Cozy Elegance with Soft Tailoring & Luxe Textiles

Totême’s off-calendar show unfolded in an unusually intimate setting – the brand’s showroom located in the former Swedish Club and offices of a certain Alfred Nobel – with just 50 guests. The scaled-down format was intentional.

“It felt like welcoming people into my home,” said creative director Elin Kling, even though the decision was met with skepticism from the PR team. But it fit with her feeling about the current state of affairs, and a need for something cozy rather than a big press push.

The clothes reflected that instinct. While Totême remains anchored in smart, wardrobe-building essentials, this season Kling softened its tailoring edges.

She introduced a new high-waisted silhouette in feather-light knitwear in ribbed wool that skimmed the body, signaling a shift away from sharper construction. The pieces had an almost athleticwear ease for movement.

Textiles played a central role in expressing her mood. Kling worked in brushed cashmere, both on sweaters and as lining in coats, as well as a viscose-wool blend that added stretch on suits for ease of movement.

“Everything is quite soft this season,” Kling said, noting that that emotion emerged through the design process.

Overall, the softness was a reaction to the general mood in an increasingly unsettled world, she said. The designer sought comfort and familiarity, resulting in swaddling outerwear, from cocooning peacoats to a puffer parka lined with shearling.

In her usual soothing palette of neutrals, accessories provided a sharper note, including taking a new twist on Totême’s silk scarves. Kling said they continue to be one of the brand’s best-performing categories, and this season she reimagined them intertwined with chains from the jewelry line for necklaces and bracelets.

This scarf motif was also translated to kitten heels tied in the back with a bow, while knee-high boots reinforced the collection’s slim leg silhouette.

The brand debuted a new bag on the runway, named the Mercer, inspired by the lines of a classic leather moto jacket, adding a biker-coded note to an otherwise conservative offering.

Following the opening of the brand’s Paris boutique, Totême has plans for a standalone store in Milan in the first half of the year, and is looking at expansion on the West Coast of the U.S.

Kling’s collection was a further refinement of the pared-back brand codes rather than bold change, offering wearable wardrobe pieces for Totême’s investment-piece minded customer.