May 20, 2025
Plus, sheer will never go away – and the 2014 trend is to dial back. Here are the key looks that we saw at AFW2025 (and current styles you can shop).
The Australian Fashion Week has been condensed this year, but there was no lack of inspiration. We scoured the runway and the streets for fashion trends you should add to your wardrobe.
Zara Wong, a brand consultant and writer from Sydney, shared her advice on how to incorporate these trends into your style without compromising it.
Sheer is still here.
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The sheer dress has a timeless appeal. It has an air of effortless sensuality. Wong explains, “I always feel that [with] Australian style, there’s a little sexiness.” This trend was seen at the Australian Fashion Week last year, and it’s not going anywhere anytime soon.
Paris Georgia sent down a burgundy sheer halter dress, while Lee Mathews presented delicate pastels. Eveningwear by Bianca Spender, Beare Park and other designers brought out the sexiness.
Wong suggests using sheer material to add texture for those who are uncomfortable with showing too much skin. “You can use it to add texture, like a sheer skirt on top of lace.”
The new jean shape is the barrel.
We’re not ready to embrace skinny jeans yet, despite what previous predictions suggested. We’ll still be wearing roomy jeans in 2025. Wong says that barrel-legged jeans are a more mature evolution of wide-leg jeans.
Aje’s runway was adorned with barrel-leg trousers in leather and denim. This denim cut is especially popular with those who have petite frames. It adds an interesting silhouette to any outfit.
Wong loves it when worn with a crisp, white T-shirt. I like the idea of wearing it with a top that is really dressed up. “I like the idea of wearing it with a really dressed-up top.”
Take your grandmother’s crochets.
According to the runways, the boho revival has begun. Crochet is at the forefront. Lee Mathews showed a box-cut shirt in pastel with distressed crochet details, while Aje & Common Hours went classic with an off-white display of textural sophistication.
Like any trend revival, sourcing vintage second-hand styles can be fun. Wong says, “I have been searching for a vintage piece on eBay.” Wearing it with denim can anchor a piece or give it a bit of edge.
Spotted: Polka dots
It was predicted—the polka dot is back. This time, they have outgrown their retro roots and are more contemporary.
When it comes to reducing the prim look, style is important. Wong says, “I love polka dot patterns that are oversized or worn with something jarring to balance the look.” “[Wear] them with denim or boots to toughen up the look.”
AFW saw Lee Mathews play with scale, exaggerating a feminine print and adding edge to it with an asymmetrical shoulder. Bianca Spender, on the other hand, modernised a 1960s neckline by cropping a bubble hem.
What? Is 2014 back again?
Designers are now drawing inspiration from the mid-2010s, as the Y2K aesthetic is now firmly entrenched in the mainstream.
Small details like Aje’s western collar tips or Hansen and Gretel’s corded-stone necklaces were subtle nods to 2014 fashion. Carla Zampatti’s jackets that skimmed the waist and Karla Spetic’s hyperoptic prints of galaxy felt more obvious.
Wong says that 2014 is about pulling pieces together rather than doing the whole look. “[Styling] A cropped jacket with a barrel leg jean instead of a full skirt, which was popular at the time.”
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