Look out the window and you might see.. yes, it was snowing this time last week!
Don’t let the occasional beams of sun fool you – we are still very much in the winter season and the frosty weather that has attacked all of Europe, may come back to torture us as well. It’s better to be fashionably prepared in advance.
Thankfully, with extremely cold weather come four main trends you may want to apply to your wardrobe staples.
Now I get it, being a student it isn’t exactly easy to keep up with the latest and greatest while keeping your maintenance loan in check, but between searching the Lanes (an absolute must for any fashion follower in Leicester) and using your student discount, all you need is a few key staples to bring your Winter wardrobe out of hibernation and swiftly forth into keeping it current.
The winter season presentations at Fashion Weeks around the globe have brought us a multitude of different trends to play with, so don’t be afraid to experiment – all of them mix, but all of them also match.
Ruffles and frills
A strong trend for the past two seasons already, the ruffle is here to stay. Warm it up with heavier knit fabrics and extra ruffle layers. It will be worth investing in a piece with ruffles or frills, especially one you can layer underneath a jacket or a cape, which brings us to the next trend…
Oversized Outerwear
‘The couture puffa’ as Marie Claire calls this winter staple. Designers such as Balenciaga and DKNY have brought out bright and colourful puffer jackets, worn shrugged off the shoulder, and iconic Gucci have come out with a ruffled knit cape. What more can you ask for? Two trends for the price of one!
Much more student friendly alternatives are being put in stores by New Look and Topshop, as well as online (ASOS is your friend here) so do not despair if designer is not within your budget.
Contrasting Textures
Velvet, leather, sequins. That’s it. Now mix them together! Pretty simple really, but to give you an example, you could take a velvet ruffle top in pastel pink (a popular colour at all Fashion weeks) and pair it with a leather skirt – the biggest staple of this seasons’ bottom garments. You might also want to chuck on some thick tights, just in case. To spice things up, add leopard print boots. Talking of animal print…
Animal Kingdom
Spots or stripes, Fashion Weeks were going wild for animal prints (faux, obviously). A subtle way to mix these into your wardrobe is via a pair of boots or shoes, or an accessory like a bag or a purse. Fashion editors across the world are all raving for animal print right now but it never goes out of fashion, so why not treat yourself and get a bit of print into that wardrobe of yours! Take a look at Calvin Klein and Dolce and Gabanna for inspiration.
