Racil Chalhoub on Her Wardrobe, Her Mother, and the Power of Dressing for Yourself

How to Dress for Joy, Not Trends: Racil Chalhoub on the Power of Dressing for Yourself - YouTube

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Racil Chalhoub is a Lebanese-born designer based in London. She was born in Beirut and raised in Paris before moving to London to study fashion design and marketing. Her multicultural upbringing — Lebanese roots, French savoir-faire, and a British base — gives her a distinctive perspective. Her personal style is adventurous, but her day-to-day look is relatively casual, always starting with a base of jeans and a t-shirt, layered with an impeccably tailored blazer and statement heels.

Her brand name, RACIL, is an homage to her mother — the designer is named after her and credits her mother’s style as an early influence. Having a stylish mother has its benefits, and Racil regularly accepts hand-me-downs, including a beautiful emerald-green Chanel jacket. Her mother always encouraged her to dress for herself and not to follow trends for the sake of it, something she says has paid off, meaning she has a wardrobe (or room, as she showed me) brimming with feel-good, future classics.

I first met Racil in 2016, the year after she launched her label, RACIL, and I have always been impressed by her innate elegance and refined way of wearing colour. The brand began with a capsule collection of tuxedos re-imagined for women. “I couldn’t find the perfect tuxedo … so I made one,” Racil said in her apartment when we started filming. Her brand immediately filled a gap in the market: the famed “Le Smoking” jacket, reinterpreted with a feminine edge and offered in a variety of colours and fabrics. One standout piece — a beautiful cream wool version finished with silver pinstripe thread — remains one of her favourite designs.

She describes her brand as 'somewhere between advanced contemporary and modern luxury'. Over time, her label evolved beyond tuxedos into ready-to-wear pieces, including beautiful vintage-inspired dresses, separates, and accessories, and even featured a collaboration with bag designer Olympia Le-Tan. Her signature Jackie dress was born out of her need for something to wear while hosting at home during the pandemic, and it is now available in a rainbow of shades. The brand’s foundation remains rooted in strong tailoring and effortless pieces that can be worn on vacation or at home, allowing women to move fluidly from day to night — from desk to dance floor — without losing their identity.

If you don’t already follow Racil on Instagram, she regularly shares her latest designs, behind-the-scenes studio moments, and glimpses into whats on her mind, her love of travel and tailoring. But before you go, Racil gave me an exclusive look into her wardrobe and showed me her favourite pieces. Scroll to the top to watch my interview in full and if you're as inspired as I am by Racil's style then I have shared some pieces from her wardrobe below for you to shop.