Buy skinny pants. No, no — buy wide-legged pants. No, tapered. Or cut-offs. Woah . . . Exhausted by the giddy pace of fashion? Well, so are some of its designers. Eschewing novelty and the all-change attitude of fast fashion is a camp of brands impervious to the vagaries of trends. No pre-collections, resort lines and fortnightly drops for them: these designers resolutely work to their own steady rhythm. “Fast fashion is nothing but a superficial cycle of rehashed ideas,” says Zowie Broach of Boudicca, a proponent of the movement. “True creatives forge a world of their own. A great designer’s work is instantly recognisable — this is ‘slow fashion’.”

While such rebellion might previously have resulted in fashion purdah, under the cloud of economic uncertainty, slow fashion couldn’t feel more current. More and more women are choosing to invest in beautifully crafted, seasonless pieces that can be worn whenever, because — unlike most fashion — they’re built to last. Some designers (shock, horror) have even scaled down to annual collections: the new Lanvin jeans collection, designed in collaboration with Acne, will come out only once a year. Others are making totally seasonless pieces — Kostas Murkudis’s 96 Dresses is a permanent collection of just two dress styles in 96 colourways. “It’s less dogmatic this way,” he says.

Slow fashion, then — isn’t that a bit like non-alcoholic wine: totally pointless? Surely the very premise of fashion is to thrill us with the new. But, as fashion commentators forecast the death of trends — the argument being that there are so many, there are actually none — dressing independently of trends won’t necessarily brand you unfashionable. “The top I’m wearing is from 1995, my skirt is from 2000 and my shoes from 2003,” says Ann Demeulemeester, whose rock-goth designs are also beyond seasons. “You don’t need to change your wardrobe every few months, but that’s what fashion is trying to sell.”

The clothes illustrated here may not shout “this season”, but, equally, nor will they be snigger-inducingly obsolete in six months. You won’t find these clothes on the sale rail because they just sell and sell. Slow-burners work harder for your money than frivolous fashion and allow for a more conscientious kind of consumption. “The same movement that happened with food — slow cooking, artisan produce, small production runs — is filtering through to fashion,” says Kate Fletcher, the author of Sustainable Fashion and Textiles.

Except that slow fashion needn’t even involve new buys: if you’re lucky enough to have old Alaïa numbers or Westwood tailoring, for example, you’ll find that what looked cool five or 10 years ago still looks right now. Perhaps, then, it’s only the fashion fool who chases the latest these days.

All Saints

“We don’t react to collections,” the folk at All Saints say. Instead, inspiration comes from its own archives and vintage markets, and, while there are monthly drops of clothes, a seasonless capsule collection is available all year round. The “transformers” — pieces that can be worn in multiple ways — adapt from one season to the next.

Azzedine Alaïa

Arguably the king of slow fashion, much of Azzedine Alaïa’s collections are carried over each season without ever being sullied by a “sale” sign. He puts on fashion shows and delivers stock only when it suits him. How does he get away with it? Because each item is perfectly, sexily beautiful, superbly cut and crafted, and a thoroughly sensible investment (tell that to your boyfriend).

Didier Ludot

Can we ever tire of the classic LBD? Vintage couture collector Didier Ludot updates his Petite Couture collection of 13 black cocktail dresses annually, though the silhouette and colour — obviously — remain the same. By echoing the spirit and attention to detail of haute couture, these dresses stand a good chance of becoming future heirlooms.

Uniqlo

Fast and slow sit side by side at Japan’s answer to Gap. Many of its designs are available all year round, with subtle colour updates each season,so last year’s purchases will still be relevant next year. The designs are also increasingly unisex, so men can do its womenswear and vice versa, adding to its wearability.

Sykes

A luxurious take on everyday essentials” from Joanna Sykes. Subtitled Beautiful Basics, Sykes is a slouchy yet sexy capsule collection that launched this season at Matches, featuring immaculate low-key separates, inspired by boyfriend dressing, in an easy palette of black, grey, cream, nude and antique gold. With a waiting list for some of its pieces, that’s really slow fashion.

American Apparel

“We don’t do seasons in the way other brands do,” American Apparel claims. There’s always a permanent collection in store that features subtle design and colour changes. The use of metallics and bold colours in its fashionable sports-casualwear ensures that the brand’s clothes are perpetually in the hands of the most cutting-edge stylists.

Ann Demeulemeester

“If fashion goes in a direction that is not my heart, I won’t follow it,” says Ann Demeulemeester. “My designs have to have a reason to be — they must look right for today and tomorrow.” Indispensible to rock-goth chicks, Demeulemeester’s clothes are dark, not depressing — skinny jeans, oversized coats and plenty of black, accented with jewel colours.

Goat

“If you slavishly follow fashion, you run the risk of dressing badly,” says Goat’s founder, Jane Lewis. “You wear things that don’t suit you.” Lewis never designs for design’s sake. “I don’t like overdesign,” she says. Goat aims to provide the ultimate capsule wardrobe in muted tones, with a focus on simplicity, cut and luxury. “Less is more,” says Lewis.

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