At Who What Wear UK, we strive to be at the forefront of fashion and to always bring you the latest in fashion trends straight from the shows. But it’s abundantly clear that what’s brought to life on the runways doesn’t always translate to real life. Whilst we will all remember Kim Kardashian’s head-to-toe Balenciaga lycra moment and Miu Miu’s belt-stroke-skirt for years to come, those looks don’t reflect what we want to wear in our everyday lives.
But fortunately, the high street does a brilliant job of translating some of fashion’s key moments into wearable trends, and none do it better than three of our affordable favourites: Zara, & Other Stories and Mango. After creating plenty of their own viral moments (take Sienna Miller at Glasto and last year’s celeb It coat, for two examples), these high-street heroes have proven that it’s possible to create fashion-forward pieces without the designer price tags, and so we regularly comb through their new-in sections to find the next big hits inspired by the Fashion Week shows.
Below, I’ve picked out three of the most important trends to know this season with pieces that allow you to shop them all for under £150 (!).
When it comes to jacket trends, we had a relatively scaled-back spring that relied heavily on blazers (and summer 2023 will go down in history as the year we wore our trench coats early), but this autumn leads the charge with a focus on shape and silhouette, and the supersized bomber jacket is back and quietly dominating the market. After the Frankie Shop’s Astra bomber sold out everywhere almost immediately last year, and Loewe’s puffer-bomber hybrid became a celebrity favourite, the bomber is now popping up on the high street just in time for a chilly autumn.
Does minimalism ever really go out of style? Just as reliable as florals in spring and linen in summer, dark neutrals always tend to emerge from hibernation around autumn, but this year, there’s a new contender to rival camel and khaki, and it’s fifty shades of grey. From & Other Stories’ sleek workwear to Zara’s edgy metallics, the street style set reaffirms that this humble hue is anything but boring, so opt for head-to-toe looks or strong foundation pieces that make this grown-up shade the star of the show.
It’s likely we have back-to-school prep to thank for this renaissance of pleats (with a little bit of Miu Miu, Thom Browne, and Valentino men’s in the mix too), but the high street has embraced the demure pleated skirt with fervour. However you feel about this “ladylike” trend, it’s quite difficult to miss. From plaid micro-minis to elegant, calf-grazing midis, there’s skirt for every style in 2023. Just don’t forget to add a pair of socks and slingback shoes.
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