Totême is easy to style because it was designed to be. The pieces come in the same three shades, the same clean line and the same weights, so the question is never what goes with what. The question is proportion, texture and how many things to wear at once (fewer than you think). This page is the house method in five looks, from the founder’s own uniform to the evening, with the current pieces on Coveti that make each one.
“I love working with shades, exploring how a saturated black creates an impact together with a washed cotton, or putting a crisp fresh white next to something ivory,” Elin Kling told The Telegraph’s Lisa Armstrong in February 2025.
Key facts
- The palette: black, ecru and one neutral, with a single accent colour per season
- The proportion: long over slim, the coat over everything, trousers to the floor over a flat shoe
- The rule of one: one bag, one piece of jewellery, one detail per outfit
- Texture over colour: cashmere against poplin, leather against wool, silk against denim
- 1,518 pieces on Coveti to build from, 261 of the current accessories made in Italy
The five looks
The uniform
A scarf jacket over a rib tank, double-pleat trousers and a flat shoe. The house look in four pieces, and the one Elin Kling wears most. Technical scarf jacket in Black ($1,070) Scoop neck rib tank black ($164) Double-pleat summer trousers in Black ($640).
The coat over everything
A classic double coat, failing that any wool coat, over jeans and a cashmere crew. Let the coat be the whole outfit. Country coat in Bark ($1,500) Curved rib tank in Black ($260) Fine crew knit in Black ($770).
The dress and the belt
A slouch-waist dress worn with a belted tote and a slingback. One piece, one bag, one shoe. Tie-waist jersey dress in Black ($660).
The evening
A satin slip with the scarf blazer over the shoulders and a T-Lock clutch. Black, one metal, done. Fluid slip dress in Black ($760) Ribbed bow blouse in Black ($680).
The weekend
The trench over a cotton shirt and denim. A loafer, the monogram scarf tied to the bag. Signature trench in Khaki ($1,660) Scoop poplin tank in Black ($570).
Proportion
The house cuts long: trousers that break on the shoe, coats to the calf, shirts that fall past the hip. The trick is to pair long with slim, a wide trouser with a fitted tank, a big coat over a narrow dress, so the silhouette reads as a line rather than a mass. Wear the heels low and the flats flat; the shoes are meant to disappear under the hem. The size guide covers the hems and the model height.
Colour
Start with black and ecru and add one neutral, camel, taupe, grey. Kling’s own description is a saturated black against a washed cotton, a crisp white next to an ivory. The seasonal accent, a red, a yellow, a green, goes on one piece and one piece only. The black, camel and brown and white and ivory pages sort the catalogue by shade.
Texture
With colour taken out, texture does the work: a cashmere knit against cotton poplin, a leather jacket over wool trousers, a silk scarf on a wool coat, suede shoes under denim. Two textures per outfit is enough, three is the maximum. The double-faced wool coats, the naplack shoes and the pony hair-effect bags are the pieces that carry the most texture on their own.
Accessories
One bag, carried every day. The belted tote by day, the T-Lock clutch at night, and the monogram scarf tied to either. One piece of jewellery, the Signature hoops on most days, the fine chain when the neckline is open. The bag guide and the jewellery guide explain the lines.
Frequently asked questions
How do you style Totême?
Long over slim, one bag, one piece of jewellery, two textures and a palette of three shades. The scarf jacket over a tank and tailored trousers with a flat shoe is the house look.
What shoes go with Totême?
Flat and low: the Slip ballerinas and loafers by day, the 35 mm Sharp pumps and the 85 mm Contour slingbacks for evening. The shoes are meant to sit under the hem.
What colours does Totême use?
Black, ecru, white and the warm neutrals, camel to walnut, with one accent shade a season.
Can I mix Totême with other brands?
Yes, and most customers do. It sits naturally with The Row, Khaite and Lemaire and with good basics from anywhere; the palette is what makes it work.
How should the trousers fit?
At the waist, straight through the leg, breaking on the shoe. The brand cuts long; hem to a flat shoe if that is what you wear.
What is the one piece to style around?
The coat in winter and the scarf jacket the rest of the year. Everything else is the base underneath.
Read next
The capsule wardrobe The Signatures Totême coats The shoe guide
More Totême guides
Every Totême page by Coveti’s fashion editor Gemma Deeks: Is it a luxury brand?, Brands like Totême, The edit, Who is Totême?, History timeline, Size guide, Shoe size guide, Price guide, Where to buy, Sale, Review, Real vs fake, Materials and care, Glossary, Who wears it, vs The Row, vs Khaite, Capsule wardrobe, The Signatures, Fall winter 2026, Spring summer 2026, Coats, Scarf jackets and coats, Jackets and blazers, Shearling, Knitwear, Dresses, Trousers, Jeans and denim, Skirts, Tops and shirts, Swim and beachwear, Leather, Bag guide, T-Lock bags, Belted tote, Shoe guide, Boots, Flip flops, Sneakers, Jewellery guide, Sunglasses, Scarves, Black, Camel, beige and brown, White and ivory.
Sources and method
Checked on 18 September 2026 by Gemma Deeks, fashion editor at Coveti. Product facts, the compositions, care lines, dimensions, heel heights and country of manufacture, are the brand’s own product-page text; counts, prices and price ranges are Coveti’s live catalogue on that date and move with stock; the founders’ biography and the house history come from the brand’s own pages and the press articles listed below, each read on the date above; the size scales are the brand’s own. Where a claim could not be checked against one of these it was left out, and where the fitting room is giving its own advice the page says so.
- toteme.com, About: the house’s own description of itself, its founders and the atelier in Stockholm
- toteme.com, Sustainability: the Signatures, the design principles, the Milkywire partnership and the 2024/25 report
- toteme.com, FAQ: shipping countries, duties, payment and returns on the brand’s own store
- toteme.com, Stores: the flagship list by country
- Totême product pages: the description, composition, care, size-guide and country-of-manufacture lines of every style (1,297 pages saved between June and September 2026)
- Elin Kling on Wikipedia
- Karl Lindman on Wikipedia
- Wikidata Q4959117
- WWD, With New Investment, Totême Shoots for the Stars (2021): the Altor minority investment, growth and margin figures and the founders’ quotes
- The Telegraph, Lisa Armstrong, 24 February 2025 (via Yahoo Life): revenue, headcount, the Paris show and Elin Kling’s quotes
- Vogue Scandinavia: Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden’s favourite Nordic brands
- The Business of Fashion, BoF 500: Elin Kling and Karl Lindman
- Coveti live catalogue, 18 September 2026: prices, sizes and stock
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