Well, it is officially over, the cold, prickly clutches of the winter season I mean. Pretty soon we will finally be able to put back those Uggs far deep into our closet and take out the equally as gorgeous pair of shoesmanship, the Crocs. (my personal favorites). However, before we do that, let us highlight once again the best-in-practice of how to not freeze to death while still looking ready to be "accidentally" photographed on these Shanghai streets.

And once again, me, your fashion reporter, will provide useful styling tips and tricks, as well as some fashion trend predictions for the upcoming months. Considering the soon-to-be AW2025 fashion week (updates will be coming), I would be listening carefully and taking notes, at least mentally.

She ate, she chewed, she devoured

Ma Xuefeng

Let's start with my personal favorite diva girl. She understood the assignment to the T, so let me break it down. This is a perfect example of how to layer clothes and accessories, while keeping it clean and interesting. Here we have foundational pieces of any wardrobe being married with one another in a perfect marriage of a fashion slay. White shirt, grey suit and suit pants, something that each of us can benefit from having. However, just by themselves, those pieces of clothing may pull too basic, unless you style them in an exciting way. By layering an interesting T-shirt on top of the white shirt and with the layered accessories peeking through the shirt's collar, you can create a very fashionable look that seems to have a lot of thought and effort put into it. There is also great attention to the accessories, the cute little bag has been decorated with cute little charms, a trend that blew up a couple of seasons ago. Overall, a perfect outfit, for warmer months included.

Save a horse, ride a cowboy

Ma Xuefeng

Recently, trend alert, there has been an increase in popularity of the "western style," think Ralph Lauren in the 1990s. With shows like, again, Ralph Lauren, Coach and even Louis Vuitton under Pharrell Williams featuring cowboy hats, jean jackets and cowboy boots, the global fashion enthusiasts are taking notes. Here is an example of a young gentleman rocking the "western" fit without dwindling too much into the "americana" of it all, something that may look a bit quirky. A great, fit, with a touch of vintage jean jacket will never look bad, a very versatile piece. Here he pairs it with a grey zip-up hoodie, a perfect way to add a touch of casualness to an outfit, with the buttery yellow (one of the main colors in fashion right now) pleather pants. If you've read some of my previous Street Chics, you might remember my love for yellow and grey color schemes. There is a contrast, an interest and a touch of whimsy, what more can you ask for?

The boyfriend-girlfriend fit

Ma Xuefeng

Regardless of gender, the boyfriend fit is universally flattering, and here is a perfect example of it. A couple of years ago, oversized clothing became the go-to of most people's day-to-day looks. However, with the recent rise of finer tailoring on the runways, femininity and overall slimmer silhouettes, the approach to the oversize is changing. It is not about looking as slouchy as possible anymore, but respecting the balance [the substance reference, funny?] between volume and shape, like we see here. Wide pants are paired with a leather jacket, grey hoodie and a white T-shirt. Again, trend alert, basic wardrobe pieces are styled together in an interesting way. And unlike what we saw previously, with the accessories or the colors, here the visual interest is created through volume while keeping the shape of the silhouette, not just looking like a big, oversized blob person. If you are not sure how to keep that balance, think of your body as a vertical line, the longer the line, the better. So here, for example, the eye travels from the bottom of the pants (the widest part) to the top of the hood (the narrowest part), therefore, the verticals are prolonged.

Androgyny all around

Ma Xuefeng

A common theme that we're slowly moving towards, despite whether people like it or not, is androgyny. And not only due to overall ideas of clothing not having gender and brands trying to be more inclusive overall, but there is also a resurgence of certain trend waves from the past. As previously mentioned, fitted tailoring, steering away from grotesque oversize and overall silhouette neutrality will be dominating the fashion scene in the near future. Here we see a perfectly gender-neutral outfit, embellished by a funky scarf. Trend alert, furs and skinny scarves were everywhere on the runway these recent seasons, from FENDI to ACNE STUDIOS. A local Shanghai trend seems to be leather pants, rock them until it becomes too hot to handle.

It's all about taking a peek

Ma Xuefeng

A great styling hack, especially if you want to improve your layering game, is to let each layer of your clothes peek through. Like the young good good-looking gentleman here, the fur lining of his jacket is cheekily shown off. It creates a visual interest when paired with a simpler base layer, such as the white T-shirt. Speaking of the white T-shirt, it is also peeking under the top layer, the jacket, creating a fresh, youthful feel to the overall silhouette. Accessories are as important as an outfit. The over-the-ear headphones are always exciting to see on a person, unlike just some buds that are barely visible. The fun, bohemian bag is a trend alert from the recent runways, by the way. With brands like CHLOE gaining more recognition nowadays, the boho-chic aesthetic is surely to make a big comeback.