This past February in Milan, Prada staged a fashion show that felt like a magic trick: 15 models wore four looks each, each changing rapidly and returning to the runway so quickly that you wondered if perhaps they harboured a secret twin. Much of this was down to clever layering: the removal of one garment, the addition of another, a constant game of exposure and concealment.
It captured a mood that has been bubbling under in fashion for some seasons: a will towards layering, where one T-shirt might sit over another, a skirt over a pair of jeans; or – more dramatically – a Frankenstinian pile-up of garments in a single look. At Prada, co-creative directors Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons said it was an attempt to capture the multiplicity of a woman’s day. ‘As a woman, your life is layered – each day demands not only a shifting of clothes, but a richness of identities within yourself,’ said the latter, who at sister label Miu Miu is also a proponent of the styling trick (for S/S 2026, it was aprons over sweaters and overcoats).
A layered-up look, as seen in the March 2026 Style Issue of Wallpaper*
Other brands with a penchant for layering on the runway include Acne Studios, The Row, August Barron and Julie Kegels, the latter collaging garments until they have, in her words, a ‘life of their own’. Rising New York-based designer Zane Li also featured a series of ultra-layered looks in his debut show for his buzzy eponymous label LII at New York Fashion Week last September, where a series of stacked-up jersey tees came in various colourful hues.
Though layering your own garments can sometimes feel rather more tricky: there is a familiar feeling of putting a sweater over a shirt, or dress over a pair of trousers, only for it all to feel lumpy, or strangely skewed. Below, we've selected eight pieces that take away the guesswork – each comes either with built-in layers, or the composite garments to make the perfect doubled-up (or indeed tripled-up) look.
A multi-pack of T-shirts might usually signal the mundane – recalling school uniform shopping trips to Marks & Spencers – but this Miu Miu jersey set is anything but. Comprising three different shapes – long-sleeved, cap-sleeved and vest – they have been designed to slot together, though the composite parts can equally be separated out and worn solo.
August Barron, the young Paris-based label by designers Bror August Vestbø and Benjamin Barron, is known for its playful approach to dressing which often sees garments melded together in a gleeful collage (the approach saw them nominated for the LVMH Prize 2025, making it to the finals). The pair’s brilliant S/S 2026 collection, titled ‘Real Housewives’, was an attempt to ‘suspend moments of undress’ – like this twisted triple-layered sweater that appears like you are removing several garments at once.
Miu Miu’s S/S 2026 collections featured aprons and pinafores with almost every look – a musing, said Mrs Prada, on ‘the importance of work... its significance, its relevance and meaning’. If donning a pinafore for your day-to-day proves something of a sartorial challenge, this two-in-one sweater-cum-apron from the brand is a more wearable – but still effective – alternative.
Diaphanous layers of organza and tulle have long appeared in Simone Rocha’s collections. This cap-sleeve T-shirt, encased in a layer of ballet tulle and edged with lace, is one such example, capturing the Irish designer’s wistful brand of romance.
Founded in 2018 by Barcelona-based twins Claudia and Sayana Durany, Spanish label Gimaguas has built a cult following with pieces that capture their home city’s insouciant dress codes (unsurprisingly, Rosalía is a fan of the brand, as well as contemporary it-girls Charli XCX, Gabbriette and Addison Rae). This triple-layered T-shirt is Gimaguas 101 – team it with a micro mini and maxi shades to complete the look.
Layering doesn’t have to be just for your upper half. This Acne Studios skirt, in off-white satin, appears as if constantly hiked up, revealing a lace-trimmed slip beneath. Indeed, the slip was another of the S/S 2026 season’s defining trends, so think of this as the ultimate two-in-one.
The men’s shirt by CDG Homme – one which could equally be swapped between sexes and worn oversized – features a double-collar and contrasting brown lining for an altogether more understated riff on the layered-up look.
This mini dress by Wardrobe.NYC – which can also be worn as a top over a pair of trousers or a skirt for even more layering – features an intriguing shade of yellow, a departure from the label’s usual uniform shades of black, navy and grey.