongst followers whenever I post them,' she told Grazia. 'I absolutely love showing how buying outside of fashion (still stylish, just not sizzling hot right now) can really help you build a sustainable, long-term wardrobe and help you define your personal style. But of course, no one can buy any of these pieces, because they're centuries old and that can be frustrating.' Not any more; Ormerod's collection has just dropped today and delivers - and then some - on her promise that these are pieces that are going to last.

The hard-working and sustainable collection (Baukjen is a certified B Corp) comprises near-perfect versions of wardrobe classics like the trench coat, the straight-leg indigo jeans, the white button-down blouse and the khaki jacket. What makes them so special is the design details, which Ormerod - along with the brand's founder Baukjen de Swaan Arons, and head designer Natalie Grant - worked until they were just so. The trench, for example, which is single-breasted and hits that sweet spot on the mid-calf, looks much sharper than some of its contemporaries. The reason? 'The elasticated waistband at the back, making sure it always falls perfectly and never overwhelms your outfit,' says Ormerod, who explains how being pregnant three times over the past six years was something of a light bulb moment when it came to her style. 'I had a real epiphany in terms of dressing for different body shapes. As fashion with a capital 'F' was kind of off the menu, I realised that what I really loved wasn’t just chic basics, but more staples with a distinctive design details.'

The collection has two dresses - a smocked throw-on-and-go midi that's printed with warm weather florals and made of LENZING™ ECOVERO™, the Florence, and a stretchy LBD, the Emmeline, which is 100% recycled polyester. The beauty of both is that you can wear them with knee-high boots now (as seen on Ormerod) or lace-up leather sandals in summer.

There's also a pair of easy-to-wear slacks - a classic trouser shape that the fashion world has rediscovered this spring - which will be a great go-to on mornings when you can't fathom what to put on. 'I love that you could wear them high at the waist or low slung on the hips, that they will work in high summer, but also in the chillier months. They are almost anonymous, but they provide the perfect canvas to create endless outfits. That to me is what shopping responsibly is all about,' says Ormerod. Wear with a no-fuss ribbed tank top, a white button-down or the collection's Breton. 'I have this thing for Bretons. Honestly, at this point, I’d say I’m a true connoisseur! For me, the weight of the cotton and the shape of the neckline are two key elements that sort the best from the rest,' she says.