Power down your suit blazer with slouchy jeans, invest in a pair of vegan leather trousers and summon your trench coat out of storage – fashion month kicks off with NYFW on September 6, and this is your insider guide to what the front row will be wearing.
The new smart-casual
There’s a lot of fashion happening in this photo, but today we’re going to focus on the winged-collar shirt and oversized blazer worn by Spanish influencer María Bernad (pictured centre). On the bottom half, Bernad is wearing ultra-casual jeans. On the top half, she’s neatly suited. The beauty of this look lies in the blend of two entirely contrasting moods – something we’re expecting to see a lot during fashion month. As the saying goes, get you a girl that can do both…
Four-piece chic
A modern, showstopping FROW look is a four-part act. This September, our bets are on fashion editors sporting a supersized chain necklace (shop JW Anderson’s oversized choker), textured knit, roomy faux leather pants (we love the Mitsu style by Nanushka) and barely-there sandals (by – it probably goes without saying – Bottega Veneta). Extra points for the zero-fuss elegance of a sculptural handbag.
Sci-fi shirting
Click Here: Italy Football Shop
While prim shirtwaisters and balloon-sleeve dresses owned last season, the mood has loosened up for September. Come autumn, the fresh cotton shirt dress is going uptempo thanks to futuristic accessories (including meticulously sourced, vintage running sneakers).
Back-to-school check
Mute the #endofsummer social media outpouring; there are some perks to entering the new season. Plaid checks are the preserve of autumn and there’s something of a back-to-school mood about those reassuringly neat gridlines. The tip from the FROW? Buck tradition with boxy silhouettes and lightweight fabrics.
Chanel, we love you
Summer 2019 saw our feeds dominated by CHA-NEL emblazoned mules, co-ordinating crop tops and miniskirts – and the not-so-surprising news is, our collective love of Karl Lagerfeld’s nostalgic logomania isn’t going anywhere. Our in-depth celebrity wardrobe analysis indicates that the Chanel belt will continue to be the most covetable accessory for the FROW, paired with baggy jeans and an hourglass suit blazer.
The razor-front vest
There’s a lot we’d like to borrow from Vogue Ukraine fashion director Julie Pelipas’ infinitely desirable minimalist wardrobe, but right now we are focusing on the razor-front vest. For Pelipas, sporting a tank top is about nonchalance; she wears her Alaïa vest backwards, accentuating her shoulders and inspiring her legions of followers to do the same.
The architectural trench
Heads up: you’re still going to be hearing a lot of talk about trench coats this season. In fact, you’ll probably hear more on the trench coat than ever before, as fashion editors get their hands on JW Anderson and Bottega Veneta’s iterations of the classic heritage coverup. Google image search Meryl Streep and Audrey Hepburn for a crib sheet on the FROW’s secrets for styling the trench now: it looks best when worn as a dress, with a pair of knee-high boots or clashing leather mules.
Lotta Volkova’s 24/7 mood
The mini dress (seen here on stylist Lotta Volkova) has been relegated to the sidelines during the past few years, with even Hedi Slimane moving away from abbreviated hemlines in favour of the bourgeois midi skirt. Well, not this season. The FROW’s go-to modest day dresses are facing new competition from the devil-may-care attitude of the retro party dress. As Volkova’s fit-and-flare Miu Miu style suggests, the time has come to return to a mood of rebellious fun.
Retiree leisurewear
The forward-thinking Scandi style set have their sights on a retiree chic wardrobe for autumn. Their new season mindset sees empowered under 35s putting comfort first, flipping the condescension once attached to OAP fashion on its head. On the FROW this month, look out for a series of silken grandmother-esque headscarves worn in honour of the recently freed A$AP Rocky; and ergonomic footwear labels in step with luxe sneaker brands.
End of summer romance
Fashion month officially kicks off with NYFW on September 6, where fashion editors will be getting extra style mileage out of their favourite vintage summer dresses, before the weather cools off. The added bonus? Lightweight dresses mean no checked luggage, which is something of a badge of honour among the FROW who a) have phobias of airlines losing their bags, and b) seek to avoid any association with the cliché of the laden-down shopaholic fashion editor.