Although winter is in full swing, as proven by the foot of snow I just cleaned off my car, the high fashion world is already thinking about next fall. In the past few weeks, all the top designers throughout the world have been releasing their Pre-Fall 2016 collections. Regardless of the fact that each collection is unique in its own way, many of the collections share common patterns and trends with one another. The common trends I have seen throughout the collections include animal prints, candy colors, lingerie, pantsuits and the denim on denim look. Some of these trends may seem intimidating to those of you who aren’t very fashionably daring, but despite how extreme the trend may seem there is always a way to tone it down.

Most of the time when people look at high fashion clothing they always have two questions that run through their minds; how could I possibly pull that off and how do I afford something that expensive? For those of you with tight wallets and the hesitation to wear a crazy outfit to class, here are a few ways to take the top five trends from the Pre-Fall 2016 collections of the high fashion runways and subtly incorporate them into college appropriate outfits.

Animal Print

Animal prints can be quite overwhelming if used too much. Dresses or coats in a loud print are a little too bold for your average on-campus outfit (at that point you might as well just wear a cheetah print onesie to class), but using animal print in accessories or shoes instead of a full clothing piece is an easy way to incorporate this trend into your wardrobe. Investing in animal print accessories is also the most inexpensive way to update your closet with the animal print trend. Runway looks by Alexander Wang and Calvin Klein.

Runway vs. Hallway

Candy Colors

The “Candy Colors” trend is essentially pastels but in cooler toned colors (blue, purple, pink). If you don’t know exactly what shades I’m referring too just imagine a pack of sweet tarts and that’s basically the palette of the “Candy Colors” trend. For the Fall and Winter, we usually skew towards wearing dark and neutral colors, which might make pastels seem unusual for the fall trends. In order to make these colors fall appropriate, wear them in a winter item or fabric; jackets, knits, sweaters, heavy fabrics like wool or anything else along those lines. This trend will brighten up your wardrobe while still being seasonally appropriate. Runway looks by Rag & Bone and Balmain.

Runway vs. Hallway

Lingerie

Lingerie on campus?! Seems a bit scandalous doesn’t it? To be honest, this is one of my favorite trends because there are so many simple ways to make lingerie look feminine and cute rather than overly sexy. The easiest way to pull off this trend for school is to get a lacey bralette and wear it under a top that lets the lace peak out. Anything that shows some tasteful skin will work; open back, low sides, v neck. The small amount of lace poking out of your top is subtle enough to show off the lingerie trend but also allows you to avoid being too scandalous. Another way is to get a lace top in a silk material, (kind of like a slip) and wear it with more conservative clothing (cardigan, jeans, coat). The lingerie like fabrics will instantly feminize your outfit and show the trend without taking it too far. Runway looks by Chanel and Alice & Olivia.

Runway vs. Hallway

Pantsuits

Considering most people wear sweats on campus, pantsuits of any variety aren’t very practical or realistic. But for the rare days you might need to dress up (interviews, presentations), there are ways to make pantsuits formal enough for the special occasion while still being appropriate to keep on for your next class. Try throwing on a pair of looser fitted pants, similar to a boyfriend style, and a blazer with some nice clean sneakers. Another option is to wear a simple skinny-legged pant on with a matching blazer and a T-shirt underneath. This layering effect makes it easy to transform your pantsuit from interview to classroom just by removing the blazer. Runway looks from Chanel and Balmain.

Runway vs. Hallway

Denim on Denim

Denim on denim can be a tricky trend to pull off. Wearing the exact same shade of denim might make your outfit look like a bad janitor jumpsuit, but slightly different shades can make it look like you tried really hard to match...but failed. A casual way to work the denim on denim trend is to wear denim bottoms under a denim jacket with a solid colored top underneath the jacket. The shirt popping out from under the jacket will help break up the two denim pieces. Another way is to use two completely different shades of denim. A medium wash denim button up with some black denim skinny jeans is an easy way to mix your denims in a subtle way. This trend is becoming huge and is simple enough to wear during any season. Runway looks by Givenchy and Tommy Hilfiger.

Runway vs. Hallway