8 wearable street style trends from Afterpay Australian Fashion Week

It was five days of Australian style in the spotlight, as the Aussie fashion industry put on their best ensembles and put their best foot forward for Afterpay Australian Fashion Week 2023. And with so many Kiwis in town, it also felt like a bit of a dress rehearsal for our own NZ Fashion Week in August.

Held at the official AAFW venue at Carriageworks in Sydney’s Redfern and at the various off-site shows at city landmarks, the week featured more than 40 fashion shows from an array of emerging and established brands – and that’s not including the street style show outside.

AAFW has become known as a bit of street style mecca, with guests traditionally embracing minimalism and tailoring. This year brought some refreshing trends on and off the runway – we take a look at some wearable styling tricks you can bring to your own outfits and wardrobe as we head into winter.

A big blazer

The cliché of Sydney style still holds true. When I first attended Australian Fashion Week, over a decade ago, the styling trick of wearing a blazer over the shoulders like a cape became a bit of an in-joke with my Kiwi team. That’s less of a thing now, but classic tailoring is still everywhere.

Today, they’re being worn oversized with a focus on simple styling (worn with denim and basic jewellery), or more tailored but with unexpected cut-outs or textural detailing (NZ designer Wynn Hamlyn, who showed at AAFW this year, does this very well).

Wraparound sunglasses

Gas station wraparound frames are still trending. There were so many versions of these worn outside the shows that I lost count – from classic black to neon green, and lots of metallic silver too.

Sneakers with everything

Sydney is a city that also loves high heels, and while there were plenty of those on display at AAFW, a more casual, streetwear influenced aesthetic permeated the shows too – with sneakers worn with statement coats, dresses, denim, suits and everything in between. There were two main approaches: minimal and white, or bold and sporty.

Caps with anything

Whether paired with suiting or hyper feminine ruffles, caps were everywhere. The trick to pulling it off is to lean into the contrast, rather than wearing it with anything too sporty.

Leather

I was surprised by this trend, shown on the runway by several designers and ubiquitous off it too with guests wearing an array of black and brown leather coats. These weren’t vintage leathers either, but well-made, expensive looking forever pieces. Kate Sylvester has a beautiful coat option if you’re wanting to invest.

Joyful prints

In contrast to all the minimalism and streetwear was an explosion of colour and print, championed by Aussie brands like Alemais and Gary Bigeni. The brighter, and the bolder, the better – think of it as a subtle respite against the winter chill.

Shearling jackets and coats

A trend all around central Sydney, not just at AAFW. I spotted several people throughout the week rugged up against the cold and wind in different versions of a shearling or aviator style jacket.

Monochrome looks

Wearing one colour from head to toe is a simple styling trick often used by stylists and fashion insiders – an easy way to look instantly ‘put together’. Whether it’s black, brown or white, there was plenty of it on display at AAFW from minimalist fans. If you’re attempting, the key is to make sure the fabrics and shades are all the same or extremely near; co-ordinated pieces help greatly too.

The writer travelled to Sydney with the support of Afterpay.