The winter fashion trends you should embrace – and avoid
Leopard print and berets are both on Kirstie Clements' winter hit list. Photo: Getty
It feels like winter may finally be here, and the parkas and puffer coats are making it out of the closet.
There are some gorgeous trends to adopt now, but also beware some of the common traps of winter fashion.
Don’t believe what the fashion buyers say, even though they repeat the same mantra every year: burgundy doesn’t suit anyone.
Embrace
1. Oversized sweaters teamed with a floaty, mid-calf floral skirt in silk chiffon. This is a cosy and flattering silhouette for women of every size and shape. If you are tall, flat boots, brogues or sneakers are the best shoe choice. The more petite should opt for a high or mid-heeled boot.
A chunky knit with a floaty skirt is a comfortable and chic pairing. Photo: Getty
2. Romantic high-neck blouses. Part of the modest dressing trend, pretty with lace and pin-tucked details blouses look great with jeans, chunky cardigans and coats. They are also perfect for evening, paired with tailored pants or a long skirt.
Weather appropriate and on-trend, high-neck blouses are your go-to winter top. Photo: Getty
3. Leopard-skin accents. Maybe it’s not the best worn head-to-toe, but leopard is always a stylish injection into a winter wardrobe. A leopard- print boot or bag are classic, as are sweaters, cardigans, blouses and coats. Think of it as a neutral and don’t be afraid to mix your look up. It looks sensational worn with spots and florals.
Photo: Getty
4. Berets. They are back in a big way and not only for bad hair days. Also on trend is the chunky, oversized knitted beanie, often seen with a pom-pom on the top. This can go either way if you have a round face; it needs long hair to balance the look.
Berets are cosy, keep wild winter hair at bay and look fabulous. Photo: Getty
Avoid
1. Morticia Addams-style long hair. I don’t know where this awful celebrity trend came from, having dead straight, over-dyed hair that reaches to your waist (thanks Kim Kardashian), but it’s horrifying. If looking like the scary girl in The Ring is your thing, then great, because it does make you look a bit, well, dead.
2. Burgundy. The stores pull it out every autumn, along with green, brown and purple, as if winter demands it. It may look marvellous in Paris, but put it in the Australian light and it will immediately drain all colour out of your face, no matter what skin tones you have. Go for a bright pink, or a true red rather than the bluish tones.
Burgundy should remain in no man’s land. Photo: Getty
3. Chenille. I understand the appeal, it looks soft and cosy and, yes, it does make a good dressinggown or ironic bedspread, if you must. But chenille-knit sweaters have a shine to them that makes them look cheap and can ruin an otherwise good outfit. Velvet is a much more luxurious fabric choice if you love texture.
Chenille is an unflattering fabric for everyone, even supermodel Bella Hadid (pictured). Photo: Getty
4. There’s an odd damsel in distress look that the ‘It’ girls are wearing which consists of a plunge-front corset top with voluminous sleeves that is cropped. Sort of like a Highlander outfit if you forgot the skirt part. I guess if you put it with overlong hair and burgundy chenille, you’d be very on trend. Maybe try pairing it with a leopard wimple.
