This year’s runway season was totally unreal—it started with Valentino’s magical galaxy-inspired gowns and ended with Valentino’s show-stopping Zoolander 2 runway finale. Valentino really might be the alpha and omega. Anyways, among the flurry of fringe, fur, and everything groovy, we might’ve forgotten to look at the real movers and shakers of the fashion industry: street stylists. They walk, stomp, and strut along the streets of every fashion capital of the world. New York, London, Milan, Paris, and now Tokyo have served up an incredible amount of outfit inspiration for all of us—if we’re bold enough.
One of the recurring street-style trends was fringe. A lot of it. This isn’t surprising considering the heavy 1970s influence on the runways this season, but it’s refreshing nonetheless. It danced and shimmied in the form of fringed suede, leather, jackets, purses, tops and scarves. I think fringe is a bit of a tricky trend, because it can go from chic to trashy quicker than Kim K. went from brunette to platinum. The line between cool and not cool falls somewhere way before those teal, fringed bikinis that Tilly’s sold in 2011. Here’s how the top street-stylists donned the trend:
Mismatched fur was also a big hit on the streets. Huge patchy coats that were often more than colorful were masterfully paired with low-key white tees or classic denim. A lot of people jumped on the faux fur trend this past winter.
I even was gifted my grandmother’s not-so-faux fur coat from the 1950s (sorry PETA), but I don’t wear it nearly as much as I should. Wearing fur makes a statement, a loud one, and I think it’s the perfect gateway trend to push us outside of our flannel-lined comfort zones and into the world of fashion-as-art.
Another great trend is what I like to call, “the stewardess sexy scarf.”
Women were rocking poppy ascots all over the world, especially in Paris and Milan. The silky, bright neck scarves are the epitome of class—Audrey Hepburn wore one, and that’s all you need to know. There’s might’ve been Hermés, but don’t fret, any colorful scarf will do the trick.
Denim-on-denim, cropped trousers, and long-line leather coats also headlined the 2015 trend list, along with copper-tone accents and snakeskin bags. Trends can be a little overwhelming at times, especially when it comes to street style, but like I mentioned before, developing your personal style is all about being creative and finding your voice. A totally rad, mismatched fur coat just might help you do that, and if it doesn’t…well, then you should try again with fringe.