Heavy metal: more is more in metallic makeup

Metallics routinely make their way into makeup, but this season’s approach was definitely more is more. Foil, gold and metallic shades were so heavily layered at Halpern that the eyes “became an accessory” themselves, according to makeup artist Isamaya Ffrench, who added so much gold that the models’ eyelids looked like foil. Her inspiration was focused – “a bit Twiggy, a bit 60s” – and the look was super-glam. At Jeremy Scott, makeup artist Kabuki turned lips rose gold, while Pat McGrath added striking metallic green cat eyes to her Versace girls. For Simone Rocha, mega hair stylist Sam Bryant pressed pink and silver glitter into models’ hair and “smooshed” it on to eyelids. This is not a subtle look. Instead, it’s the kind of approach that will gain a lot of love online, where fans live for out-of-this-world looks on cult beauty accounts such as those of McGrath, Kabuki and Jeffree Star. Our advice? Think fingerpainting for inspiration and bring some sparkle to spring. MF

Run-for-the-bus sensible footwear: not just for school

Buckle up: leather sandals, £740, Preen . Socks, stylist’s own. Styling: Melanie Wilkinson. Photography: David Newby. Model Bimpe at Premier.

In footwear, sensible can mean anything – a flat, a boot, something affordable, something demure – but sometimes it means just that: sensible. As in school-appropriate, run-for-the-bus sensible. This season, leather sandals come as if from Start-Rite, with practical details such as buckles and proper soles. Preen’s were straight from the 20s and Just William, paired with lace-topped school socks instead of muddy knees. Ports 1961’s were espadrille-like but in proper leather, while Giambattista Valli and Sacai took a leaf out of Birkenstock’s book, zhooshing up sandals with jewels. Even Chanel’s were beach appropriate, coming with a barely-there or sturdy “vamp” heel, so your feet don’t fall out. Models might have carried theirs on the sand-covered catwalk but, still, sensible shoes are Lagerfeld-approved this season. MF

How high can you go? The trend for micro shorts

Prada’s micro shorts for men.

For men, it’s a case of the shorter the short, the better. Prada had micro ones, Cottweiler’s were longer, in leather, Fendi’s bore a double F monogram and Hermès’ were crisp and white and even.

What’s behind it? Blame our ongoing preference for sportswear, climate change or Miuccia Prada, who defied gender norms to put men in what she called “the equivalent of a miniskirt”. MF

When two become one: how twinsets took over the catwalk

Twinsets have shrugged off their Sloane Ranger reputation and returned for SS19 – without the pearls, proving their appeal lies not in twee costume party nostalgia or a desire to look like Mad Men’s Betty Draper. Instead, Marc Jacobs tapped into the look’s 40s origins by styling his mint green twinset with lattice gloves and a choker corsage. APC went hands-free with a sugar-pink set buttoned at the neck, then draped. Tory Burch gave it a weekend-retreat update with a slouchy orange ensemble, while Miu Miu mismatched a cropped striped sweater with teeny grey cardigan, channelling shrunk-in-the-wash chic. This season, with knitwear, twinning is winning. LH

A model sports a Marc Jacobs twinset. Photograph: The Washington Post/Getty Images

Preppy chic: from high school to high style

There’s comfort to be found in the familiar letterman jackets and preppy details of the varsity trend. It came suitably wholesome at Ralph Lauren’s 50th anniversary show, while Stuart Vevers at Coach gave it a grungy twist and the Vaquera collective reimagined it in rebel style. At Calvin Klein, Raf Simons’ mortarboards may be a step too far for most, but pleated skirts and patchwork blazers are an easy way to access the Ivy League aesthetic, even if you are far from Yale’s hallowed halls. SC

Models at Ralph Lauren get preppy. Photograph: Randy Brooke/Getty Images

Comic Sans: how fashion fell for fonts

A model rocks Comic Sans at the Balenciaga show. Photograph: Victor Virgile/Getty

How did the world’s most hated font end up on a beloved brand? When Balenciaga put unreconstructed officewear (think boxy suiting and oversized jackets) on its SS19 catwalk, Demna Gvasalia added the logo recast in different Microsoft Word fonts, including the much derided Comic Sans. Given the brand’s modus operandi is finding beauty in what is deemed ugly, it’s not an outlandish pairing. Feel free to adjust your email font accordingly. MF

Beige: the shade of SS19

If you’re still – rather uncharitably, perhaps – describing boring things as beige, it’s time to update your vocab. Fashion has stepped in to magic the much-derided colour of drab into the shade of now. Move over, Millennial Pink and Living Coral; beige is set to saturate the last year of our decade. Riccardo Tisci, JW Anderson, Clare Waight Keller and the Olsens are among the designers making the shade happen. At Burberry, Tisci – in his first collection – took his cue from the brand’s signature trenchcoat and sent out beige galore. (The takeaway? It looks great with red.) Elsewhere, it was draped, ruched and layered in everything from silk to tweed to leather (at Miu Miu, it came in head-to-toe super--smooth cowhide). So what is to be read into the collective gravitation towards the hue more often associated with home furnishings? Is it a neutral colour for our troubled times? Or a palette cleanser for change to come? Either way, adjust your thinking now. SC

Leather blazer, £1,350, shirt, £885, skirt, £2,700, and shoes, £605, all by Miu Miu . Styling: Melanie Wilkinson. Photography: David Newby. Hair: Shukeel Murtaza using Bumble and bumble. Makeup: Delilah Blakeney using Nars. Model: Yasmeen at Elite.

Do the twist: wear rope to tie up your look

A model at Monse gets knotted. Photograph: Victor Virgile/Getty

You may be used to tying it or skipping with it, but this season, try wearing rope – it coiled its way into multiple collections. Monse used a print of rope knots while The Row and Courrèges had it tying up dresses and tops. Nautical cord was even wrapped round waists in Victoria Beckham’s 10th anniversary collection. This is an effective styling trick that will be easy to take DIY – start with a bowline and go from there. Sailing skills are stylish this season. SC

Take a bow: the most prettifying of accessories

Velvet bow hairclip, £95, Jennifer Behr from Net-a-Porter

From a hair-tie to the middle of your bra, bows are the ultimate in everyday prettifying. They are also huge – often literally – this season. At Erdem, they were bountiful round waists, tapping into the bow’s association with femininity dating back to the Victorian era. Meanwhile, the pussy bow, favoured by Joan Crawford, Margaret Thatcher and Melania Trump, proved catnip for Riccardo Tisci at Burberry. Giant back-bows – the ultimate in gift-dressing? – were at Moschino and Emilia Wickstead. The latter incorporated bows as hairpieces, a trend that dates back to the 40s, when they indicated the status of a girl’s love life. Bows as belts, seen in velvet at Marc Jacobs and satin at Rodarte, are the kind of trimming that works for right now, thanks to the minimum effort, maximum impact ratio any time-poor person can appreciate. LH

Everyday’s a catwalk: cataloguing fashion, minus the gloss

What comes after the glam, the glitter and the gloss? How are photographers adapting to the digital age? Patrick Remy seeks the answers in AntiGlossy (Rizzoli, £35). From surreal portraits of women posing with everyday objects to street-cast location shoots, it is a compelling addition to any coffee table.