Stylist reveals the trend dominating Australian Fashion Week that we're about to see everywhere

It's a warm and sunny 22 degrees in Sydney, but there's a sea of jackets as far as the eye can see at Australian Fashion Week.

Outerwear is no longer an accessory; it's the outfit.

Stylist Madeleine Park says two garments are leading the charge: trench coats and fur coats.

Specifically, she says the funnel neck silhouette, in all its forms, will be everywhere come winter, thanks to its popularity on the runway and in high-end fashion

"The trench is the obvious one," Park said.

"We're seeing that in that crop shape, we're also seeing it in the more '80s style, with a wider shoulder and longer shape, which is a different iteration of the traditional Burberry style trench.

"There's a lot of funnel necks coming in. People like wearing clothes that make them feel protected ... when we think about fashion, it is speaking to what's happening from a societal perspective."

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"Those top designers read a social moment and then they create things that speak to that, and it trickles down."

Funnel neck-style coats feature a wide brim that covers the neck and chin, like a turtle neck, but less fitted.

The style has already dominated Australian Fashion Week, with the Bianca Spender and ESSE shows both debuting pieces with funnel necks.

Park says the cropped trench is the latest iteration of the classic coat that we're about to see absolutely everywhere, offering a more practical option than the long version.

"The cropped trench offers a really nice alternative to a more traditional blazer," she explained.

"As workplaces have changed, we're seeing people still want to turn up in a way that feels structured and put together, but in a silhouette that's probably a little bit more relaxed.

"It's also a shape that's easier to wear with our weather. The beginning of the day feels cold, then the middle of the day it's a lot warmer ... it's an easier piece to throw on and off as the weather changes."

While the trench is sleek and feeds into the 'quiet luxury' look, an opposite outerwear trend is also very popular, Park says.

"You'll notice there's a lot more of a trend towards a maximalist aesthetic," she said.

"Things like feathers, textured wool and faux fur, there's a lot of that coming out of Australian fashion week ... the Carla Zampatti show was showing a lot of that."

She says the way consumers wear fur or feather outerwear now is changing, moving away from using it as an accessory and turning it into the outfit itself.

"Looking at the way it was worn in the '80s, it was kind of coded to more of an evening look or an expensive look that was specifically trying to illustrate a sense of wealth or status," Park explains.

"Now, I think that the way that people are wearing them is a lot different; it's a lot more pared back, it's being worn with denim and streetwear.

"It changes the nature, it subverts what it used to represent."

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