Afterpay Australian Fashion Week (AAFW) is the biggest week on the Australian fashion calendar. For that one week in May, an entire year—or more—of work is revealed to the fashion world and beyond. The shows are a chance for onlookers to take a glimpse into the trends of tomorrow, and the styles and silhouettes that will define the coming seasons.

And while everyone understands the intoxicating allure of the runway, where the theatrics of the show inspire fantasies of future looks, it’s really the street style outside the shows that the ready-to-steal looks can be found. As the throng of creatives, celebrities, and fashionable personalities mill within the industrial background of Carriageworks, the more present and even nascent trends begin their life in front of the lens.

When AAFW rolls around, it’s typically the heralding of the cooler part of the year. And while that might mean the hemlines get longer and the layers add up, this year provided enough balance in the temp to have a bit more fun. Rather than being bombarded with familiar warm weather staples, there was plenty of double denim, sheer tops, bright prints, and swapping out the colour-blocking of autumn/winter fashion weeks past, with an array of clashing prints and lighter-fabric outerwear.

Clashing colours, handmade ribbon details, and plenty of leather looks, the street style elite embraced the runway fervour right outside the doors. From lessons in everyday dressing to earmarked looks for those special occasions, even the simplest tricks are there for the taking from the street style best-dressed.

Below, find the easiest styling hacks right from the streets of Afterpay Australian Fashion Week 2023:

See more coverage from AAFW 2023 below:

• All the street style from day 2 of Australian Fashion Week 2023
• The best dressed men at Australian Fashion Week 2023
• Inside Bondi Born’s Resort 2024 runway show
• All the street style trends spotted at Australian Fashion Week 2023

Doubling (tripling) down on denim

The double denim look is showing no sign of losing favour from the street style elite. Jackets, miniskirts, skirts decorated with enlarged denim rosettes. Have a little fun with your denim; there’s no such thing as not enough.

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Clashing your wildest prints

There’s an art to mastering the success of a look involving clashing prints. While the style implies some sort of unorganised clash, you need to be a little more involved. At AAFW, the street style set is playing with primary colours, and letting the smaller secondary shades do the majority of the clashing. It’s an eye-catching style that holds its careful organisation at its core.

Say it with ribbon

A visit to your local craft shop the night before fashion week begins might not seem like the most expected of preparatory moves, but it holds the key to the most simple of styling tricks. Ribbons, string, and deadstock lace can add an eccentric touch to your look. Whether those are long red satin tied delicately to your earrings, or a bolt of lien in replace of a necktie; adding such extras brings a more personal edge to your outfit—imbuing it with that sense of self only a homemade touch can add.

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Monochrome is going nowhere

Existing in almost polar opposite to the clashing of prints lives the monochrome look. When deciding your best set of pants or favourite skirt to match with the non-negotiable top of the day, forgo the need to find a complementary colour, and simply go for its exact match. Head-to-toe hues are nothing new, but an easy styling cue that we could always do with a refresher on. We’ve seen monochrome locally at shows from Bianca Spender and Anna Quan, echoed by Valentino and Bottega Veneta internationally—and the street style is all the better for it.

Coloured-in tights

With the arrival of May, typically brings with it a cold snap in the streets of Sydney. With plenty of off-site shows taking place near Sydney’s famous harbour, guests need to be prepared for those bitter early-morning sea breezes before the sun gets warm enough. To prepare for this, many are taking to leggings underneath their skirts and dresses—with hemlines short and long. To spice up their looks, some are reverting from neutral sheer looks, and adding in a touch more colour—a simple extra pop that can highlight both the footwear on display, or complement the skirt or dress layered over the top.

Layering at length

Needing to choose between your favourite set of pants and your favourite skirt (or kilt) is a thing of the past. For AAFW—whether it be for warmth or style—street style has guests doubling up on their favourite pieces. Baggy, Y2K style jeans get an extra bit of attention with a skirt layered over the top. Whether that’s a tartan look—a la A$AP Rocky at the 2023 Met Gala—or a fresh take on Alexander McQueen’s punk looks stemming back to the seminal autumn/winter ’06/’07 collections. Regardless, deciding between pants or skirt no longer needs to be a deal breaker.

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Laces up the leg

For those of us with a smaller foot, the standard laces that come with shoes can often lead to long loops that flop off the shoe, and just look messy. Tucking them into the shoe under the tongue is a hack from our primary school days, but why not embrace the extra length? Adding the tie leg design—more commonly associated with styles of stilettos or high boots—brings a new edge to the sneaker, as well as some fun around your socks or legs.

Wet look hair

It’d be easier to make some sort of autumn shower reference here, but (so far) the weather has been relatively kind to the guests at AAFW. The dry weather and sunshine has not stopped the wet look from appearing around the streets of Sydney. Lacquered lengths have been a favourite of runway stylists, and the high shine stands out amongst the crowd.

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