We’re nearing the time of year when outerwear obstacles start to present themselves. With the erratic weather that accompanies autumn in the UK, we’ll soon face the daily dilemma: Coat or jacket? Choose wrongly and you’ll wind up either sweating profusely on the way to work, or trying to distract yourself from the constant chill nipping at your extremities. I’m not sure which is worse…
Luckily for us, there is one tried-and-tested option that feels tailor-made for this tricky in-between period. Enter, blazers. It should come as no surprise that we’re devoted fans of this timeless layering piece here at Who What Wear—we sure talk about them enough—but we also believe that not all blazers are created equal. After sitting back and observing which blazer trends have emerged from the autumn/winter runways, some grabbed our attention more than others.
Below, we’ve rounded up a few of our favourite catwalk debuts, plus the specific blazer styles we’ll be buying into now and will wear (and love) for the rest of the year.
Supersized silhouettes stole the limelight on the runway, realised in menswear-inspired blazers featuring rigid shoulders and extra-long sleeves by the likes of Stella McCartney and Tibi. Fashion Week attendees took to juxtaposing theirs with feminine bottoms and slinky stilettos.
Brighter days may be on their way out, but bold shades can pretend they’re not. Consider lime greens, Barbie pinks and cobalt blues à la Michael Kors and Proenza Schouler when selecting your 2023 blazers, then style them with complimentary colours to really max out this trend.
We’ve been talking non-stop about leather since mid-2022, but this luxurious fabrication has now joined forces with our favourite outerwear style—can you blame us for being excited!? There are also some soft-as-butter faux options out there for the vegans among us.
Chloé’s waist-defining blazers couldn’t be further from the first trend on this list, but we’re confident the two can peacefully co-exist. Reminiscent of the hourglass silhouette of the 1950s, this is the shape to stick to if you’re aiming for elegance and refinement.
Structured double-breasted designs often go hand-in-hand with the hourglass trend, but designers like Ami Paris and Dries Van Noten—plus some of our high-street favourites—have met the demand for slouchier, more relaxed iterations.
This story was published at an earlier time and has since been updated.
Next Up: Experts Agree—These Autumn/Winter 2023 Fashion Trends Really Count