What to wear now: Pointy collars, long sleeves and good underwear

Living on the other side of the world to the fashion capitals has one advantage. While the front row at New York Fashion Week has to wait six months to tap into the wintry trends coming down the runway, in Australia we have a head start.

Strong silhouettes, investment pieces and core colours are already emerging from a sea of safe suiting, exposed nipples and faux fur on the New York runway. While it’s tempting to wait for the directional luxury powerhouses in Milan and Paris, the commercial focus of New York designers can more reliably inform your upcoming work wardrobe and cooler weather party pieces.

Pointy collars

To the point: models walk the runway during the Tommy Hilfiger, Willy Chavarria and Helmut Lang by Peter Do autumn 2024 ready-to-wear shows as part of New York Fashion Week.Credit: AP, Getty

Designers have seen the emails from your human resources department and are on board with getting us back into the office.

Pointy collars, championed on the red carpet by Jacob Elordi and Harry Styles, and prevalent in Prada’s menswear collections, have achieved equal opportunity in women’s wardrobes.

Sharp collars on shimmering black shirts at designer Peter Do’s satisfying second collection for Helmut Lang, following a disappointing debut, supported rigid jackets with boxy shoulders.

At Tommy Hilfiger, extra-wide collars crept over the generous lapels of coats and took flight above chunky cable knit jumpers.

Celebrity favourite Willy Chavarria, who provided Billie Eilish’s oversized shirt and jacket for the Golden Globes, gave his model a pin-striped shirt, worn on top of a white singlet for mob-wife confidence.

While satin versions are on the market, stick to cotton for greater work choices. You don’t need to bring Saturday Night Fever style to your Monday to Friday uniform.

Extra long sleeves

A model walks the runway during the Coach, Jason Wu and Fforme autum 2024 show as part of New York Fashion Week.Credit: Getty

Manicurists are in trouble. Designers are playing with proportions by stretching sleeves on shirts, sweaters and dresses so that hands are completely covered.

The trend has been teased by oversized boxy black blazers for years, which now require wardrobe respite. Now the “Honey, I shrunk” look has been applied to saccharine pink knits at Coach. Creative director Stuart Vevers drove the message home with a hint of shirt cuff keeping fingers under wraps.

Jason Wu took the elongated approach with asymmetrical dresses dipping dangerously from the shoulder and leaving hands stranded mid-sleeve.

In two years, Paul Helbers’ minimalist approach at Fforme has made the label a front-row favourite. The menswear designer for The Row and former men’s style director at Louis Vuitton, stripped away excess with cocoon jackets and simple shirts, where the only luxury was excess fabric below the fingertips.

While trialling the trend, look for sleeves that can be bunched or folded above the wrist to avoid coffee stains and awkward handshakes.

Sheer layers

Sheer relief: Tory Burch, LaQuann Smith and Ludovic de Saint Sernin on the New York Fashion Week runway for autumn 2024.Credit: Getty

The New York runway has featured more exposed breasts than a French beach, with an outbreak of sheer tops. If you’re worried about breaching Instagram guidelines by exposing your nipples, abandoning the bra is not compulsory.

Basic sheer tops are quite often used by stylists to give commercial collections an edge. Off the runway, layering sheer pieces over black underwear, or wearing embellished sheer tops and dresses will stop traffic without causing an accident.

Tory Burch sent Emily Ratajkowski down the runway in a modest mock-croc black bodysuit, with tantalising movement added by an embellished sheer skirt.

Beyoncé and Jennifer Lopez favourite LaQuan Smith presented his provocative take on workwear in Manhattan’s Financial District. Sheer lipstick-red blouses were anchored by red bra tops over pencil skirts slit to workday underwear.

French designer Ludovic de Saint Sernin seemed most comfortable with the trend, placing sheer skirts and tops over conservative black underwear. Velvet floral embellishments added beauty to the trend, without relying on shock value.

Three quick trends

New York Fashion Week quick trends. Vintage at Eckhaus Latta. Quirky knitwear at Coach. Going for gold at Gabriela Hearst.Credit: Getty

Vintage: Get your coat game out of the trenches with pieces that look as though they’ve been foraged from an op shop, without the unidentifiable smell. Sheepskin, shaggy and battered leather coats are top picks.

Quirky knitwear: Take your jumper game beyond blue and grey crew necks with yellow rubber ducks from Coach, Anna Sui’s Where’s Wally stripes.

Gold: There’s a Ferrero Rocher flavour to models wrapped in blinding gold dresses at Gabriela Hearst, Ulla Johnson and Christian Siriano.

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