10. Lessons in Layering
Inverted layering is THE thing.
After years of perfectly put together quiet luxury looks – think all those simplistic tailored-pants-worn-with-great-cashmere-sweaters-and-loafers-looks that’s been flooding our feeds – we’re seeing styling coming back into fashion. Stylists have had a huge, if not to say instrumental, impact on the success of fashion brands during the latest years. Take Lotta Volkova for Miu Miu for example – a master class in styling and one of the biggest reasons why the brand has become such an industry leader. Or the later example of Celine SS26 that was shown a few weeks back, styled by Brian Molloy, who also styles the collections for The Row. The genius of Volkova and Molloy is that they both in some sense work with wearability, making the collections feel approachable and humane (price tags excluded). I find it very inspiring looking at collections that are both conceptual AND makes a clear case for how to style the look into reality – preferebly using some pieces you already have in your wardrobe. To change the way you dress or replace entire wardrobes each season is such a dated way of looking at fashion – however, using styling to modernise your look into something new feels fresh and fun.
The latest big thing in terms of styling is layering – inverted layering to be specific – adding a more complex and playful angle to dressing. The trend basically means you let the closest to body layer be the longest or highest (neck or waist), letting it peek out under the top layer/s.
It all started with Miu Miu’s SS23 sublime stacks of jerseys (ah, still so good aren’t they?). Very grunge inspired, the models were wearing t-shirts on top of long sleeves, as well as letting logo underwear show on top of skirt waistbands. Miuccia Prada and Lotta Volkova had shown peeks of this trend already in SS22, but in 2023 they let the trend explode. The brand even sold pre-styled stacks of jerseys to make it easy for the costumer to get it right.
For this season the Olsen sisters and Brian Molloy released the SS25 The Row lookbook with a similar layering in mind – letting long under layers hang loose under top layers. The first look is what refuelled the trend – wearing delicate lace intimates as layering pieces. (It also started the hype for flip-flops, but we’ve already been through that in letter no.07.) I think this slight romantic way of doing layering speaks to a lot of women, longing for a more feminine way of dressing. By styling an outfit in multi-layers you get more opportunity to incorporate different factors into the mix of garments and materials. In this case adding femininity, delicacy and shine to looks that are rather masculine coded and using a lot of dry materials – all in all making it more dynamic and interesting. I also love how the layering adds interest to basic garments. Like your cashmere sweater and jeans are still modern, just wear a long lace camisole underneath and you’re good to go. Or wear a shorter knit on top of a long shirt, making sure to roll up the sleeves of the knit so the shirt’s cuffs show. No, it’s not rocket science, not at all actually. Yet it makes the entire look feel updated and basics feel interesting again. A great way to modernise your look without buying a lot of new pieces.
The trend continues this autumn, with The Row showing soft jersey layerings for both Pre-Fall and Spring Summer 2026. The grey t-shirt and paired long sleeve white t-shirt, pictured to the right, are already sold out online – obviously saying something about the impact of this trend. I expect a perfect grey short sleeve t-shirt and a white long sleeve one to be some of early autumn’s best investments (that is if you don’t already own them). I’m also loving the layered shorts look – long shorts being a hang-up of mine, as you know. If you find it tricky, layered skirts could be just as stunning to try out.
I hope you’re having a lovely summer, stacking up on rest, love and inspiration. Until next time.
x
Alina