How to Actually Wear This Season's Runway Trends

How to Actually Wear This Season's Runway Trends

Every season the runway hands us a set of ideas that look wonderful in photographs and slightly alarming in an office. Moda Operandi's in-house stylists spent this one working out how to wear them, from gold and silver in daylight to eveningwear mixed with casual basics. This edit collects the pieces behind those looks and shows how each trend translates into something you would put on for a normal day.

Skirts

The skirt is where runway ideas are easiest to borrow. Embossed leather, satin and embellished finishes all show up here, and the trick is to pair them with something plain and slightly casual, like a tee or a simple knit.

Tops

Tops carry much of the season's texture, with lace, fringe, silk and feathered trims. Worn under a sensible jacket, they make an ordinary outfit look deliberate.

Coats and jackets

The jackets range from embellished corduroy to shearling and leather, plus a peplum denim jacket that sums up how playful tailoring has become. One interesting jacket is the fastest route to feeling current.

Shoes

Pointed pumps, thong sandals and patent boots are the shoes of the moment. Metallic and snake-effect finishes nod to the season's love of shine.

Bags

Clutches and small handbags dominate, several in wood, resin or suede. The mood is decorative rather than practical, and that is part of the appeal.

Trousers

Wide legs in satin, leather and corduroy show how far trousers have moved from the slim cigarette shape. They make a metallic or lace top feel wearable in daylight.

Knitwear

Argyle and merino knits bring a bit of preppy calm to the louder pieces. A knit over something shiny is one of the easiest ways into the metallic trend.

Dresses

The dresses run from a sequinned tea-length style to a sheer turtleneck maxi. Evening pieces can go out in daylight if you are willing to add a flat shoe.

Jewelry

Bold earrings and resin bangles do the heavy lifting in jewelry. One strong piece beats a stack.

Accessories

Belts, sunglasses and a baseball cap finish the looks. The cap is a useful way to undercut something dressy.

Shorts

Tailored and embroidered shorts are another runway idea that works better in real life than expected, especially with tights.

Jeans

Stovepipe, wide and straight-leg jeans are the base layer for almost every trend here. Rigid denim keeps the louder pieces grounded.

The rest of the edit

A few more pieces from the edit, including a glittered bolero top, an organza skirt and a knitted cardigan.

Our honest take

Most runway trends are easier to wear than they look, as long as you take them one at a time. Pick the idea that makes you curious, whether that is metallics or lace, and build around it with things you already own. That is the whole trick the stylists are selling, and it is a good one.