Street Style: Outerwear Trends

2015’s Most Wearable Outerwear Trends.

“You make your first and last impression with your outerwear,” reminds fashion stylist Michel Onofrio. “A good coat makes a good outfit.”

When you’re filling your closet, it’s all about balance and lifestyle. You should have a coat for every season and at least one fancy coat for special occasions.

Every woman needs a trench–they look great and they’re always in fashion, confirms a representative from Saks Fifth Avenue in Mission Viejo. You also need a wool peacoat, a leather jacket, a long coat (for trips to New York), a light spring jacket and an all season, all weather coat, she says. If you’re a skier, you’ll need a warm parka as well to keep toasty on the slopes.

As for color, Onofrio suggests that you stick with darks. “When in doubt, choose black,” she says. “It stays cleaner.” Even if your choices are simple and monochrome, Onofrio says you can make the most classic coat fashion-forward by adding accessories like a thick leather belt with hardware.

This season, outerwear makes bold fashion statements ranging from sleek and modern to luxurious detail. Balenciaga’s egg shapes and Ferretti’s rounded rectangle were positively geometric, as were the countless A-lines that traipsed down the runway like triangles.

If it wasn’t geometric, it was opulent. Romantic poet sleeves, embellishment, leopard print, and fur trim snubbed stealth wealth in favor of fabulous. And with Napoleonic complex evident, models marched in gold-buttoned military coats, with none so coveted as Dolce & Gabbana’s $85,000 stunner.

Outerwear was the story of the season. So zip up and find the coat that will round out your closet.

TOP TRENDS

1. DETAILING
Fur added a liberal dose of luxury to trenches, jackets, coats and sweater-coats detailing necks, wrists and hemlines. Fur trim doesn’t have to be real to be on-trend either. Faux fur works well at capturing the look and is easier on the bank account.
Key Looks: Burberry, Marc Jacobs, Roberto Cavalli, Louis Vuitton, Hermes, Wunderkind, Sue Wong, Pucci, Derek Lam and Prada.

2. SILHOUETTES
This look is all about the trench. Meshing a masculine cut with feminine curves, the chunky belts pulled taught around the waist makes one of the most seen silhouettes of the season.
Key Looks: Marc Jacobs, Zac Posen, Fendi, Tuleh, Hermes, Andrew Gn, Louis Verdad, Meghan, and of course Burberry who makes the shape an art form.

3. VOLUME
Designers pumped up the volume with slouchy layers, mega collars, poet sleeves and exaggerated shapes: cocoons, balloons, rectangles and A-lines.
Key Looks: Balenciaga is the master of this trend, but others like Alberta Ferretti, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Akris, Kenzo, Tsumori Chisato, Comme des Garcons, Hermes, Oscar de la Renta and Celine also took a walk on the wide side.

4. DRAMA
It was a costume drama on the catwalks. Theatrical coats with period-looking hardware and embellishment brought the house down.
Key Looks: Dolce and Gabbana, Ralph Lauren, Malo, Chanel, Taverniti So Jeans, Comme des Garcons, Kenzo.

5. CAPLETS
You can take the girl out of the country, but you can’t keep her from coming back to the tartan, hound’s-tooth, and herringbone. Capelets, short coats and long fur-trimmed jackets featured these country prints.
Key looks: DSquared, L.A.M.B., Balenciaga, Burberry, Aquascutum, Morphine Generation, Antik Denim, Chulo Pony.

6. LEATHER
Functional coats with attitude betray a city girl. Leather, shearling and all weather coats are the weapons of choice against the winter weather for the urban chic.
Key looks: Dior, Prada Sport, Junya Watanabe, Kevan Hall, Daks, Akris, John Galliano, Andrew Marc, Hermes, Diesel, Yigal Azrouel.