Look Ahead to Summer with FT’s Shannon Gibson

You know the woman. She always looks good. Comfortable and yet elegant, she floats around the office with the nonchalance of someone who knows they’ve nailed their look. Most impressively, she’s got summer style sorted. No sweat. At the Financial Times, that woman is Shannon Gibson, the New Zealand-born art director of the FT Weekend magazine, and owner of the best, most versatile, dresses around. The newspaper asked her to share her style secrets – and stole her shopping list.

“What did growing up in New Zealand teach you about summer style?” FT asks.

“It was always a challenge to dress for a muggy Auckland summer’s day, so I learnt my fabric lessons early on. It’s an incredibly laid-back culture and that is evident in the fashion – you’ll see a lot of floaty light cotton and silk dresses. It’s all very relaxed. There are some great New Zealand labels, too: I always revisit Miss Crabb, Mahsa and Lonely Label when I’m home,” Gibson says.

“[In a summer dress I look for] cut, fabric and simplicity. I like things to be very practical, but do carefully consider fabric composition and prefer to go for natural materials such as cotton, silk and linen. There is a place for a synthetic mix, I just avoid wearing them when the temperature goes above 23C. Typically I won’t choose something just because it’s in fashion at the time. I aim to buy something more timeless.

“[Length is] essential. Nothing above the knee for me – my sweet spot is about 20cm above my ankles. I often find dresses I love but if the length is too far off, I can’t go through with it. With the exception of layering with jeans – then I think you can get away with a shorter hem.”

Original article by Shannon Gibson, Financial Times, May 15, 2018.