Graceful Elegance: 60s.(Buyers guide)

Byline: GRACE CODDINGTON Photographed by Steven Meisel.

They spend their lives thinking about clothes . . . but given their different ages, what do they choose to wear? VOGUE' s editors--starting with GRACE CODDINGTON and her classically inflected, fuss-free uniform--style models in their own image.

These days I don't feel obliged to buy a lot of new things, though I always get a coat; it immediately gives you something fresh. This winter, it will be the Balenciaga one in this story. It has a slight cocoon shape, which is very flattering because even though it is roomy, it doesn't look wide. Also, the sleeves are slim, yet the armholes aren't small and restrictive--the one thing that always gets bigger as you get older is your arms. I almost always wear pants and a sweater, and always in the same straight shape. The perfect proportion of slimness to my body: That's what I'm aiming for, especially since I've noticed I've gotten straighter--the curves have filled out! Really, what I have is a uniform that shifts only by a matter of millimeters, or by changing the fabric. I basically buy the same Prada shirts and Balenciaga pants again and again. Louis Vuitton remade a coat for me because I loved it so much. I like masculine things, such as this Proenza Schouler coat, for their simplicity and functionality. For instance, there is an interior breast pocket in the Vuitton coat; you put your cell phone in there, and off you go. Anyway, I do think I counteract the masculine thing with my red hair. It's the best accessory I could ever have.

CAPTION(S):

BACK TO BASICS Karen Elson portrays Coddington, ...