Several people wearing the same cult item in street-style photographs is rarely a cosmic coincidence – instead, it is usually the result of a strategic PR campaign whereby product is carefully seeded to create these “everyone is wearing” moments. Well, over in New York, the marketing team at Cos have certainly won this game, as some of the biggest names in fashion were wearing the same £95 checked flannel shirt at the most recent shows. And now, it’s on sale (£71) as part of the retailer’s Cyber Monday deals.
Shop the shirt (now in the Cos sale)
This level of product placement can sometimes feel forced or commercial, however this is a shirt that we genuinely think is worthy of your attention. Naomi Smart, Vogue’s shopping director, Europe (whose job it is to be meticulous about products) spent the during of NYFW posting about her cobalt-blue check shirt, wearing it with tailored trousers and a silky camisole to the shows in New York.
The high-street brand staged a runway show in the city, with its immediately-available-to-buy autumn/winter 2025 pieces showcased in front of an audience of global editors and celebrities, including Jodie Turner-Smith, Naomi Watts and Lauryn Hill. It’s all part of Cos’s strategy to elevate its positioning among its high-street peers – an approach that has clearly been working, given in Q1 of this year it was the only high-street brand to be ranked in Lyst’s 10 hottest brands list. But it wasn’t just the runway that was a walking advert for the new-in section, as outside the show guests were also dressed in autumnal Cos.
It was the plaid pieces in particular that stood out in the street-style parade, with the aforementioned shirt in both beige and electric blue spotted again and again. The shirt was worn buttoned-up and tucked into pencil skirts, loose and open over tailoring and tied around the waist (a two-second styling trick that was ubiquitous in New York). An honourable mention also goes to a plaid £119 draped midi-skirt with ruffles down the front. Street-style favourite Tamu McPherson doubled up on checks, wearing this brown midi with the bright blue button down. Scroll down to see and shop Cos’s trending plaid pieces (the shirt is currently on sale).
