For Kate Moss’ second Zara collection, Kate brought in her pal, Bobby Gillespie (of Primal Scream) to put out a line for the lads.
… and just like expanding the circle of cool to include men, she and Katy England’s women’s collection did not lack in range.
It’s tempting to solely talk about Kate Moss’ Glastonbury style for this collection.
After all, it is called “The Festival Collection,” but…
While it is rooted in Kate’s own wardrobe (from Chloé-esque jeans to that 1994 Bella Freud fringed bikini, and, of course, the iconic Moschino bag she carried at Glastonbury from 03-05), this collection heavily pulled inspiration from Kate’s own muse.
Yes, the Festival Collection tuned into the muse’s muse.
Anita Pallenberg.
From billowing blouses to making metallic gold look like a neutral, in my opinion, this collection centres around the sixth Rolling Stone, the woman who made rock ‘n’ roll, rock and roll.
Let’s get into what I bought…
Embroidered Sash Dress
This dress feels like a take on the dress that Kate wore with Anita in 2004 at a screening for Pallenberg’s 1970 film “Performance” to celebrate its DVD release.
I. love. this. Embroidered Sash dress.
I love how many ties it has on it.
I love how the short skirt skims your legs.
I love how Kate wore it with tights 21 years ago, but today we’re encouraged to ditch ‘em and wear it as is.
Mine is a size small and, despite being 100% viscose, I cannot get over it.
Silk Print Dress
The Silk Print Dress must have been Lila Moss’ pick, because I can’t seem to find a reference from Kate or Anita’s wardrobe for this one.
… but, it screams Reality Bites.
Actually, this dress bites worse than my 12lb Pomeranian.
I took a size small in it, but that’s not the issue… I dislike the asymmetry, the colour washes me out, and it just falls flat despite the layers and ruffles.
Maybe it’s because I have 90’s style fatigue after an absurd amount of Réalisation Par dresses… or maybe it’s just a dud.
Crochet Knit Dress
Kate has historically worn a lot of crochet dresses.
When she’s on a beach holiday, a lot are maxi and she wears a one-piece underneath.
I ordered this Crochet Knit Dress in a size small and I don’t like it with the built in bodysuit.
Something looks off with my shape and a unitard under this dress, so I cut it free and am much happier wearing a bikini under this crochet dress.
With a pair of flip flops and a basket bag, it’s basically begging for a Saint-Tropez beach escape.
Metallic Leather Shorts
People will say Kate wore leather microshorts at festivals… but she didn’t.
She wore wool shorts — and yes, I am being a stickler about news reports on Kate’s wardrobe. My 20-year obsession fascination with her personal style has not been in vain.
But, you know who did wear metallic leather shorts? Anita Pallenberg.
I’m not the most confident person in shorts, let alone leather shorts… never mind gold metallic leather shorts.
In a size small, they surprisingly look sick — in the best way.
They aren’t as microscopic as I thought they’d be.
Sure, they’re metallic gold and super low-rise…
… but they are surprisingly wearable and low-key.
These and the Embroidered Sash dress are the two standout pieces.
Embroidered Vest
Kate has a habit of taking a lot of inspiration from Morocco.
Perhaps she was also drawing from Morocco due to how the Stones fled for Morocco after the bust at Redlands… and that’s where Anita officially got together with Keef — but, that connection might be a stretch.
Either way, with its intricate bead work and lace up opening, this viscose Embroidered Vest is gorgeous.
In a size small, I undo the back tie, then slip it on like a t-shirt.
… and it looks pretty great.
Worn with a pair of tailored shorts and you have a winning combination.
Silk Cami and Shorts
Ok, I really wanted that silk cami and short set from Dôen, but it was sold out in my size.
Instead, I ordered the Kate Moss x Zara version in black and a size medium — butter yellow isn’t exactly my jam…
In a medium, the shorts are perfect (despite what Zara says, they are not elasticated at the waist), however the medium size camisole is a little too loose under the armpits.
In black, I worried that it’d be a lil too risqué to wear as outerwear.
However, with the right styling, I think it works.
Basics
When you distill Kate Moss and Anita Pallenberg’s style, it’s built on a foundation of impossibly cool basics.
With this Festival Collection, and like some of her x Topshop ranges, Kate shares those with us…
Cashmere Sweater
I had a feeling that this Cashmere Sweater would run kind of like her x Equipment cropped sweater (that I still love and wear), so I stuck with a small.
It’s generously sized for an effortless oversized look.
Super soft and super sheer, it’s a great summer alternative to thick and fitted cashmere sweaters.
I have zero doubts that it will pill, but it sure is nice to wear for now.
Supima® Cotton T-Shirt
This Cotton T-Shirt is quite sheer, but I quite like that.
It’s essentially your favourite top that’s super lived-in and barely hanging in there.
The shoulders are gently pinched, so it becomes less of a muscle t-shirt and more of a tank top.
Mine is a size small, fwiw.
Flowy Top
Like the above tank top, only this Flowy Top is ribbed.
This is what a size small looks like on…
The Flowy Top is a bit of a miss.
It’s a little too boxy and flaps too much by the armpits.
Leather Heeled Boots
These are a mashup of the style of boots from the late 60’s that Anita would wear with the colour of the boots that Kate wore to Isle of Wight Festival in 2006.
I took a size US 9, which translates to IT/EU 40, in the Leather Heeled Boots (I take a US 8.5 in Adidas for sizing reference).
What feels like half my life has been spent looking for an aged gold pair of boots.
These are it… thank you, Kate.
Necklaces
3-Pack of Necklaces
(Shown with Embroidered Sash Dress, Gold Shorts, and Flowy top)
Just like the pack of bracelets from her first x Zara collection, it’s an instant shot of that vintage necklace that you can never seem to find.
For me, this 3-pack doesn’t work when you wear them all together.
Like, what would be the odds that you find three of the exact same vintage necklaces in varying lengths at a flea market? It feels too manufactured to me.
… however, if you wear one and style it with your own necklaces, it adds a well-traveled flair leaving none the wiser.
Roped Horn Necklace
(Shown with Crochet Dress)
I’m not sure why I bought the Roped Horn Necklace, other than Kate wears a lot of horn necklaces and that’s likely because of Anita…
It’s a DIY length and you can knot it to be as long or as short as you want.
The horn itself feels quite flimsy and cheap, but, like, it’s Zara, what do you expect?
Beaded Foulard Scarf
You think Keith Richards, you think scarves.
… but, you know, he only became a true style icon because he borrowed a lot of Anita’s clothes.
Kate also borrows the idea of scarves and wore one that looks quite a bit like this one in 2005.
It’s weighty and cool, but a little much for me to wear irl.
Leather Belt with Studs and Washers
(Shown with the Supima T-Shirt)
From all of Kate’s collaborations, I feel like this belt is the closest we’ve gotten to that belt she religiously wore in the mid 00’s.
I could pull a lot more reference photos, but I’ve only found one from Glastonbury in 2007 when she joined her then-beau on stage for a performance of Babyshambles’ song, “La Belle et La Bête.”
She also wore this belt when I met her in an airport washroom in 2007, so I threw this Leather Belt with Studs and Washers into my digital Zara cart.
I took a size 32 in it.
It can be worn through your belt loops, adjusted to sit above my hips (over your shirt and not in any belt loops à la Kate), or more cinched up around the waist.
Round Sunglasses
(Shown with every piece)
These remind me of the sunglasses that Kate Moss wore in Harper’s Bazaar in 1992 by Christian Roth.
… and of a pair she modelled in a 2009 David Yurman eyewear campaign.
The x Zara Rounded Sunglasses are actually slightly heavier and slightly larger than the Christian Roth pair.
I always feel like my face is a little too wide to comfortably fit most glasses, but these do not pinch it and exude a late 60’s sense of style.
Bag Charms
Combination Horn
(Shown on the Leather Bucket Bag)
I’m also unsure why I bought the Combination Horn charm, given I don’t really care for bag charms.
Unlike the Roped Horn Necklace, the charm looks more like the horn necklaces that Kate usually wears.
Similar to the necklace, it also feels pretty cheap.
… but, at least that means it won’t weigh down your bag!
Multi-Position Charm
Based on her Lucien Freud swallow tattoo and her anchor tattoo, this charm was a no-brainer buy.
Again, I am not one to put charms on my bags, however, I will use this to make the strap on my F/W 2003 Blue Jean Balenciaga First a little longer… and it has a working whistle for all your cab hailing needs.
(I just realised that I said I don’t like charms, but there’s a guitar pick keychain on my bag — whoops, lol)
Leather Bucket Bag with Metal Detail
This Leather Bucket bag is based on Kate’s S/S 2002 Balenciaga Flat Brass Hobo.
She carried this Balenciaga bag to Glastonbury starting in 2007 until 2010, when she carried her own bag that was inspired by that Balenciaga bag from her Longchamp line aptly named Glastonbury bag.
A while ago, I was able to find my own Balenciaga Flat Brass Hobo and Besace, so buying this Kate Moss x Zara Bucket Bag was a little indulgent.
… but, with the more shiny leather and metal studs trimming the side, it’s different enough.
Unlike the original Balenciaga Flat Brass Hobo, you can adjust this x Zara Bucket Bag to be a crossbody bag.
It also has a magnet to semi-secure it shut.
Sure, the leather isn’t as soft as the Balenciaga versions…
… but at least you can carry it in the rain and not be nervous!
No one interprets style better than Kate Moss.
No one edits style better than Katy England.
The Festival Collection is exactly the shot in the arm that I needed in 2025.
It’s a reminder that rock ‘n’ roll means not caring about those persistent white hairs that pop up, that wrinkles simply mean that you spent too much time laughing under the sun, and that age doesn’t define you.
When I’m longing for the days from 20 years past, maybe all I really ever needed was to look back and remember to smile that it even happened at all.