She’s in fashion

Trends From extreme shoulders to f’row boots, the city’s street-style stars are no wallflowers, says Karen Dacre

1. Ground control

At a tidy £1,400, Balenciaga’s thighhigh metallic boots make for a nobrainer purchase. Not least because you’ll wear them every day and with, well, everything, from your favourite hoodie to your fail-safe LBD. Jokes. But if they came with a guarantee of looking as cool in them as Lulu Kennedy does we may well consider a pair.

2. Sock meets sandal

For long-suffering fash folk, February is a treacherous time: there are shows, 5am flights and social-media allegiances to contend with. Then there’s the weather. The sock-andsandal combo — a favourite with seasoned show types such as Matchesfashion.com fashion features ed Jane McFarland (pictured) — is a means by which we can keep a foot in both seasons and thus regain control.

3. Knights in white cotton

If you’re looking for a hangover companion, a white peasant-sleeve dress is your friend. A favourite with creative consultant Kate Foley and Alexa Chung, who championed JW Anderson’s interpretation this week, it’s a frock that suggests the wearer is more innocent than they look.

4. Ballerina girls

Wondering how to pull off next season’s ballet trend without looking like a baby elephant crossed with a Barbie? Simples: reinvent yourself as Agyness Deyn. Elfin good looks and an enviable sense of style meant the model-turned-actress looked more boss than ballet when she turned up to Molly Goddard’s show on Saturday. Not jealous at all.

5. Off-shoulder robing

Want to make it as a street-style blogger? You’d better unbutton. Only a pedestrian would wear a coat on their shoulders. Thanks to Demna Gvasalia and his AW16 vision for Balenciaga, shoulder robing has given way to shoulder bearing. NB: this is an uncomfortable pastime that involves contortionist lessons and rather chilly shoulders.

6. Wear your floral frock with jeans

It’s February and the summer dress you pre-ordered has arrived early: cue much cheering, then despair as you realise it’s far too cold even to contemplate wearing it outside of your underfloor-heated bathroom — never mind on the street. Thankfully the street-style experts have come up with a canny plan: welcome summer into winter by wearing your new floral fancy with a pair of jeans. Crazy or clever?

7. Do a feature leg

Edgy Russian Mulberry stylist Lotta Volkova practised what she preached on Sunday, choosing a pair of mohair-knit tights from the brand’s AW17 collection to decorate her legs. And she wasn’t the only one opting to make a statement in winter woollies, with printed and brightcoloured deniers all the rage this week. Fancy stepping out in the trend? Team the most outlandish pair you can find with a skirt or short in a matching shade. Trust us, it’s a thing.

8. Embrace colour

If racking up Instagram likes ranks high on your agenda, rocking up at the shows in any old navy sweater is not going to cut it. A master in the art of anti-austerity style, Swedish actress Noomi Rapace has the standing-out-from-the-crowd thing down pat. To emulate her look, dig out the brightest shade you can get your hands on and then swaddle yourself in it.

@standardfashion