The first time Taylor Hill walked into a Topshop, it was New York Fashion Week — her first as a model. "My agent took me into Topshop and bought me black skinny jeans, a white tank top, and heels — everything," she says. "I didn’t even know what Topshop was at that point, because [it was] so new to the States." Oh, how quickly things change. Earlier this summer, the 20-year-old model was named the face of British retailer's fall '16 campaign.
The full spread drops today, along with a behind-the-scenes video of Hill twirling around a New York rooftop in select pieces from the brand's latest offering. Debuting here on Refinery29, the exclusive clip — along with some of the accompanying imagery — offers up some serious inspiration for the most important of cold-weather dressing concerns: layering.
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Topshop's fall '16 collection draws a lot from the menswear and streetwear trends we've seen in women's apparel, according to Jacqui Markham, the brand's global design director. It makes references to the merch-inspired pieces popping up everywhere (branded hoodies, extra-baggy long sleeves, and the like), too, and "incorporates elements of deconstruction," she tells Refinery29. Compared to fall '15, which Markham describes as a "minimal, polished, and refined approach," this range features more "oversized silhouettes layered with formal accents." All of these elements lend themselves to layering — which just happens to be Hill's favorite fall fashion activity.
"During the summer, fashion can get boring really quick," Hill explains. "You only wear so many things, you’re always wearing flip-flops or sandals. You can really switch it up in the winter with coats, layers, hats, and boots [in the autumn]. There’s more to play with."
The campaign illustrates exactly how varied those possibilities are — showcasing a few key layering looks we'll be recycling once temperatures dip. For instance, there's the early autumn outfit, when it's solidly in the mid '60s but still sunny: You break out a fur-lined bomber and wear it over your well-worn summer cutoffs, as Hill demonstrates in the image above.
Then, there's styling the rest of your hoodies (because, at this point, you've likely acquired quite the collection). The Taylor-for-Topshop way involves downplaying the bagginess of the sweats while also maximizing comfort. The base layer is jersey-on-jersey, with a cropped sweatshirt on top and sweatpants on the bottom. Then, it's polished off with a sleek, longline black coat — preferably with cropped sleeves, so you can let a bit of the banded wrist of your merch peek out from underneath.
That peekaboo sleeve is a recurring theme: Like with the merch-inspired outfit, Hill is styled here so that the classic trench coat is made to feel trend-forward with a few key additions. The sleeve is shorter than that of the button-down blouse and the accessories play a major role in making the piece feel fresh: Swap the little black bootie in favor of a gilded, metallic pair and the oversized tote for a printed crossbody — there's nothing textbook about that #OOTD.
The behind-the-scenes video has even more outfit scenarios — from an '80s-inspired leopard-print and leather pairing to short moto skirt-suits. Is it weird that it's all making us excited for summer to end?