The closer we get to winter, the more we warm up — and the easier it is for us to follow fashion trends. Year after year, the layering technique enjoys the favor of designers. Let's figure out how to create актуальные looks.
The Legacy of Hippies
Perhaps the ability to create an outfit by putting on layer after layer is one of the oldest skills: if it was of no use to primitive people, it certainly was to their descendants who settled to the north. And yet, if we talk about layering clothing not for warmth but for the sake of creating a wow effect, the hippies are undoubtedly the ancestors of this trend. The children of flowers desperately combined the incompatible: they wore vests over tunics, shirts over vests. Sometimes, "seven pieces of clothing without fasteners" followed one another in random order. This technique was born in the hippie community due to a desire for freedom and a rebellion against the dictates of high fashion. But, alas, couturiers quickly took notice of the new trends and just as quickly brought models in layered outfits to the runways.
The trend experienced a new boom in the nineties when it opposed classic office suits from Chanel, Dior, and Ralph Lauren, as well as overtly sexualized looks from Roberto Cavalli and Dolce&Gabbana. Since then, layering has never completely disappeared from the runways, reviving specifically in the fall-winter season. This year, designers are offering truly bold solutions and eccentric looks. Let's explore!
"Layered" Outfits in a New Way
When we talk about layering, we primarily envision an "extra" jacket or shirt, but could we have thought that in the fall and winter of the 2025–2026 season, "extra" would mean... sleeves and straps! Designers have sent models down the runway in blouses, tops, and dresses with doubled clothing elements. The most striking solution comes from the brand Vivetta: a red-gray mix of a long dress with a round collar and voluminous sleeves that "hug" the model's shoulders, complicated by a double hem — we have never seen such layering before.
Marco Rambaldi nostalgically recalls last summer, playfully tying the sleeves of a light sheer blouse under the model's mesh bodice. The look is completed with oversized wool trousers and looks appropriate even in our northern latitudes. However, it would still be wise to throw on another layer on top. For example, as seen in the Tory Burch show. Designers presented the audience with complex looks based not only on unexpected color combinations but also on surprising silhouette pairings. How do you like the brown-purple cardigan with short sleeves that has long sleeves in reserve? Very convenient: when it gets colder, you can easily change the length.
Office Story
Layering is almost always associated with a certain carelessness, relaxation, and freedom. But in today's realities, combining the "layered principle" with business tones is more than appropriate: office dress codes have become much less strict than before, and now we can experiment without hesitation. For example, as designers Wade do: a top resembling a shirt is thrown over an actual shirt — but let's just say it's not done too neatly. A complexly tailored skirt made of two layers completes the whimsical look. Not ready for such asymmetric layers? Take a look at the fall-winter collection from Antonio Marras. Here, the familiar pencil skirt transforms into an unusual two-layer model.
A practically canonical "double" in black from Alainpaul will suit conservatives desperately wanting to add some spice to their everyday looks. Classic trousers, a double-breasted blazer over a snow-white blouse — one might wonder, what layering is being discussed here? But look at how masterfully something that resembles either a bubble skirt or a little black dress has been added to the ensemble!
What’s Hidden
From office routines to more relaxed leisure time: one of the most influential sub-trends has become the seemingly accidental demonstration of lingerie elements. A sudden bra strap, lace, a layer of an underskirt peeking out from under the main skirt — and suddenly the look plays with new colors. We are in love with Julie Kegels' collection, where every second look turned out to be layered: take a closer look, and you'll notice that the familiar mix of a skirt, sweater, and cardigan is complemented by a "pajama" layer. More serious hints come from the brand Toga: metaphorical, complex silhouettes of the models are created at the intersection of styles. A rough sweater mixes with a delicate underskirt, over which is another skirt with a hem framed by whipped lace and ruffles.
Finally, the provocateur, the owner of the eponymous brand Marine Serre, plays openly, dressing a model in a restrained black opaque blouse, over which is adorned... a restructured classic corset in a soft cream shade. A shocking and attractive combination.
And Most Importantly — Warmth
We appreciate the trend of creating layered looks for the fact that they keep us warm — in every sense of the word! When else, if not today, can you wear everything at once and be at the peak of popularity? This is exactly what the creators from the brand Meryll Rogge believe. At their show, models literally resembled the silhouettes of Russian grandmothers with teapots. Voluminous quilted skirts, worn one over the other, quilted blouses that vaguely resemble padded jackets, over which knitted tops barely fit... In short, you won't be cold in such an outfit, even at the North Pole. A slightly less warm but definitely autumnal story was presented in the fall-winter 2025–2026 collection from the giants Louis Vuitton. A rebellious asymmetric skirt, sewn as if from chaotically cut and joined fabric fragments, can itself be considered a standard of layering, but the brand's designers did not stop there, adding a double turtleneck as well.
