Teal wool cowl crop top and leather-trimmed pleated mini

Two pieces in the same dense teal wool. The top is cropped and sleeveless, but the collar is not: it folds over itself into a deep cowl that rises off the shoulders like a stiff cape, holding its shape without a single seam showing. Underneath, a high-waisted box-pleated mini with a wide black leather waistband and a leather band along the hem, so the pleats land on a hard line.

It works best on the move: a station in late morning, a weekend away, lunch at the other end. Autumn and early spring, with a black ankle boot or a plain pump and a structured bag that does not compete with the collar. The leather trim repeats the black of the boots and keeps the teal from going soft.

The departures board was wrong, as always. The collar was not.