3 Layering Techniques I'm Stealing From the Runways to Liven Up My Winter Outfits

Though it has been argued that fashion in the 2020s no longer looks solely to the runways for inspiration, they still very much matter. (Cue The Devil Wears Prada’s cerulean monologue.) As a stylist and writer by trade and wardrobing enthusiast by passion, it’s my duty to interpret these ideas and find ways for them to resonate with the everyday living and wearing of clothes. I still get a burst of energy anticipating the latest “drop” of a new season, especially from designers that tend to set the tone for the cultural zeitgeist and push forward a point of view we may not understand right out the gate, but are also prepared to be sick of. That’s fashion for ya!

For Spring 2026, I was surprised and delighted to see a lot of interesting styling propositions, rather than super trendy or unrealistic looks, which speaks to my “shop-your-closet” ethos. I was even more surprised and delighted to see a ton of layering—perfect for the long and drawn-out chill of the New England climate that envelops my home and drives my day-to-day dressing. (A mild winter basically continues through May, so I rely heavily on inventive layering to hold my interest until bare legs season.)

In the bleakness of January, I drew from three runway looks that fed my investigative styling craving, and left me with fashion crumbs to satiate me sartorially until the need for layers gives way: Prada’s colorful pile-on, Loewe’s shirts-on-shirts-on-shirts, and Thom Browne’s heavy-handed stripes. These all felt very already-in-my-closet-able and, dare I say, quite wearable? Here’s how to do it.

Colorblocking Layers

Miuccia Prada is my first point of reference for styling just about anything. I can always count on her to serve up something interesting and, in most cases, somewhat accessible. Prada—which she now co-designs with Raf Simons—is rife with cultural references spanning several decades and lifestyles, which usually include beautifully designed staples that can be easily replicated in affordable ways. (No shade to Prada whatsoever.)

Cobalt blue and bright red underpinnings gave this outfit that pop-of-color energy, while the seafoam green Howlin’ wool sweater and a smattering of otherwise “boring” old reliables in black, white, and tan grounded the look in reality. It felt effortless and not very try-hard for an outfit that can pretty much handle any social outing this winter and spring throws my way.

For the purposes of this exercise, I jumped to the colorblocking layers of the Spring 2026 collection to build my look from pieces I had in my closet already. I used a formula I found in most of the looks: mixing primary pops, pastels, and neutrals, split evenly throughout my look.

Shirts-On-Shirts-On-Shirts

Upon reviewing Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez’s buzzy debut at Loewe, I was immediately intrigued by the layering of cotton button-downs, and was set on trying this out.

Wearing three shirts was surprisingly warm on a 20-degree day, but I did feel a little kooky, I won’t lie. (Note: They absolutely cannot be fitted. Go oversized, and your elbow crease will thank you.)

The original outfit paired this sartorial risk with an anorak and no pants, so I had to improvise with a boxy wool coat that felt Loewe-esque, black leggings, and my favorite old Céline sock booties to create that streamlined leg, but for winter. I added a pop of bright color in my handbag for another nod to the primary colors peppered throughout the collection and a wintry hat to bring this back to the reality of the current season. I look forward to warmer days to try these layered shirts again with a lighter jacket on top—but maybe just two next time, to ease outside observers into the idea, and definitely with tiny shorts so the hems can peek out, mimicking other looks seen on the runway.

Super Stripes

Thom Browne’s fantastical shows are always thrilling to attend, and the extravagance of the masterful looks fail to disappoint. What I do find interesting about the collection is that, once you break it all down, most of the pieces are based on a very simple code that seldom has changed in the 25 years the brand has been in business: tweed suits, graphic piped blazers, cricket sweaters, and pleated skirts, usually blown up or shrunken in proportions to give them an offbeat twist.

For Spring 2026, Thom Browne’s layering point of view was to pile on stripes and tweeds to create puffy and bulky shapes.

I definitely wanted to see if I could pull this off, but, unfortunately, I didn’t have enough striped outerwear to really give this the bold vibe reflected on the runway. Still, I liked the reality of where I landed.

I took some of my favorite Sacai pieces to bring this to life, including a mixed-striped shirt dress and funky purple wool jacket with contrasting leather piping. I added an old Dries van Noten vertical striped wool skirt on top, and grounded it with some black leather accessories. I think the key to keeping this from going too nuts is making sure all the lines are running the same direction. (I tried bringing in something with horizontal stripes, and it just looked frantic.) I will definitely wear this for a daytime friend date or dinner with family. I don’t think anyone could really object to too many stripes.