Putting together an outfit comes naturally to Maria McManus, the Irish-born designer known for her sustainable approach to dressing. “I love wearing two or three pieces together because it lets me combine more ideas,” she tells me over Zoom from her Tribeca apartment, breaking down her look of the day: a white T-shirt, navy jumper, ivory silk trousers, and a pearl choker by Sophie Buhai.

McManus, who lives in New York City but travels often, has grown to love the simplicity of a uniform and a refined color palette. “When you’re always thinking about dressing other people, sometimes you just want your own clothes to be really easy,” she says. She sticks to a few staples from her own collections, mixing them with accessories from old Celine, The Row, Alaïa, Carven, and Lemaire.

Tailoring is a key part of her style and has come to define her work as a designer, creating high-quality clothing built to last. On weekdays, you’ll often find McManus in some kind of blazer and trouser combo. On a summer Friday, she might swap her pleated pants for a drawstring sateen pair or loose linen, depending on whether she’s busy in the city or relaxing at her home in Montauk.

Materials are central to both McManus’s creative process and her personal wardrobe. In the five years since launching her brand, she’s thought carefully about fabric—so much so that she can identify the composition of any piece she’s designed or is wearing. The navy sweater she has on today, for example, is made from recycled cashmere and organic cotton from an Italian mill. She mostly wears organic materials like wool, satin, silk, and organic cotton, but welcomes “little hints of lace or macramé to break things up.”

Splitting her time between Manhattan, Montauk, and Ireland, McManus shares with Vogue how she styles summer-in-the-city looks over the course of a week. See her breakdown below.

Photo: Courtesy of Elly McGaw

Ladylike With a Twist

While McManus is known for designing effortless, do-it-all dresses, she rarely wears one herself. Instead, she’ll slip into a skirt for a look that works from day to night. Here, she’s wearing a knee-length corduroy style from the pre-fall collection. “The pencil skirt’s slim fit gives the material a more feminine feel,” she says. “My clothes can feel quite minimal and uniform, but there’s always an element of subversion.” That contrast shows in the skirt’s exposed zipper—“it’s a little ‘sexy secretary,’” she jokes. She finishes the outfit with classic black pumps from The Row (the Ornella) and a few staple accessories. “I pretty much wear the same jewelry every day,” she says, like her Sherman Fields bracelets and a vintage tiger’s eye Art Deco ring, a gift from her grandfather-in-law after she got engaged.

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Maria McManus
V-neck scarf blouse
$590 MARIA MCMANUS

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Maria McManus
zipper pencil skirt
$690 MARIA MCMANUS

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The Row
Ornella pumps
$1,090 THE ROW

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Sherman Field
anchor chain bracelet
$9,420 SHERMAN FIELD

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Elevated Layers

Corduroy makes a second appearance in her week’s looks, this time as a relaxed, barrel-leg pant with a thinner wale, giving it a soft, velvety feel. “It’s a Japanese corduroy, which for the longest time we couldn’t make organic; this one [from the pre-fall collection] is half organic, half conventional,” she says. A typical way for McManus to style pants is with a blazer (sleeves pushed up to the elbow) and a crisp button-down. “I generally like an oversized shirt, but sometimes I need a more fitted style for layering,” she says. To balance the proportions, she chose her label’s new tunic, “for a long, lean look.”

McManus doesn’t have strict rules about tucking things in—it all depends on the styling. “What are the trousers like? Is the waistband cute? Do you want to show off a”Good belt? It really depends on how you’re putting the whole look together,” she says. Alaïa’s Tong heels pull everything together, while still being perfect for going “door-to-door.” But when she’s really on the go, she’ll switch to ballet flats or flip-flops.

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Maria McManus
Oversized tunic shirt – $450 MARIA MCMANUS

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Maria McManus
Crescent-leg jeans – $690 MARIA MCMANUS

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Maria McManus
Double breasted cloak blazer – $1,490 MARIA MCMANUS / $1,490 BERGDORF GOODMAN

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Alaïa
Tong 90 sandals – $1,350 NET-A-PORTER

Photo: Courtesy of Elly McGaw

The Outerwear Hero
Trench coats are another staple in McManus’s wardrobe—she loves their classic, polished look. She styled her newest version, which has a striped lining, for a day of errands, pairing it with an oversized white shirt, black leggings, and a graphic silk scarf peeking out from underneath. “The leggings are very soft and cooling because they’re not made from polyester, but biodegradable fruit polymers,” McManus says, noting that the full-length style she’s wearing also comes as capris. She likes to dress them up with heels (she’s wearing her same Ornella pair by The Row) or ballet flats, depending on the mood and occasion.

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Maria McManus
Double faced trench coat – $1,690 MARIA MCMANUS

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Maria McManus
High-waisted leggings – $390 MARIA MCMANUS / $390 NET-A-PORTER

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Maria McManus
Shawl bandana – $490 MARIA MCMANUS

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Loewe
Medium Flamenco clutch – $3,150 LOEWE

Photo: Courtesy of Elly McGaw

Summer Friday in the City
For McManus, the perfect city outfit is built around materials and shapes that let you move easily. Here, she pairs a striped shirtdress with relaxed drawstring trousers—both made from a Japanese sateen in a closed-loop environment—and simple black flip-flops by The Row. Even though her wardrobe is mostly neutral, McManus is also drawn to stripes and dots. To play off the outfit’s clean lines, she added a long beaded tassel pendant by Le Sundial; a Sherman Fields cigar band, worn as a pinky ring, is another small but striking detail in this look.

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Maria McManus
V-neck scarf dress – $820 MARIA MCMANUS

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Maria McManus
Balloon drawstring trousers – $690 MARIA MCMANUS

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Le Sundial
Venice Opera necklace – $720 NET-A-PORTER

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The Row
City flip flops – $890 THE ROW

Photo: Courtesy of Elly McGaw

Evening Out
“You can have a lot of fun with a skirt—there are so many different proportions and silhouettes to play with,” McManus says, touching again on her love for mixing different ideas into an outfit. “They have this natural femininity that’s easy to dress up, but also works with [simpler] tops.” For a dinner out, she pairs a sheer, asymmetric skirt with a pinstripe button-down and a swingy cropped corduroy jacket. “I could easily wear this look with a pair of ballet flats to go to the showroom and meet with clients,” she adds.

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Maria McManus
Slim tunic shirt – $450 MARIA MCMANUS

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Maria McManus
Cropped A-line jacket – $990 MARIA MCMANUS

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Maria McManus
Wave midi skirt – $690 MARIA MCMANUS

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Celine
Cat-eye sunglasses – $440 NET-A-PORTER

Photo: Courtesy of Elly McGaw

In the Showroom
“Scarves are a great way to update an outfit,” McManus says of this look, which is made up of familiar favorites—a classic button-down, a black pencil skirt, and her thong heels from Alaïa—elevated by a champagne-colored opera scarf in a shiny sateen, finished with hand-crocheted macramé. Mixing metals comes naturally to McManus; here, you get a closer look at her silver Charlotte Chesnais cuff (another favorite jewelry designer of hers) wrapped gracefully around her left hand.

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Maria McManus
Slim tunic shirt – $450 MARIA MCMANUSHere’s the rewritten version:

ANUS

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Maria McManus
Opera Scarf
$420
MARIA MCMANUS

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Maria McManus
Zipper Pencil Skirt
$690
MARIA MCMANUS

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Charlotte Chesnais
Ivy Bracelet
$1,550
CHARLOTTE CHESNAIS

Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs about Maria McManuss design philosophy written in a natural tone with clear concise answers

Beginner Questions

1 What exactly is Maria McManuss style
Its a mix of simple comfortable wardrobe staples with sharp structured pieces Think effortless but polished

2 Is this brand sustainable
Yes Maria McManus is known for using ecofriendly materials like organic cotton recycled cashmere and responsible wool The goal is to create clothes that last reducing waste

3 Who is this brand for
Its for anyone who wants a minimalist highquality wardrobe thats easy to get dressed in Its popular with professionals creatives and people who value comfort without looking sloppy

4 Are the clothes true to size
Generally yes The brand focuses on clean lines and a relaxed fit not super tight or baggy Most people find their usual size works well but check the specific garments measurements for a perfect fit

5 What is a classic feminine basic example
A classic example is their silk or organic cotton slip dress Its soft simple and feminine but can be layered under a tailored blazer for a sharp look

Intermediate Practical Questions

6 How do you style a tailored piece with a basic without looking too stiff
Pair a structured blazer with a soft relaxed tee and wideleg trousers or jeans The contrast between the sharp jacket and the soft top creates a balanced modern look

7 Whats the best first purchase from the brand
Start with their tailored trousers or a highquality cashmere crewneck These are versatile pieces that instantly elevate any basic top or pair of jeans

8 Can these clothes be dressed up for evening wear
Absolutely A sharp tailored vest or a structured silk shirt looks chic with dress pants or a midi skirt The pieces are designed to transition from day to night easily

9 How do I care for the fabrics to make them last
Most items recommend cold water wash and air drying Avoid high heat and harsh detergents For cashmere a gentle hand wash or dry clean is best to maintain the shape