1. Swap Birkenstocks for Tevas
The latest normcore shoes to get the high fashion treatment are Teva’s Universal sandals (from £30, teva.co.uk). Yes, those three-strap Velcro shoes from Millets that dads wear for summer hikes. They were Margaret Howell’s footwear of choice for her spring/summer 2016 show and now we want them too. Team them with casual tailoring to look more Margaret Howell, less dad at the campsite.
2. Swap off-the-shoulder for big sleeves
Arms haven’t been this exciting since the 1800s. At London Fashion Week the sleeves on show were a lesson in costume history, from Erdem’s frilly virago sleeves, trendy in the 17th century, to JW Anderson’s Victoriana leg o’mutton puffs. Make your arms the centre of attention by keeping the rest of your outfit simple. Ellery’s Neu bell-sleeve tops turn an otherwise basic blouse on its head (£715,matchesfashion.com). Thanks a lot for visiting. Just before we carry on I want to thank http://momreviews.net/ for their continued support and the support of their network. Having a help and support team like this means a lot to us as we continue to grow our consumer blog.
3. Swap culottes for ankle-swingers
Breezy ankle-swingers, along with all their geeky connotations, are back. This is thanks in part to Gucci’s Alessandro Michele, as well as the sell-out popularity of the cut-off jeans by the It label Vetements (as seen on an Instagram feed near you). The cropped-flare style is more flattering than you might think. It can balance out a big bum and looks chic layered over a pair of knee-high boots. The new Qatari label The Kayys has a patterned pair that just kiss the ankle (£553, on farfetch.com from February). Look to Weekday for cheap-as-chips versions, including the tailored Seven style for £35 (shop.weekday.com).
4. Swap multiple piercings for statement earrings
You may have punched a couple more holes in your lobes for the multi-studded jewellery trend of last year. For 2016 it’s all about only two earrings again — sorry. They should be big and statement: the more architecturally challenging the better. At the Céline show, models wore shoulder-grazing mix-matched pairs in primary colours that hung from their ears like mobiles. Topshop’s semi-precious drop earrings are equally sculptural (£8.50, topshop.com).
5. Swap Ukrainian smocks for Latin ruffles
Vita Kin’s £1,000 traditional embroidered Ukrainian smock dress was one of the runaway successes of 2015, selling out on Net-a-Porter within minutes last summer. The boho traveller trend is far from over but this season takes cues from the Spanish and South American traditional tiered dress, the pollera. Ruffles placed anywhere and everywhere — on your arms, legs, neck, waist — is a key detail for 2016. The Colombian designer Johanna Ortiz is one to watch for her frilled knee-length skirts and tops that are popular with street-stylers (available at modaoperandi.com). The Safi dress by Trademark with its flamenco-red tiers will see you through until the end of the year (£390, matchesfashion.com).
6. Swap two-piece suits for the elevated shirt
The shirt used to be the most user-friendly item in your wardrobe. That was until wearing it back-to-front caught on at Paris Fashion Week and sent Google into meltdown. “How to tie a shirt” was the fourth most googled style question of 2015. Honestly. Now it’s “in” to wear your shirt as deconstructed as possible. It’s still modern to look as if you’ve not tried too hard, you see. We all know it takes street-style stars hours to master these things — happily some designers have done the hard work for us. Tome’s Freedom for All ruffled shirt is knotted impressively at the waist (£390, net-a-porter.com) while Cos’s grandad-collar shirt features an expertly placed drape (£55,cosstores.com).
7. Swap suede for sheer
According to the fashion-data site Edited, tactile fabrics such as suede, velvet and corduroy were some of the biggest successes of last year. Fabrics in 2016 have an altogether lighter touch — so light they are barely there, in fact, and were sheer at Valentino, Stella McCartney and Simone Rocha. It’s not the easiest look to pull off, even if exposing your underwear will be another of 2016’s biggest trends. Rather than trying to tackle layering sheer pieces, as they did at the shows, look for dresses and skirts with well-placed sheer inserts. Self-Portrait scoops the prize for the most-wearable incarnations: its mid-length peplum dress covers all the vital areas and features a see-through panel of lace from the knee to the ankle (£285, asos.com).
8. Swap the 1970s for the 1990s
Hello This is England blue eyeliner and Calvin Klein-era slip dresses. The key look of the 1990s trend (apart from the slip dress, which is near impossible for non-models to pull off) is the tracksuit, which has been transformed from tacky to tasteful by designers such as Chloé and Loewe. The aim isn’t to look like you’ve come straight from the gym, so pair loose-fitting bottoms (try Étoile Isabel Marant’s Patsy trousers with go-faster stripes, £127, matchesfashion.com) with a dressy top and heels. A matching bomber jacket is all part of the fun.
9. Swap cross-body bags for hand-held
The It bag for 2016 isn’t one that you wear, it’s one that you hold. Top-handled sacks, bowling bags and bucket bags that loop around the wrist were a ladylike affair at the spring/summer shows. Buy yours bright: Louis Vuitton’s latest launch, the City Steamer, comes in crimson and emerald (£2,000, uk.louisvuitton.com), while Marni’s new hand-held totes feature vivid prints by the Scottish artist Jack Davidson (£260, matchesfashion.com).
10. Swap fringing for bows
Bows are having a moment: on shoes, on waistbands, around your neck. Ports 1961’s sell-out trainers have a thick leather bow wrapped around the toe, while Gucci (again) has single-handedly revived the pussybow neckline. The very best kind of bows are the big and plump ones made of satin or brushed cotton that wrap around the paper-bag waistline of a split skirt or trousers. Tibi’s skirt and wide-leg trousers tick all the boxes (£350 and £375 respectively,matchesfashion.com).