5 unexpected trends we saw at VAMFF

And which ones we didn’t really rate.

VAMFF has come and gone for another year, but the one thing we can take into the looming Melbourne winter is a host of new trends that surfaced across the week. 

This year there were a few trends you could see coming from a mile off; relaxed suiting has been slowly working its way into Instagram feeds for a while now, as has pop colour. However, there were some micro trends at VAMFF that are definitely worth a closer inspection.

For better or worse, here are five unexpected trends I spotted at VAMFF.

Coated leather/shiny pleather (pictured above)

I’m a leather/vegan leather aficionado, let’s just get that off the bat right away. During winter, there’s nothing chicer than a cool leather jacket thrown over your favourite dress, or a pair of leather pants with a big, soft jumper. However, I just can’t get on board with shiny pleather or patent leather clothing – particularly the Matrix-vibes trenches we saw, and the very long, A-line skirting. It’s just too much shine all in one look.

Zebra print

The Rob Kardashian of the animal prints, zebra has a hard go of delivering a chic, sophisticated ensemble – regardless of its monochrome appearance. Unfortunately, we also saw coloured zebra across the week, which for me, is even worse. Can we just stick to leopard – or, better still, stop all wearing the same Réalisation par skirt rip-off and try something new?

Knee-length shorts

It started with Nadia Bartel and it continued throughout the week, but I’m not buying this one. Firstly, the knee-length short suit has to be one of the most unflattering ensembles in the history of man. Secondly, I’d probably get on board with it if the bottom of a pair of suit pants zipped off into these shorts, so you can be prepared for any weather. Basically, like the kind of pants Bear Grylls wears…

Canadian tuxedo

I came, I saw, I wrote a think piece about it. 

Printed elbow-length gloves

These were a triumph of creative styling but probably a fail IRL. As much as the elbow-length gloves on the National Graduate Showcase runway were perfectly suited to Melbourne weather, I’m just not 100% sure on the practicality of this trend. It’s serving so much logistical confusion. Would you have to take your coat off to take your gloves off? It’s like the bodysuit bathroom debacle all over again.

Follow Bianca’s blog dedicated to Canadian Tuxedos over at @bianca.oneill.