Why a utilitarian aesthetic is what you need to see you through spring in style

Olivia Buxton Smith

Updated Mon, March 19, 2018 at 3:16 PM UTC

Natasha Goldenberg looked practical and chic at Paris Fashion Week  - Getty Images Europe — Natasha Goldenberg looked practical and chic at Paris Fashion Week - Getty Images Europe

Trench coats, bomber jackets, bum bags, chunky boots, button down shirts, boiler suits, XL pockets, drawstring fastenings, exposed zips and earthy hues: there's no question that fashion's current mood favours clothes you can live in and shoes you can walk in.

Take the 'dad' trainer, for example. The trend for so-ugly-they're-cool sneakers, which was spurred by Balenciaga's sell-out Triple S style and Louis Vuitton's sci-fi inspired Arc Light, is, whether you're aware of it or not, partially responsible for fashion's broader move away from impractical footwear.

street style  - Credit: NurPhoto — Oversize outerwear and hands-free accessories at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Russia Credit: NurPhoto

What's more, the spring-summer 2018 catwalks were brimming with clothes that didn't skimp on practicality. The trench coat was reimagined everywhere from Céline to Valentino. Denim in dark wearable shades also featured heavily. So did khaki, from top-to-toe looks at Valentino to jumpsuits at Tibi and dresses over trousers at Eudon Choi.

Here's why a utilitarian aesthetic will see you through spring in style...

Looking polished is still possible

street style - Credit: Getty — This Paris Fashion Week attendee looked sleek but practical Credit: Getty

Talk of a 'utilitarian aesthetic' likely conjurs images of clothes that are anything but sleek. There's nothing polished about practicality, right? Wrong. Chunky boots, a muted, earthy colour palette and roomy silhouettes can look very refined.

The key is what you wear them with. A piece of tailoring, for example, might be just what you need to make a pair of utility boots appropriate for work. Similarly, a pencil skirt will counterbalance a khaki shirt and a silk blouse will smarten up an anorak.

Shoes you can walk in are always a good idea

While 'ugly trainers' are undoubtedly an acquired taste, comfy sneakers, mannish loafers and practical boots, which are all in keeping with the fashion industry's sway towards wearable - and walkable - shoes, are a joy to wear as well as being easy to find on the high street.

Avoid shoes that hinder you at all costs. There's nothing youthful - or modern - about teetering around on pin-thin stilettos.

Practical doesn't mean boring

gala gonzales - Credit: Getty — Gala Gonzales proved utilitarian needn't mean boring Credit: Getty

The notion of comfortable clothes in practical materials and useful accessories doesn't scream 'excitement', we grant you. But utilitarian pieces in khaki, ecru, camel and navy lend themselves very well to being jazzed up with a red lip, a silk neck scarf or an embellished loafer.

Channel Parisian cool

Caroline de Maigret  - Credit: Getty — Caroline de Maigret looked effortlessly chic in a black jumpsuit and army jacket outside the Sacai show in Paris Credit: Getty

For inspiration for tapping into a utilitarian aesthetic, look no further than French fashion plate Caroline de Maigret. If there's one thing Paris' most stylish do excellently, it's turning something practical and basic into something you just have to have.

Case in point: this army jacket. Layered over a black jumpsuit and paired with khaki accessories and clumpy footwear, it's what we want to wear all spring long.

Functionality can be super stylish

Olivia Palermo - Credit: Getty — Olivia Palermo wears a long drawstring bomber jacket at Paris Fashion Week Credit: Getty

We instinctively assume that the most stylish items we own are the least practical. But, as is increasingly the case, style and substance are not mutually exclusive. Jackets that actually keep you warm, materials that really repel water and trousers with functioning pockets are no longer considered the antithesis of chic.