(Culture)

Iman & Molly Ringwald Did Fall Layering So Differently

by Danielle Naer
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ICYMI: Workwear is everywhere this season, but not in the ordinary, elemental way it might have emerged in "normal times" (say, with tights, pumps, and a coffee, quickening off to work). This fall, it's all about roomy layers — enough to lounge around in or go for a stroll, should you feel compelled to. Longline blazers and floor-sweeping trousers have been all over bloggers' feeds, always with off-duty footwear, as to remind everyone what year it is. Still, the outfit formulas seeing a resurgence are not entirely new — '80s It-girls first wrote the rulebook on how to wear layers for fall, calling on many of the silhouettes that fashion lovers are recreating today.

The same way that the French have Rive Gauche women, we have '80s style icons. Some of the first to play with the bourgeois fashion trend (which was officially resurrected along Céline and Saint Laurent Fall/Winter 2020 runways), the actors, models and performing artists of the decade knew exactly how to liven up staid workwear pieces. For Madonna: throw on a beanie. For Michelle Pfeiffer: tie in a fringe scarf. There are fewer rules to dressing down a suited, layered look than you'd might think — making for endless combinations and possibilities.

For the retro way to wear layers all fall long, including velvet blazers, turtlenecks and oversized vests, continue ahead:

How To Wear Layers For Fall: Julia Roberts

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According to the Pretty Woman darling, a well-designed look needs just four pieces — an LBD, a button-up vest and a blazer, finished with a faithful pair of cowboy boots.

How To Wear Layers For Fall: Cindy Crawford

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Cindy Crawford was right in line with the Rachel Green-favored leather blazer trend. She wears her brown, double-breasted silhouette over a basic black turtleneck and a tube miniskirt, all with leather gloves for a biker chic touch.

How To Wear Layers For Fall: Janet Jackson

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Singer-songwriter Janet Jackson went the nautical route, styling a navy double-breasted suit over a striped long sleeve. An added touch: her silver hoops, which perfectly poked out from her famous highlighted curls.

How To Wear Layers For Fall: Jodie Foster

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Neutral-lovers will totally relish Jodie Foster's oatmeal-hued linen blazer. This, with her matching top and skirt, ticks a box with the soft silhouettes that are becoming a major hallmark trend of 2020. For accessories, a camel shoulder bag and tortoise cat-eye sunnies.

How To Wear Layers For Fall: Molly Ringwald

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Chief among all '80s trends was the velvet blazer, which Ringwald doubled-down on with an equally-soft cowl neck dress in deep green. Her smooth leather handbag proves that she could totally be a LOEWE fan, today.

How To Wear Layers For Fall: Christie Brinkley

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Christie Brinkley was always one for extraversion — and her extreme A-shaped blazer and bowler hat both prove it. Worn with a pair of pinstriped pants and an easy white tee, the look is dressed up and down all at once.

How To Wear Layers For Fall: Iman

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On those much-colder days, consider taking style notes from Iman. The model pulled out all the stops, with a greatcoat, suit, wrap sweater and velvet hat making for a total look.

How To Wear Layers For Fall: Michelle Pfeiffer

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If you've tired of the matchy-matchy look (be it suits or loungewear sets), Michelle Pfeiffer's go-to outfit formula is sure to inspire you. With a cropped tank and linen trousers underneath it all, she styles a blazer (sleeves rolled up) with a fringe scarf, which is expected to be a major trend this season.

How To Wear Layers For Fall: Madonna

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Always an original, Madonna's beanie outfit totally defies the normal conventions of suiting, even in its most casual form. Wearing the controversial head-to-toe black trend (dress shoes and all), the ensemble is a total no-brainer.

How To Wear Layers For Fall: Meg Ryan

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Speaking of all-black, Meg Ryan's rendition invites in a few welcomed twists: a gray trench (epitomizing '80s chic) and a brocade scarf. She finishes her outfit with oversized eyeglasses, decisively nodding to the "ugly" fashion trend.