Caroline Issa talks confidence dressing and packing hacks

Plus, learn the secret formula to finally nailing your personal style, from a very reliable source.

Perennial street style favourite, Tank magazine fashion director, brand consultant and Pandora ambassador, Caroline Issa is the ultimate over-achiever. The well-heeled Montréal native took 5 minutes out of her hectic schedule to chat autumn/winter 2016 trends, dressing for confidence and the best packing hacks.

You’ve got such a distinct personal style, is there a magic formula? I’m always discovering new styles. I now know the things that I don’t feel comfortable in, and maybe that’s the formula. I don’t feel comfortable in skintight clothes or huge floaty dresses, but I still want to experiment. I think there’s a fine balance in having fun with fashion and accessories, and reaching the right point outside of your comfort zone that you still feel good in.

Are there particular items in your wardrobe that you wear on days when you want to feel confident? I always feel confident in my classic failsafe items. I think you can never go wrong with a great white shirt, a great pair of jeans and some amazing jewellery. When you have your wardrobe classics that you can rely on, you will always look perfectly put together and accessorised, and you’ll look like you’ve made much more of an effort than you actually have.

Do you have any confidence dressing tips? When you put on an outfit, if it doesn’t fit properly – it’s too tight, or way too loose – then you don’t feel right. Anything that makes you feel a little bit off kilter, just don’t wear it. I also think there’s real power in accessories; a great shoe, or a statement set of earrings are a definite confidence booster. They say you can change how you feel with an outfit and I think these small things are really useful style boosters.

What’s your favourite jewellery trend for AW16? My favourite trend right now is gothic romance, and I love stacked rings and miss-matched earrings. Jewellery has really evolved and you can actually create trends, like mixing metals, such as gold together silver, together.

Packing for fashion week must be a challenge, what failsafe strategies have you mastered over the years? I don’t pack a huge amount, but I try to pack versatile pieces. I always bring a great suit, lots of dresses and some killer accessories. Dresses are great when you travel because they’re an easy one-piece-does-all. You can just tweak a small part of your outfit, like change your earrings up, and all of a sudden you’ve got a day-to-night look. I’m wearing a Jason Wu dress right now, but later I’m going to stack up a bunch of Pandora bracelets and I’ll be cocktail-ready. I’m not one of those girls who does a midday change at the shows – though I’m very impressed by those that can! - but that does mean that I have to bring lots of different shoes and lots of different jewellery to work with.

Which city was everyone buzzing about most this season? With the big changes at YSL and Dior, Paris is the ultimate week. But next season it’s going to be all eyes on New York with Raf Simons taking over at Calvin Klein and Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia, the two new designers taking over Oscar de la Renta.

Is there a new designer you think we should be tuning into now? 

The London-based designer Rejina Pyo is on my radar, I love her shapes and colours. In terms of really, really new, last season, the first collection by Sies Marjan. His colour palette, patterns and texture is just incredible. He’s debuting this fall and I’m super excited for that.