5 sartorial rules from the Michael Kors AW18 show

A Valentine to personal style

michael kors
(Image credit: Shutterstock/Rex)

A Valentine to personal style

Set on Valentine's Day, Michael Kors' AW18 runway show was appropriately a 'Valentine to personal style', and the overarching theme was that as long as you do you, your style will always be on point.

It was a riot of colour and clashing prints, a bit of a departure from the designer's usual tailored coats and fitted dresses in muted shades.

Here are five key fashion rules that set the agenda for next season.

If you're sitting front row, red is really the only outfit of choice

FROWs don't get much better than Emily Blunt, Zendaya and Blake Lively, who were all singing along to Britney Spears (one of the many tracks from the show, which ended with Julie Andrew's My Favourite Things in a totally random yet brilliant twist). Running with the V Day theme, both Blake and Zendaya wore red, Blake in a PVC trench and Zendaya in a tracksuit and it totally worked.

AW18 is about clashing ALL the prints

And I mean all of them. Tartan, checks, camo, florals and leopard print all featured in the show, mixed and matched to your heart's content. There were camo cargo pants with leopard print slides, floral slip dresses with checked blazers and leopard print coats over face print frocks. Take note: next season, anything goes as long as it clashes beautifully.

Don't ditch the hats just yet

Hats are back in full force for AW18, and they come in all shapes and sizes. There are zebra print trilby hats, faux fur berets (Michael Kors has stepped away from using real fur) and striped beanies. It's officially chic to be warm next winter.

Hi-lo fashion is still a winner

Whether it's teaming a biker jacket with a hoodie, a feminine floral dress with heavy duty boots or suits with slides, it's all about putting a casual spin on your chic favourites.

Do shop in the menswear section next season

A nice touch for Valentine's Day, the show encouraged gender fluid fashion, with men walking down the runway in similar checked trousers, striped tops and patent brogues to the women's. Loose tailoring is a key trend for AW18, so don't be shy.

Penny Goldstone

Penny Goldstone is the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire, covering everything from catwalk trends to royal fashion and the latest high street and Instagram must-haves.

Penny grew up in France and studied languages and law at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris before moving to the UK for her MA in multimedia journalism at Bournemouth University. She moved to the UK permanently and has never looked back (though she does go back regularly to stock up on cheese and wine).

Although she's always loved fashion - she used to create scrapbooks of her favourite trends and looks, including Sienna Miller and Kate Moss' boho phase - her first job was at MoneySavingExpert.com, sourcing the best deals for everything from restaurants to designer sales.

However she quit after two years to follow her true passion, fashion journalism, and after many years of internships and freelance stints at magazines including Red, Cosmopolitan, Stylist and Good Housekeeping, landed her dream job as the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK.

Her favourite part of the job is discovering new brands and meeting designers, and travelling the world to attend events and fashion shows. Seeing her first Chanel runway IRL at Paris Fashion Week was a true pinch-me moment.