Statement shoes and the perfect jacket: The best fashion week trends so far
- May 12, 2026
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Not unlike a school formal, where the most exciting moment occurs when everyone arrives, and you finally get a glimpse of your classmates outfits, what happens outside fashion week shows can elicit just as much anticipation as what parades down the runways. (Only, there’s no Facebook group to facilitate pre-warning you might show up wearing the same thing as someone else.)
Australian Fashion Week can sometimes be condescendingly referred to as “fashion weak”, but look past the attention-grabbing attendees who are there for easy exposure, and you’ll find plenty of genuinely stylish people who know how to put together an outfit.
This week, Sydney Harbour is the picturesque backdrop for AFW as it decamps from Carriageworks to its new home, the Museum of Contemporary Art.
While the runways act as a forecast of what’s to come, street style tells us what’s trending now. Already, the best of it demonstrates that great Australian style is defined by a cool insouciance – matching outfits be damned.
A statement shoe never hurt anyone
If there’s one place you want to be putting your best foot forward, it’s here. And in the case of AFW attendees, that’s translated into statement shoes, like a 2018 Prada flame wedge heel or a black pointed-toe slingback with neon green accents.
Outside the Beare Park runway show at the Sydney Opera House, Lisa Wipfli and Pip Edwards both paired their outfits from the brand with sky-high platform wedge heels.
Eagle-eyed fashion fans will recognise them as similar to the breakout shoe from designer Chemena Kamali’s debut 2024 show for Chloe, which saw Siena Miller, Kiernan Chipka and models Liya Kebede and Georgia May Jagger all wearing the same style in the front row.
But sometimes, the shoe is only part of the statement, as was the case with Mode Sportif founder Deborah Symond-O’Neill, who paired her fluttering, metallic blood orange Toni Maticevski dress with satin slingback Saint Laurent heels each topped with a rose.
Jeans and a nice top
Disquieted by Margot Robbie’s laid-back Chanel look for the Met Gala after-parties? You need to get with the times, where jeans have been elevated beyond an everyday basic. Blame Matthieu Blazy’s haute couture interpretation, but denim reigns especially supreme currently, with fashion editors and influencers pairing their jeans with structured black button-up jackets like stylist and brand consultant Caroline Tran.
Other attendees preferred cropped jacket styles, while young filmmaker ingénue Phoebe Wolfe chose to wear hers with a simple black silk top, black sunglasses and a Chanel 25 handbag on her shoulder.
The bomber is back
What better way to hide from your frenemies than behind a face-concealing bomber jacket? While we’re not suggesting any of the AFW attendees were hiding from anyone, plenty of them sported the oversized bomber jacket style, often with a high-collar that definitely could be used to hide half their face if ever they needed. Stylist Irene Tsolakas wore a chic leather style, while actor Krew Boylan opted for a matching set.
Read more of our Australian Fashion Week coverage:
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