According To The Experts, These Are The Items That Everyone Is Buying Right Now

If someone had told you a month ago that you could work at home for the foreseeable, you might have had a celebratory glass of wine. The reality, it turns out, is slightly different. Whether it’s being separated from friends or left without childcare, things are probably going to get worse before they get better.

All this time spent at home in self-isolation has also got us wondering, on a lighter note, what on earth are people buying right now? Are they still spending money or are they conserving the coffers for a (fingers crossed) summer holiday?

According to Selfridges, which closed stores in London, Birmingham and Manchester this week, people are adding jumpers, jeans, socks and loungewear to baskets. There’s a run on Ganni’s cropped fuchsia cardigan - and classics like Bella Freud’s 1970 merino-wool knit.

Ganni, Knitted Cardigan, £220

In terms of jeans, loose straight-leg styles, surely the most comfortable for sofa time, are flying off the shelves. Agolde’s Mr Loose pair, in faded black, is a best-seller and ditto Carhatt WIP’s Ruck pair that stops at the sweet spot above the ankle.

At Matchesfashion.com, meanwhile, loungewear is doing big business. ‘I think people crave comfort while spending time at home, but still want to look and feel chic,’ says head of womenswear Liane Wiggins. ‘Cashmere, knitwear and luxurious leisurewear is a way of doing that,’ she says, citing brands like Extreme Cashmere, Toogood, Lauren Manoogian and Raey as particularly popular options.

Beauty products are also performing well, with Buly 1803 hand cream, Aesop rosehip lip cream and Le Labo’s Santal 33 body lotion selling fast at Selfridges.

Sophie Buhai, Elegant Silk-Satin Hair Scrunchie, £98

Laugh all you want, but scrunchies are also proving popular at Matchesfashion.com. I love Sophie Buhai’s primrose yellow style and Ganni’s leopard spots. And ditto homewares like soft furnishings and scented candles as people are try to spruce up their living spaces to create a sanctuary from what's happening outside.

SHOP: What People Are Really Buying Right Now