Upon hearing the word basics, images of dull white tees that have been pilled to oblivion, cheap synthetic knitwear and ribbed tank tops that barely last one cycle in your washing machine might spring to mind. That’s, in part, due to the very meaning of a phrase that has become such a crucial part of modern dressing. Conflated with terms like common and essential, this wardrobe category evokes something quite primordial and, if we’re being quite honest, deeply unsexy.
Investing in these very fundamental styles that you wear day in and day out can often feel akin to stocking up on mundane items like underwear and socks; you want to spend as little time weighing up your options, get the most value for money and know that you can wear them until the piece comes apart at the seams. At least, that might’ve been the case up until a few years ago.
These days, the market is awash with independent labels that offer intentional staples that prove a basic can be anything but boring. As inflation continually hikes up the prices of luxury items, many prestige brands make up the deficit by delivering products that are thoughtfully designed and well-executed.
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Operating under a philosophy that these pieces serve a greater purpose than any novelty coat, party dress, or chintzy skirt ever could, these are styles that merit greater consideration, believing that, like a blank canvas, excellence begins with the right foundation.
More so, these are brands that make buying basics feel not like a chore, but as an indulgence in itself. Consider this list, then, as a guide to the cool girl basic brands.
Grounded in an effortless elegance, these are labels that subvert the notion that basic has to be banal. On the contrary, when rendered in trend-forward colours, flourished with romantic details and made from sumptuous fabrics, these basics become a coveted, cult-buy in their own right.
Better still, these are brands that have amassed a following of stylish tastemakers through their commitments to perfecting the bare essentials: a V-neck cashmere jumper you can swaddle up in on a winter’s night, a pencil skirt that can take you from a boardroom meeting to after-work drinks at the bar, an ever-so-slightly sensual top that will still make you look put-together on a scorching summer’s day.
So, without further ado, here are all the basic brands the cool girls are all suddenly shopping from. You won’t want to go back to wearing anything else.
12 Cool Girl Basics Brands to Shop in 2026
1. Rise & Fall
(Image credit: Rise & Fall)
Style Notes: With a name that refers to the undulating hours between early morning and late night, Rise & Fall delivers timeless and luxurious staples that enhance the everyday. Utilising the finest materials, including A-grade cashmeres, organic cottons, mulberry silks, European flax linens and Mastrotto leathers, these fabrics are then woven into luscious, minimal pieces that you won’t want to get out of. The cashmere merino V-neck jumper has become quite the object of desire amongst fashion editors, with its ribbed hem and premium weight usurping almost all other styles on the high street. You can find this same level of quality and stripped-back design across all their ready-to-wear, from their viral suede trench coats to newer knitwear styles.
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Rise & Fall
Silk Crepe Shirt
Rise & Fall
Wool Crew Neck Cardigan
2. Hai
(Image credit: Hai)
Style Notes: Hai began with a commitment to a singular discipline: silk. Though this focus has broadened to encompass a whole palette of finely crafted materials, including velvet, lace and pearls, the brand’s origins can be traced through each iteration of airy trousers or fluid slip dresses that are released each season. (The latter was recently worn by Dakota Johnson whilst on holiday in Rome over the summer.) Founded and led by Tessa Vermeulen, the Hong Kong-born and Netherlands-raised designer instils a worldview that feels both distinctly Asian and European. Quaint yet tailored, these are styles rich in details, like the saccharine rosettes that accent their signature satin bags, yet versatile enough to suit every occasion.
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3. Almina Concept
(Image credit: Almina Concept)
Style Notes: With ties to both Seoul and New York City, Almina Concept offers timeless essentials for the discerning, cosmopolitan woman. After cutting her teeth as a merchandiser for contemporary and luxury brands at LVMH, founder Angela Gahng noticed a gap for high-quality designs at a more premium level. Having garnered a cult following for its wool and cashmere essentials, including the burgundy triangle scarf spotted on Kendall Jenner when out and about during Paris Fashion Week last season, this is a brand relied upon by sophisticated dressers battling cooler climates, yet seeking winter warmers designed with an editorial lens.
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Almina Concept
Long Sleeve T-Shirt
Almina Concept
Oversized Shirt
Almina Concept
Lightweight Wool Polo
4. Cou Cou Intimates
(Image credit: Cou Cou Intimates)
Style Notes: Despite hailing from London, Cou Cou Intimates serves more like a Parisian boutique, crafting undergarments, pyjamas and tops with the flourish of a heritage French label. This year, the brand catapulted to mainstream consciousness through the popularity of the Rina; a three-quarter-length, long-sleeved top accented with a bowed hemline and quaint scalloped trim. Inspired by a piece once worn by Jane Birkin in the ‘60s, it’s become a wardrobe staple for prolific members of the celebrity style set like Lila Moss, Hailey Bieber and Sabrina Carpenter. A lust-worthy of raglan tops came next, infusing the tomboyish style with a coquettish edge. But as someone who has only just tried the brand, I’ve fallen in love with the quality of its items. The soft cottons glide over the skin like hot butter melting onto a croissant. Both in and out of the boudoir, Cou Cou’s basics should always be within arm’s reach.
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Cou Cou Intimates
The Slip Skirt
Cou Cou Intimates
The Rina Raglan
Cou Cou Intimates
The Pant
5. Alfie
(Image credit: Alfie)
Style Notes: If the heyday of ‘90s supermodels is a phrase that tugs on your heartstrings, then Paris-based luxury ready-to-wear brand Alfie is a name to know. Founded in 2020 by Alice Fresnel, the brand has quietly built up a slew of stylish adherents, including Rosalía and Dua Lipa, who come to the brand for its architectural basics finished with a sensual edge. Skin and sheen are two factors that make an Alfie basic what it is, whether cut to reveal a hint of the unexpected through a backless singlet or made from a fabric so lustrous it rivals the twinkling lights of the Eiffel Tower at night.
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Alfie Paris
The Straight Pant
Alfie Paris
The Alma Jacket
6. Squeeze
(Image credit: Squeeze)
Style Notes: From the far reaches of New Zealand’s North Island, Squeeze is an emerging fashion label dedicated to producing clothing that earns a place in your wardrobe and stays there. Founded by Eloise Bloomfield, the pieces are inspired by her grandmother’s silk and cotton pieces, each of which was made by hand and still in her possession today. This idea of heritage and legacy is bestowed into each item she creates, from glossy bubblegum pink capris owned by Paloma Elsesser to functional cargo pants that have even piqued the interest of It girl on the rise Sarah Pidgeon. The brand runs slowly and methodically, offering often one style at a time as it’s been meticulously crafted to perfection. And with results guaranteed to make you the best-dressed person at your girl’s lunch, these are styles well worth the wait.is
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Pleat Lounge Pant
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Duality Capris
Shop Squeeze
Bias Cut Skirt
7. With Jéan
(Image credit: With Jéan)
Style Notes: As the name suggests, With Jéan began as a conduit for creating nostalgic pieces designed to be paired back with your favourite style of denim. However, given its founders, lifelong best friends Sami Lorking-Tanner and Evangeline Titilas, did so a stone’s throw away from Queensland’s picturesque Gold Coast, the brand soon shifted into the balmy and resort-inspired collections you might now know it to be. Still, each drop is imbued with a focus on exceptional separates. Deliciously draped or elegantly falling off the shoulder, these are styles made for making memories in.
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With Jéan
Elle Wool Sweater
8. Leset
(Image credit: Leset)
Style Notes: Hailing from Los Angeles, Leset has become synonymous with premium basics beloved by the most exacting shoppers amongst us; Jennifer Lawrence, Taylor Swift, Margot Robbie… you get the gist. This brand holds the crown for creating the perfect white T-shirt. It’s not a title I bestow lightly, but one that is honestly earned thanks to its supple fabric, refined shape and incredible longevity. These are attributes that any of the brand’s designs uphold. But the pièce de résistance is its use of colour. Utilising every shade on the spectrum, from extreme chartreuse to piquant raspberries, these are basics that make the very premise of slipping into a T-shirt an exciting endeavor.
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LESET
Arielle Crepe Jacket
LESET
Barb Satin Wide-Leg Pants
LESET
James Merino Wool Cardigan
9. Fruity Booty
(Image credit: Fruity Booty)
Style Notes: The beginning is a very good place to start, which is why Fruity Booty has made a name for itself for producing some of the finest-quality and chicest-designed underwear around. Led by Adelaide-born, London-based sister duo, Rio and Jazz Mignone, the brand brings a levity and lightness to lingerie that instantly makes the wearer of their pieces far cooler. Colours are another outstanding quality of the brand, injecting vibrant splashes of high-octane blues and pink into an otherwise humdrum top drawer. These days, you will also find lovely ready-to-wear woven throughout, from tomato red henley tops to tangerine poplin trousers.
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Fruity Booty
Poplin Trousers
Fruity Booty
Track Trousers
10. Vir Vita
(Image credit: Vir Vita)
Style Notes: Vir Vita doesn’t deal in superfluous design elements or verbose details. A singular vision for using all natural fibres might sound like an austere measure, but it is one that allows Vir Vita to keep its pieces as clean and polished as possible. Rooted in a tactile warmth, these are pieces that can easily blend into your existing wardrobe for silhouettes that feel both precise and plush.
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Vir Vita
Frida Polo Cashmere Sweater
Vir Vita
Sandra Turtleneck
VIR VITA
Paloma Linen Shirt
11. 440ME
(Image credit: 440ME)
Style Notes: Intentionality is at the heart of everything produced by 440ME. This is apparent from the moment you slip into one of the brand’s basics, with everything from their classic crew-necks, formatted in a vibrant coral colour, to their longline wool cardigan, finished with a built-in scarf, the most comfortable things you could ever wear. Don’t mistake this cosiness for a lack of gracefulness, however, with each piece boasting that slightly generous, oversized shape that makes it feel lifted from the pages of a slick, Peter Lindbergh editorial.
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440ME
Wool Scarf Cardigan
440ME
Cotton Relaxed Longsleeve Crew
440me
Wool Blend Relaxed Mock Neck
12. Kookaï
(Image credit: Kookaï)
Style Notes: Since opening its first international store on Carnaby Street, Australian-based womenswear brand Kookaï has painted London in a palette reminiscent of the country’s pristine, white sand beaches and sleek, grey city centres. Off-duty would be the best phrase to describe its pieces, with the brand’s basics situated at the intersection of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. Understated, yet with a subtle twist, these are pieces that can be dressed up or down with aplomb.
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Kookai
Heavy Phoenix Fur Jacket
