THE BUS DRIVER LOOK, NAVY IS B(L)ACK

Top image: EGNARTS brown organza watch and FANE Loge in noir double tanned leather

Charon: By far the most fun compliment I ever got was from a former classmate at art school: “I love your look, you look like a bus driver.” Wearing navy tailored trousers and a simple merino wool navy sweater, I couldn’t stop grinning. That was exactly the look I was going for, I just hadn’t realized it yet.

RÓHE reversible sailor zip cardigan (love the navy shoulder statement crewneck too) and THISTLES The Al sunglasses

If I could wear one thing for the rest of my life, it would be a navy knit. From the men’s section, ideally. Uniform-adjacent, even better. It has everything to do with offsetting my otherwise rather girlish, preppy look. An outfit doesn’t work for me without that friction. So over the years, my wardrobe filled up with navy, army-inspired knits from Lemaire, Helmut Lang, Maison Margiela, Acne Studios, old Céline and COS. It was always the navy one I reached for. At some point, it crossed the line from collection to problem.

That didn’t stop me from spending afternoons at the local army surplus store, hunting for the perfect sailor or officer sweater with suede patches on the shoulders (I’m not a big fan of elbow patches, don’t ask). If I found one in merino (most are polyester) with the right fit, it was an exceptionally good day. I’m quite tall and have broad shoulders, so menswear just lands right. Not the sexiest sentence I’ll ever write, but a genuine advantage.

Jil Sander FW'26

Then, somewhere along the way, navy stopped feeling right, and I drifted to black. Navy suddenly read corporate, even a little staid. In my work as a fashion consultant on branding and collections, navy was added to a line for commercial reasons, rarely for love. But that period is coming to an end. Like all change, it hung in the air for a while, until Bellotti showed his Jil Sander FW’26 collection in Milan last February, in a palette of deep black, grey and, most of all, midnight blue. For me, that sealed it: navy is back.

MAISON MARGIELA pre-loved men’s body sweater (similar here), NEEVE Rose grey melange long sleeve, COS men’s navy trousers (similar here), DEAR FRANCES Balla sock flat, FANE Loge in noir double tanned leather and THISTLES The Al sunglasses

RHEA wool and cashmere long-sleeve in navy and grey (so soft and the fit is very now), EDARA wool shorts, in cotton here, LA COLLECTION Ellis scarf sold out, but have a look here and here and CHRISTEN Edge thong sandal

So I’m rediscovering my navy knit collection. The criteria aren’t strictly navy, but rather uniform-inspired design choices, though the two rarely come apart. Navy has been the color of people with somewhere to be since the British Royal Navy made it the official color for its officers in 1748. Bus drivers, pilots and doormen followed, because it hides a long day’s wear and signals authority without menace. Which, if you ask me, also describes being a mom who still shows up to work looking decent.

RHEA double knitted turtle in navy, Reyèm black curved pants, LA COLLECTION Bahar bag in beige (sold out) and GNUHR 3D-printed footprint camp sandal (I’m obsessed with all their intelligent outdoorwear)

There are a hundred more knits on my list, and it isn’t getting shorter. Life in South Africa keeps the uniform cravings somewhat in check (wool and sunshine are a complicated pairing), but one day I will own the Marie Adam-Leenaerdt four-in-one sweater and the sold-out bus seat sweater. Same goes for the one that got away: a Y/Project navy ribbed knit I bought on sale years ago, with folded shoulders that made you look like you were shrugging all day. Very much a conversation starter. I didn’t want to explain myself in every room I walked into, so I returned it. Big regret. My Vestiaire alert has gone unanswered ever since.

AUGUST BARRON (formerly ALL-IN) pre-loved display army sweater in grey (worn here without the shoulder pads)

Not everything with authority comes in navy. Grey, too, has served its time in uniform, and in my wardrobe. At the top of my grey list: the Phoebe Philo patch-shoulder sweater, though this T-shirt is probably the more honest choice for my current, sun-drenched life. Honorable mentions: the Lemaire pocket sweater (bought on sale, I own it, it just didn’t make the cut) and August Barron’s display army sweater.

It doesn’t always have to be the heavy stuff. A finer navy or grey crewneck (the ones I’m wearing here are from favorite Dutch knitwear brand Rhea) carries the same authority, as long as the tailoring does its job. These La Collection Mandana trousers, from their his-and-hers collection, do it exceptionally well. And since getting the Ellis scarf (sold out, unfortunately, but see their scarf section or this one), I’ve barely taken it off. The pockets make it bus driver all over, and the raw edge keeps it from getting too official.

RHEA navy wool and cashmere crew, LA COLLECTION scarf (sold out, love this one too), LA COLLECTION Mandana wool trousers (the quality is 10 out of 10), PHOEBE PHILO suede thong sandals (sold out, in brown here or similar on sale here) and a shark-tooth necklace from my son

Same RHEA wool cashmere crew, but in grey, LA COLLECTION Ellis scarf worn as a cummerbund, COS fluid wool-voile trousers (on sale) and CHRISTEN Edge thong sandal

Turns out personal style doesn’t really change. Parts of it just go on leave. Navy took a sabbatical, I wore black, and the algorithm took that as an invitation to suggest everything else. It can stop now. A great navy knit, a proper trouser and one thing slightly off to keep it honest: that’s my forever uniform. My art school classmate saw it first. It just took me a few years and a Jil Sander show to remember.