Nothing is ever black and white – there’s shades of grey…and cream, beige and tan too!

One of the things I do love about winter is that fashion trends tend to be more classic, natural and refined. It’s almost like fashion houses and designers pay homage to the season.

When you think about it, we rarely will see the bright colours usually associated with Nature in summer, in winter. If anything, fashion’s winter colour palette reflects what is going on around us for example, the darker mornings or rain-filled clouds (black, navy and shades of grey), sleet or snow (white and cream), berries on trees and bushes for the birds (burgundy, plum and red), and the paler rising sun and lower setting winter sun (burnt orange, warm beige, camel and tan). Fabrics are heavier to keep us cosy on cooler evenings and styles veer towards the longer lengths to contribute towards protecting us against the elements 🙂

A few weeks back, both Lacey and I attended the Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival and the Chadstone Shopping Centre’s The Stylo: Files showcase and there were a few very dominant trends on the runways from most of the stores.

The key trend that was very evident in pretty much every collection was the presence of black and white, which most of us will admit to having a lot of in our wardrobes – I know I do! It’s such an easy palette to wear not to mention the slimming and streamlining effect that black has in creating a silhouette.

What I loved, was seeing this classic pairing used in bold checkers and a really great trend this season is teaming checkers with checkers! That’s right, wearing them on both top and bottom, almost clashing the fabrics! On paper, this shouldn’t work but let me tell you, it does! And it instantly updates what is otherwise quite classic.

Another trend this season based around the idea of doubling up, is denim with denim. Now before you go reaching for your western style cowboy shirt and old jeans from the back of the wardrobe (you’re not dressing to look like you’re going line-dancing!), the key here is to mix it up a little. Try wearing different shades of denim to break the look up. Or if you do decide to wear a DD (short for double denim, not a bra size ladies!) look in the same shades, why not merge it with another trend this season, an A line skirt with a fitted shirt or a denim dress and jacket with tan accessories and shoes.

Without sounding like E.L. James, shades of grey are also a key winter trend! From soft pale greys to charcoals, this is a colour that can be worn with so many others, working wonderfully when worn with any of the neutral tones around this season. A little more forgiving than black sometimes, grey looks fantastic with both cool and warm tones. Inject a flash of colour with a statement necklace or killer high heels and bag to avoid it looking drab or play around with layering different tones in your outfit.

Or keep your look fresh yet elegant and style your outfit using a neutral colour palette as your guide. In particular, wearing this season’s neutral tones with white is a winning look.

This season’s makeup trends are also reflected from fashion – soft smoky greys and charcoals, as well as neutral shades in a spectrum of tones are on trend for the eyes and with a nod to the 90s, earthy and warm browns and nudes for lips.

Layering is not only a popular winter trend, it’s also practical too, especially for those unpredictable days! Teaming a beautiful lightweight knit dress with a long waterfall cardigan or vest is bang on trend, especially when worn with a beautiful pair of over-the-knee or knee high boots, or chunky heeled (or flat) ankle boots. Pinafore-style dresses can be layered too, with a classic white shirt and bold cuffs, a distinctive trend when it gets down to the detailing.

Speaking of detailing, leather has diversified away from classic jackets and skirts (although these are a staple trend for winter) and I noticed it peeking out in dresses too. I love this as it gives a dress an edgier feel and can make all the difference in making a simple LBD, an ALBD (AMAZING little black dress!).

I hope this helps with getting to grips with this winter’s trends. If you’re feeling confused about what trend to embrace or how to incorporate a few key pieces into your existing wardrobe, maybe it’s time to make that call and book a personal styling experience with my wonderful Style With Cindy team!