The Best Outfits are Not Just About the Clothes
We're taking some styling cues from Fashion Month home with us.
The way I consume fashion shows has changed over the years. I remember looking at Style.com and noting the clothing I would buy if I had the money. When interning at Vogue, assisting various stylists, and then in my early days at Man Repeller, I studied the shows, looking less at the creativity and more at memorizing the looks and references to impress my colleagues. Only since I stopped pursuing a career as a fashion editor have I begun to consume the shows as a whole—as the presentation of a concept, mood, or thought. I focus less on the individual elements (though I still note pieces I would—not to be dramatic but—cut a pinky off for) and more on the styling of the looks. Unless it’s a show like Comme des Garçons, which is a spectacle not to recreate, the styling makes a show so enjoyable for me.
I’ve already spoken at length about the impact of the Silhouette variety in a show and how it keeps my attention and interest. A variation of Silhouette in a single roughly 50-look show is comparable to a movie or television show that engages the audience with plot twists and unpredictability. Beyond Silhouette, though, I also like to—from my screen—zoom in on a look that appears to be made up of traditional elements but, when dissected, is so much more intricate. Two polos layered that merge visually. Two belts stacked. A leg warmer pulled down the foot so that it rides down half the foot. Two cuffs. I like it when it takes so much thought from the styling team to get it just so. I feel the same way about the way we dress.
So, while a gorgeous suit or intricately sewn dress is thrilling, it’s the tuck of the top, the mis-buttoned shirt, the multiple collars, and the anorak tied around the waist that I find myself thinking about long after I first see it. Some brands consistently excite me with their styling, specifically Miu Miu and Prada (always), Dries Van Noten, Louis Vuitton, and Ralph Lauren. Here are some of my favorite styling elements from Fashion Month that you certainly can adapt in your own way, with no pinkies sacrificed.
Add a Jacket, Forget the Pants
This Silhouette is the one I identify with most. It is most wearable in Fall or Spring when it’s 50-70 degrees. A bulky statement jacket with skinny pants, shorts, or no bottoms at all in full Palm fashion. These particular looks inspired me and are ones we could replicate:
Rabanne uses a variety of somewhat unlikely layers (a hoodie with a men’s button-down and heels) but combined so thoughtfully that they work well. This technique is most commonly associated with the Cypress, by carefully and attentively layering colors, textures, or patterns to make your outfit more dynamic. And, you could easily wear your version of the top layers in this look with a pair of trousers, though I do like the lightness of the bottom half when the top half is so complex.
Prada’s Silhouette prominently features belted bottoms in its show and the return of its platform espadrille oxfords, which I’m pleased to report I got on eBay for $213. With the tight pants, the elevation of the shoe elongates the leg to focus the eye on the volume of the boxy jacket.
Balenciaga diverges from the Palm silhouette and goes for Evergreen, with a flowy long jacket made voluminous by the bulk of that windbreaker around the model’s waist, a genius trick I couldn’t wait to replicate.
Louis Vuitton makes a pretty sporty-looking underlayer more feminine with a ruffled jacket (Contradistinction Technique), mixing fun patterns while doing so. I don’t own a printed base layer like the the look on the runway, so I focused more on the components of the outfit rather than pattern.
I have always fully supported a leotard; I owned so many of them from childhood through my teenage years doing ballet. The Ferragamo show made one of the perhaps daintiest outfits (a ballerina’s uniform) so cool with an oversized anorak.
The Sandwich Method
I’ve been referencing this styling trick over the past few weeks as the temperatures have finally lowered enough to layer. Last week, I did a tutorial on shirt stacking! I referred to the layering of two of the same, simple items to create a more complex look as The Sandwich Method. And it is perfectly easy. But I'd never thought to do so the way they did for this Dries Van Noten tank look, which is actually one piece. Why not layer a lacy tank under a deep V silk one yourself? I’m telling you: make yourself a sandwich!!!
DIY Accessory Greatness
Nothing delights me more than styling using found materials, such as a ribbon or piece of cotton removed from packaging. The looks above are all styles you can copy yourself.
The Dries Van Noten necklace (top left) requires a ribbon and a pendant or brooch to create, and the pendant (top right) needs a brooch or pendant of a necklace secured with a safety pin.
The Prada look is slightly nautical, with a white cotton handkerchief and a beautiful jacket. I would do this with one of my collarless jackets.
The Miu Miu leg warmer/shoe look could be done with, yes, leg warmers, or you could cut the toe off of thick high socks and do this.
The Miu Miu belt look is pretty self-explanatory, but it uses two different belts; perhaps a leather belt with a chain belt (or even a long necklace rigged as a belt!).
Makeshift Styling
Similarly to DIY accessories, you can DIY a piece of clothing.
At first, I thought the Miu Miu bandeau sweater thing was a creatively styled sweater, but I think it may be a top that looks like a sweater. I’d prefer it if it were actually a sweater layered on top, thoughtfully secured, which we can do! Wear a tank and wrap a thin crewneck, cardigan sweater, or long-sleeved tee around your bust with the arms in front. I added a tube top the same color as the sweater, which makes it look like a complete top. As for the dress look, it’s kind of a cross between both the Miu Miu and the Sacai look (a show I loved). I used the arms for extra security by tying them tightly around my bust.
“The Wrong Jacket”
Theory courtesy of Jalil Johnson’s genius!
A couple of weeks ago, my friend and fellow Substacker Jalil Johnson wrote at length about what he calls The Wrong Jacket Theory, and these three looks all confirm just how impactful the “wrong” jacket really is. Pairing a very casual outer layer with something formal underneath or the opposite, a fancy jacket with a casual underlayer, is so easy. This styling utilizes the Contradistinction Technique by way of outerwear.
Skirts on Skirts
That Khaite look keeps calling me because of the creative layering of the flowing feminine skirts paired with a masculine tuxedo jacket. I love the pairing and the complex textures on the bottom. While the Silhouette is technically a Cypress (fairly even from top to bottom), the layers on the bottom create the drama most commonly associated with Evergreens. Genius! Similarly, the Saint Laurent look appears to layer two mini skirts, and while the Silhouette is that of a Palm, the focus of my eye goes to the gorgeous intricacy of her bottom half. Why wear one skirt when you can layer two?
So, even if you’re not a consumer of designer fashion, you can digest the runway looks, learn from their creativity, and adapt the styling in your own way.
Did I miss anything in particular that you got excited about?
xo,
Eliz
Spring 2025 Runway images via Vogue Runway