With her London-cool attitude and love of vintage design, Leena Similu is bringing a fresh take on luxury shirting.

As former head designer at Stella McCartney and Jil Sander, as well as her own London-based label Les Chiffoniers (known for its leather leggings worn by countless celebrities including Kate Moss and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley), Similu has both the rocker sensibilities and chic tailoring chops to enhance 's minimalist aesthetic.

We caught up with the vintage-obsessed designer to learn what drives her and how to put your own twist on the essentials.

What are some of the things you learned at Jil Sander, Stella McCartney and Les Chiffoniers that you have applied at Equipment?

They were all a vital education into anticipating the modern woman's needs and preferences. I think that the clean discipline and luxe purity of one house marries well with the ultra-feminine flourishes and cool-girl aspect of the others.

Les Chiffoniers has such a different aesthetic from Equipment. Can you talk about your transition and the differences in designing for the two?

Although the aesthetic is different, I actually see similarities in terms of the approach. Both brands created a single timeless versatile go-to item at the core of the brand ( leather leggings for Les Chiffoniers and the silk blouse for Equipment), and everything designed would be an extension of that core piece. It's a very simple, but well-thought-out way to design.

Can you talk about your new luxe silk and how it varies from what you were doing before?

It was actually triggered by the Luis shirt, which we resurrected from our archive. This sumptuous silk worked perfectly for the structured 70s collar and vibe. We then realized this silk allowed us to venture into new silhouette territories as a natural silk evolution for Equipment.

What are some of your favorite pieces from the fall collection?

I love how we've delved even deeper into our fascination with cashmere and cozy tactile pieces. One standout new silk dress for me is the Delany-it feels like an extended signature shirt dress that glides when you move, as does our Pascal shirt-again, a longer silhouette that moves with you.

Equipment is known for its very clean, sophisticated aesthetic. How can someone add a bit of their personality to these looks to make them their own?

We try to keep everything fuss-free without superfluous details, therefore our styles can be considered your blank canvas to illustrate whatever you feel each morning. You can be sleek or urban-and our solids are perfect for adding nighttime sparkle, while our vibrant prints add dimension and personality. I imagine our woman has a natural gift for mixing basic and design!

Where do you turn for inspiration?

For me, there are infinite places for inspirational future insights! I think fashion always has a dance with the sentimental and historical verses of the future-you always need to bridge the gap between innovation and wearability.

It's about reinterpreting the past so you can find something new to say with it. Therefore, my first port of call is usually always vintage-I'll trawl through flea markets or specialty vendors that will sometimes curate for me according to a brief, or even a few words I've sent them. There is always something magical there, a small detail can carry an entire collection and I love the authenticity of a vintage garment-one that has a meaning, a purpose and soul. I never tire of vintage magazines, especially 1970's Paris Vogue.

To counterbalance the vintage, I make sure I'm up to speed with modern art, contemporary culture and music, like most designers.

Is there anything you've seen recently in fashion, film, art or travel that's really excited you?

I'm forever in love with the 70s, so I was really impressed with Zoe Saldana's working mom wardrobe in Infinitely Polar Bear -I just love the realism. I think it's great to see that fashion now isn't about a few singular trends anymore-it's more of a freestyle approach. It feels like fashion is really in fashion.

-Deidre Crawford