No One Saw This Controversial Trend Coming

This season has been all about fabric trends, with velvet, corduroy, chenille, and fur pieces making their way into our closets. Something that all of those trends have in common is their comfort factor. They're all varying degrees of cozy, but cozy nonetheless. The latest fabric trend to emerge is on the opposite end of the spectrum on the comfort meter, but it makes up for it in cool factor when strategically mixed into an outfit. 

We've noticed street style looks this season have been sprinkled with fashion girls wearing vinyl and patent leather pieces. And we're not just talking shoes. Vinyl trench coats, miniskirts, and pants have found their way onto the fashion scene as well. The high-shine pieces add a modern, futuristic touch to any outfit, but we'd be remiss to not mention the fact that there are negative connotations when it comes to patent and vinyl. Wearing these fabrics been a faux pas in the past, one that's more readily associated with Halloween costumes than being chic, but when worn with casual pieces like denim and graphic tees, it takes on a soft yet still edgy quality.

Confirming our observations, The Telegraph just reported that searches on Lyst for patent pieces are up 32% from last month and searches for vinyl are up by 25%. They also noted that the patent trench coat from Alexa Chung's collection for British retailer Marks & Spencer has already sold out twice since its recent release (the patent miniskirt is also close to selling out.) Want to see the trend in action?

Keep scrolling to see how stylish women are wearing vinyl and patent, and shop a few of our picks!

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(Image credit: Sandra Semburg)

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(Image credit: Collage Vintage )

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(Image credit: Sandra Semburg)

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(Image credit: Style Du Monde)

Shop Our Vinyl Picks

What do you think of this controversial trend? Tell us in the comments below!

Allyson Payer
Senior Editor

Allyson is a senior editor for Who What Wear. She joined the company in 2014 as co-founder Katherine Power's executive assistant and over the years has written hundreds of stories for Who What Wear. Prior to her career in fashion, Allyson worked in the entertainment industry at companies such as Sony Pictures Television. Allyson is now based in Raleigh, North Carolina, and is originally from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She holds a BFA in theater. Her path to fashion may not have been linear, but based on the number of fashion magazines she collected as a child and young adult, it was meant to be.