Cotton On started with a teenager and a car. In 1988 Nigel Austin, then 18 and itching to leave the university course he had just started, parked his Ford Bronco at the Beckley Market in Geelong, about 45 miles southwest of Melbourne, and sold acid wash denim jackets out of the boot. Three years later he opened the first Cotton On store in a small space behind his grandfather's butcher shop, with stock sourced through his father and family and friends working the floor. It took fifteen years to reach fifty stores in Australia. The first store outside the country opened in New Zealand in 2006, and the group now runs about 1,300 stores in 20 countries under eight brands, Cotton On Body, Cotton On Kids, Typo and Rubi among them. Its first Manhattan store opened in 2023.

 

I like that the whole thing started with denim, because jeans are still the part of the shop I trust most. Most of the fits are named for their shape, so the Barrel, the Low Rise Wide and the Mid Rise Bootcut tell you what you are getting before you try them on, and many of the rigid pairs are made with 20 or 30 percent recycled cotton. The Curvy fits are cut on their own block, with a contoured waistband that curves in to meet your waist, more room through the seat and thigh and a higher back rise, so Cotton On tells you to buy your waist size instead of sizing up for your hips. I would start with one straight leg in a darker wash, either the 91 Straight or the Loose Straight, then add a wide or barrel shape once you know your size in rigid denim. What I would skip is buying three washes of one fit before you have worn the first pair for a full week.

Cotton On's own telling is that Austin wanted to take the Aussie lifestyle to the world, and in the knitwear that mostly means relaxed shapes that sit well over jeans. The two I would buy first are the Cashmere Blend V-Neck Knit and the Cashmere Blend Crew Knit. Both are 70 percent wool and 30 percent cashmere, cut boxy with dropped shoulders, and the black crew is the one I would wear most. The Luxe Crew Neck Sweater in white and the Luxe Funnel Zip Pullover in a deep cherry marle are the fluffier side of the shelf, oversized and soft enough to wear straight over a tank.

 

For something closer to the body, the Close Knit Boat Neck and the Everfine Hooded Knit sit neatly under a jacket, and the Lotus Cinched Zip Knit works like a bomber you can wear indoors. The Mila Mock Neck Sweater is 100 percent cotton in a navy stripe, so it is the one for the warmer days at the start of fall. My test for any knit is to read the fibre mix on the label, then hold it up to a window: if you can see a lot of light through the stitches, it will stretch and pill faster. What I would skip is the off shoulder styles if you need to lift your arms all day, because the Softest Luxe and Lotus versions are made for sitting still and looking good.

The first thing Cotton On ever sold was a denim jacket, so it feels right that the Oli Denim Jacket is one of the strongest pieces in the fall line: rigid, vintage-look denim, cut oversized and made with 30 percent recycled cotton. Wear it over the Cashmere Blend Crew Knit with jeans in a different wash and you have about the most Cotton On outfit possible. For faux leather, the Cove Biker Jacket in a dark cocoa has a belted hem you can pull in, and the Theo Faux Leather Bomber has a funnel neck and patch pockets with an 80s feel. The Cove Faux Suede Biker Jacket does the biker shape again in olive faux suede.

 

If you need something for weather, the Arlo Funnel Neck Jacket is water resistant, the Hale Hooded Spray Jacket has an adjustable hood, and the Sierra Parka Jacket is the longline one, with a faux fur trimmed hood and horn toggles. The Cow Faux Fur Jacket is the fun one, and the Cora Military Jacket in pale eucalyptus denim with twin epaulets is the one people will ask about. What I would skip is stacking two oversized layers: if the jacket is boxy, keep the knit under it close to the body.

I would start with the jeans, because that is where the brand began and where the fits are most clearly labelled. Find your size in one rigid pair, use that number across the other rigid fits, and move to the stretch styles if you want more give. If your waist runs smaller than your hips, try the Curvy fits in your true waist size before anything else. Some of the most popular washes are already down to a few sizes, so check yours is still there before you plan an outfit around it.

 

Then add one knit and one jacket. A cashmere blend sweater and the Oli Denim Jacket would cover most of fall with any pair of jeans above. Wash the denim inside out on cold and line dry it, the way the care labels ask, so the wash lasts longer. The rest of the group, from Cotton On Body to Typo, can wait for another day. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Vintage Chanel Jackets and How to Buy Jeans on Revolve Without Wasting a Return Label.