Britain's autumnal weather often brings sartorial dilemmas aplenty. What to wear to combat a frosty morning, stuffy commute, air-conditioned office and toasty pub? We're not quite in winter coat territory, nor is it warm enough to bare too many limbs. The solution? Layering. We hear this phrase thrown around in fashion every year, with little indication of exactly how or what to layer. But fear not; this season it's as easy as paint-by-numbers (thanks to the inspiration to be found both on and off the catwalk) and involves just two items: your favourite dress and some trusty trousers.
Back on the AW17 catwalks, Tibi paired matching silk trousers and ankle-skimming dresses, making a strong argument for head-to-toe colour, while Ellery and Simone Rocha proved that your party dress is work-appropriate when worn over dressed-down trousers. Erdem and Gucci displayed matching lavish brocade pieces, while Stella McCartney clashed textures with sequinned dresses over tassel-hemmed trousers.
Fashion's finest took note, and the following season the streets of fashion month were flooded with clever and contemporary ways to tackle layers. Everyone from Kate Foley and Veronika Heilbrunner to Pandora Sykes and Lisa Aiken styled their dresses over trousers, each spinning the trend in their own way while taking on the unpredictable autumn weather.
So before you despair at the sight of rain, shine and everything in between, click through to find the freshest ways to layer your dresses over your trousers, from waterfall hems to peekaboo bottoms.
Easy Does It
Tamu McPherson of All The Pretty Birds demonstrates the easiest way to take on the trend. Wearing a Sandy Liang polka-dot dress over Re/Done jeans and Dries Van Noten boots, three is the magic number with this formula.
Simply don your favourite dress – loud prints on long-sleeved midi dresses are our favourite – and pair with some trousers. Whether it's bleached boyfriend denim, cropped kick flares or patent leather trousers, just add some boots and you've got your autumnal commute-to-bar get-up sorted.
This dress looks divine over pale denim, which we'll be swapping for sparkly tights come Christmas.
H&M Viscose Dress, £49.99, available at H&M
Rixo is one of our favourite brands for out-there prints and contemporary cuts. We're wearing over faded denim with patent boots.
Rixo London Camellia Printed Silk Midi Dress, £295, available at Net-A-Porter
Alexa bringing us yet more dreamy dresses. Wear over a roll-neck and skinny jeans now, and alone next summer.
Alexachung Frill Maxi Dress, £550, available at Alexachung
Oh Jeanne Damas, let us count the ways we love your style. Her brand, Rouje, has just dropped its AW17 collection, and it has more treats like this wrap buttoned dress in store.
Rouje Gabin Dress With Dots Print, £150, available at Rouje
The Waterfall Hem
If you're at all unsure of the waterfall hems filling shops and Instagram feeds, this is an example of why they work. A guest outside Fendi's SS18 show wears her Kermit-green Balenciaga dress over ankle-skimming denim, leaving just enough on show to give her outfit the art of peekaboo.
This off-kilter hemline is perfect for those who want some warmth this season but shudder at the thought of opaque tights.
Photo: Getty Images.
This dress comes in red, too – perfect for the head-to-toe colour blocking sweeping street style right now. We love the tied-sleeve detailing on this frill-hemmed number.
ASOS Soft Trapeze Midi Drouser Dress with Pep Hem in Spot Print, £38, available at ASOS
Warehouse is nearly out of this carnation-print beauty so snap it up and layer over kick flare jeans, stat.
Warehouse Carnation Print Midi Dress, £59, available at Warehouse
Embrace the art of layering in this Céline-inspired wrap dress from Mango's ethical collection, Committed.
Mango Committed Asymmetric Bow Dress, £79.99, available at Mango
Red, check. Ruffled, check. Floral, check. Waterfall hem, check. This Zimmermann dress will go the distance.
Zimmermann Corsair Ruffled Floral-Print Crepon Midi Dress, £965, available at Net-A-Porter
Cold-Weather Combat
Wearing a Vetements oversized bomber jacket over her Magda Butrym dress, Tiffany Hsu shows that the dress itself doesn't have to be weather-appropriate to be incorporated into this season's layering.
Off-the-shoulder Bardot dresses, sleeveless numbers we're bringing through from summer, and camis we're layering over roll-necks will all feature in our take on the trend.
Photo: Getty Images.
This may look like a simple staple in your workwear wardrobe but add a jewel-toned roll-neck and some printed loose-fitting trousers, and it works twice as hard.
Raquel Allegra Gathered Satin-Jersey Midi Dress, £359, available at Net-A-Porter
We're in love with everything about this Preen piece – look to Tiffany's Instagram feed to see her wearing this at fashion month, too. We'll be wearing it with an oversized puffer and black trousers now, and with cowboy boots and a straw basket bag in summer.
Preen By Thornton Bregazzi Milo Off-The-Shoulder Checked Hammered-Silk Maxi Dress, £1,395, available at Net-A-Porter
We're not ready to wave goodbye to our silk slips just yet, so we're layering over trousers and knits this season. Uterqüe's version is divine.
Uterqüe Red Silk Camisole Dress, £180, available at Uterqüe
The metallic finish modernises the Victoriana neck on this Emilia Wickstead dress. Wear with an XXL denim jacket and some ankle-grazing jeans.
Emilia Wickstead Striped Metallic Ribbed-Knit Midi Dress, £1,390, available at Net-A-Porter
Short 'n' Sweet
There's no need to pack the mini that saw you through summer into storage this autumn. Browns marketing and communications director, Tyler Psarras, wore a cornflower-yellow printed Molly Goddard top over some Simon Miller jeans at London Fashion Week this season, showing us that our shorter dresses can be styled all year round.
We'll be wearing our sparkliest minis over jeans during the day, then whipping off the bottoms for our office Christmas party come 5pm. Who said fashion wasn't practical?
Photo: Getty Images.
Hello, Studio 54! This is our ultimate party dress, which we'll layer over pinstriped wide-legged trousers from 9-5.
Topshop Foil High Neck Mini Dress, £46, available at Topshop
Attico keep delivering the goods, and this chinoiserie mini is no different.
Attico Stella Embellished Satin Wrap Dress, £1,100, available at Net-A-Porter
If you don't know London-based brand Kitri, check out their website immediately. The dresses on offer will transform your working wardrobe. We're wearing this white shirt dress over black loose trousers.
Kitri Apollo Tie Waist Shirt, £85, available at Kitri
Wear this '80s number over patent trousers with sock boots.
Zara Shiny Draped Mini Dress, £69.99, available at Zara
The Statement Trouser
The dress you choose to layer may be the focal point in this sartorial equation, but no one said your trousers had to take a back seat. Here, fashion editor of Costume magazine, Jeanette Friis Madsen, proves that it's the louder the better when it comes to your bottom half. Wearing a Ganni wrap dress over shamrock green loose trousers (extra points for the matching shoe colour), this is the maximalist's take on the trend.
Choose buttoned-up or wrap dresses, or those with sky-high splits and extreme waterfall hems, in order to put your trousers front and centre.
Photo: Getty Images.
Palmer Harding does the most innovative and exciting shirts, and this extreme waterfall hem looks great over any statement trouser.
Palmer Harding Long Asymmetric Super Shirt, £400, available at Palmer Harding
Weekday has brought Scandi style to the UK high street this year – we'll have this dress in every colour.
Weekday Max Dress, £55, available at Weekday
Thought your most dreamy summer dress was ready to pack away? Think again. We're wearing our gingham over pale denim this winter.
Caroline Constas Lena Waterfall-Hem Gingham-Checked Cotton Dress, £643, available at Matches Fashion
Another knockout from Ganni – the wrap dress isn't going anywhere.
Ganni Harness Floral-Print Silk Crepe De Chine Wrap Dress, £330, available at Net-A-Porter
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