NYFW AW17: TOP 5 TRENDS

Fashion-week trends aren’t always easy to translate, but one detail that doesn’t require an art degree to get your ahead around is next season’s contrast sleeves. It’s hard to reinvent a classic, but coats and jackets got a sporty, varsity update at Raf Simons and John Elliott. Raf Simon’s NYFW debut (above) took things down a typically directional route. His brightly coloured wool arm warmers were one of the more recognisable references in his collection of cleaner tailored pieces. 

John Elliott’s arm candy was a little more low-key. Almost all of his outerwear – bombers, leather jackets and parkas – incorporated contrast sleeves. The designer played with colour, texture and layering to elevate his solid array of seasonal staples. 

Among the traditional muted menswear palette at the AW17 shows, there was one hue that offered a refreshingly off-centre aesthetic. Off-white – not quite cream or white – stood out as a more interesting way to break away from black. Raf Simons (above), Palmiers Du Mal and Patrik Ervell all presented understated winter staples in washed-out whites.

Unsurprisingly, Raf Simons’ collection was the cream of crop. The Belgian designer’s boys wore luxe, ivory-coloured coats over loose knits patched with his take on New York’s iconic slogan tee. Paler beige and white tones created a similarly subtle tonal contrast over at Palmiers Du Mal, where designer duo Shane Fonner and Brandon Capps' 'gentleman criminal' came clad in a full complement of neutral hues.

The last few weeks of fashion shows have teased an alternative take on belts rising through the menswear ranks. Rather than simply hoisting your trews up, according to New York’s menswear maestros we’ll all be belting our outerwear, defining the waist and making a statement in the process.

Raf Simons had belts in abundance at his AW17 show, using unique tape-style strapping to pull in the silhouette of his jackets and highlight the broad shoulders. In a different manner to Raf’s slogan belt, Boss kept things more formal, adding detail to the collection's hybrid jackets.

You may have only just got your head around wearing AW16’s teddy-bear texture, but your next fluffy outwear update has already arrived. Set to be be AW17’s hottest (and warmest) trend, faux-fur coats were seen across the board at Ovadia & Sons, Patrik Ervell and Boss. Although twin brothers Ariel and Shimon Ovadia described their football-mad military men as ‘seasonless’, their leopard-print car coat (above) stood out as next winter’s steeziest statement piece.

Cleaner-cut fur coats in patchwork and taupe tones punctuated American talent Patrik Ervell’s collection of more minimal streetwear pieces. The New York Fashion Week regular reminded us that a closely cropped fur coat can still work as part of a more minimal aesthetic. 

As there are limited ways to style a jacket and only so many ways to layer shirts and roll-necks together, the demand for constant newness in fashion has seen designers draw their focus away from the upper half and onto making a statement with trousers. As part os an otherwise simple ‘fit, they let the print pop, and we’ve already seen the trend catch on among hip-hop’s stylish set.

But at NYFWM, it was less about keeping everything simple, but instead about making them part and parcel of everyday steez. Case in point  – Ovadia & Sons paired the khaki leopard-print bottoms with a matching shirt, a bold red tee and a leather bomber jacket. Elsewhere, it wasn’t just about bold prints – Patrik Ervell added a textured touch via some leather trews.