At ease: How to wear the modern utility trend

Designers marched into the new season with a modern take on off-duty dressing

Some of the best utilitarian updates came from Marni

Military never really goes out of style and has fast become one of the most constant themes in women’s fashion.

But this season, fashion’s loyal foot soldiers have given the trend a strictly utilitarian spin.

For a modern take on off-duty dressing, utility themes are refreshed for spring/summer 2017 with a fresh palette of white, cream and tan to lend a new lightness. It’s good news for devotees to khaki too though as camo hues and classic navy are still very much en vogue.

Fusing fashion and function to create a clean, contemporary approach to the aesthetic designers marched into the new season with a focus on starched collars, trench cuts and refined casual wear.

Some of the best updates came from Marni in the form of safari jackets, leather bumbags and a stark white jumpsuit finished with two big pockets on the thighs.

While an olive green shirt and a folded tunic tied at the waist augmented an otherwise androgynous shape.

Similarly, at Stella McCartney voluminous rounded shoulders adorned boxy jackets and generously proportioned paper bag trousers were fastened at the waist with a drawstring.

Here, it was all about banishing associations with the heavy cloth of durable army-surplus gear in favour of lightweight, spring-worthy cottons.

At Stella McCartney there were generously proportioned paper bag trousers

And, that’s exactly the route to follow in real-life wear too by opting for crisp, comfortable fabrics and clean-cuts.

When it comes to which shades to work with, think of khaki like a neutral and it will become far easier to decide what to pair it with. For a contemporary look this spring, wear yours with white, black and complementary desert tones.