Following our latest store event with the hosts behind the weekly fashion podcast, The Re/Dress, we caught up with creative consultant Ebony Francis and stylist Emma Thatcher on all things fashion and style. The pair recently visited our newly opened White City store to host a live conversation inspired by their podcast to share their expertise and interests on personal style and their endless quest to curate an elevated, wearable and cohesive wardrobe – whatever the season. Diving into everything from elevating your style to holiday dressing and sharing what’s on their Whistles wishlists right now, we visited Emma’s home to photograph the duo in our latest must-have summer styles.

Ebony: We first met when we worked on a style presentation together.

Emma: And then we hosted another live event together about a year later which is where the idea for a podcast came up – it was very organic and sparked naturally.

Ebony: As we’re hosting each week, it’s often based on how we feel about our style and wardrobes on that given day or what we have had on during the week. We also have a really amazing audience that have been sharing their dilemmas and thoughts too which we bounce off. We tend to put a creative deck together with questions and ideas and we have a formula we tend to run with for structure. We always end with our ‘add to wishlists’ section and discuss what we’ve wanted to buy that week too, as well as music, culture and other topics of interest.

Emma: We’re never short of ideas. So much of it comes naturally from just catching up on the phone and then we realise we have enough material to put into an episode afterwards.

Emma: I think we both love the creative part and that’s where we’re at our best. Yet there’s a lot of work that goes into each episode. I definitely underestimated the work that goes into producing a podcast. It all moves quickly too as we finish an episode and can feel really proud and then it’s quickly onto the next. That’s an ongoing challenge.

Emma: Yes one of the first things we spoke about when creating the podcast was cutting out the noise. There can be so much noise coming from everywhere. We don’t want to tell people what they can and can’t wear but we do try to break down style and trends in a digestible way.

Ebony: What we’ve been really mindful about is not talking about creating that capsule wardrobe that you see everywhere, or something that feels prescriptive, as that might not mean anything to you. It’s more about a forever wardrobe that means something. It’s also about looking at your lifestyle and what works for you individually. It helps to create mini moodboards or collections with core pieces. For example, Em and I have different lifestyles and her core pieces can lean more into denim, whereas I style more trousers and separates. Yet it’s also about adding those joyful pieces. Those could be metallics or maxi dresses – whatever makes you feel good in the moment and pieces to get excited about.

Emma: I love buying pieces that you can work with all year round depending on how they’re styled. A leather blazer for me isn’t something that I just wear like autumn-winter, I love them for summer too over simple black dresses or tanks and tailored trousers. Obviously whilst living in the UK it’s always good to have those layering pieces all year round.

Ebony: For me it’s always tailoring. Those are forever pieces you can wear together and separately; especially blazers and trousers. You change the fabrication or the colour depending on the season for more versatility.

Emma: I always like to stick to a bit of a colour palette. So there might be one or two pieces that I know I definitely want to take and build my holiday wardrobe around that. Also, try to keep shoes to a minimum. I very rarely pack heels for a holiday and I would say just stick to simple footwear that will go with everything. Holiday dressing is all about mixing and matching, so go for pieces you can wear in multiple ways without getting bored.

Ebony: It’s almost making a mini collection before you go away from pieces you get excited about. I went to Barcelona for my birthday in April and I took pictures beforehand of what I felt good in and what went well together. Making things mix and match and work day and night is important.

Emma: Exactly. You don’t want to overthink it on holiday as you want to relax. If you’ve taken a smaller edited wardrobe, you can just wake up in the morning and get ready easily.

Emma: I’m loving the crochet pieces from Limited Edition and the Shirred Bandeau dress. It’s so light and simple for summer. The Stina leather blazer is also a favourite and the linen tailoring that Ebs wore for the shoot; I’ve definitely got my eye on that.

Ebony: I love all of the leather and the jackets are a highlight, especially when oversized. The Annie Wedding suit I wore on the shoot too was really cool. I don’t have anything that white or light in my wardrobe so it felt fresh. The Fran Pleat Trousers are also a great staple.

Emma: Over the next few weeks we’ll be going into summer style but we’re also already starting to think about September and the new season. It’s such an important time for fashion and I’m already looking forward to helping others curate their autumn-winter wardrobe. This season can be more expensive due to the investment pieces like coats and boots so it’ll be great to explore that.

Ebony: Even though we’re trying to embrace the sunshine, I love winter fashion and layering so I’m already thinking a little ahead. Also we’re looking forward to hearing more from our audiences and helping people with outfit dilemmas.