What to wear this weekend: FEMAIL picks out the best tabards for effortless style this season 

What to wear this weekend: FEMAIL picks out the best tabards for effortless style this season

  • Camilla Ridley-Day shared advice for embracing this season’s tabards trend 
  • British fashion expert says rollneck styles work well under coats 
  • She shared a selection of retailers currently stocking the seasonal trend 

WORK THE LOOK

If your mind jumps to school dinner ladies and shop assistants when you hear the word tabard, you’ll be surprised to learn that these armless, sideless creations have had a serious fashion upgrade. Usually worn to protect clothes, they are now the stylish go-to for an extra layer of warmth this chilly winter.

WAYS TO WEAR

Given lockdown life requires fashion to be practical and versatile, it’s no wonder editors and stylists have gone crazy for these woollen wonders. Designer inspiration comes from quirky John Galliano’s version for Maison Margiela (in cashmere, of course) with a cape-like back in this season’s must-have pink. 

Danish brand Ganni calls its tabard a neck warmer so soft it’s hard to take off, while U.S. designer Lauren Manoogian calls hers a poncho. I like to think of them as vests — worn over the top of shirts or jumpers, or as an alternative to a scarf underneath a coat. The ultimate multitasking wardrobe hero.

Camila Ridley-Day shares advice for embracing this season’s tabards trend at any occasion. Pictured: Tabard, £20, hush-uk. com; shirt, £99, baukjen.com; leggings, £70, tedbaker.com; boots, £225, russelland bromley.co.uk; bag, £130, boden.co.uk

GET SET FOR SPRING

I love the warmth and unrestrictive way a tabard lets me cook or work comfortably at a laptop and am wearing it now with heating bills in mind. But come spring it will be just the thing for outdoors when the days are warming up, but still have a nip in the air.

GO SHORT OR LONG

A shorter version like the one I’m wearing here from Hush goes well over an oversized boyfriend shirt. But a longer style like LK Bennett’s navy version (below), is a more flattering length when it comes to covering hips. Note the pretty side ties, which keep it in place. Go for a neutral shade and you won’t need to plan around what’s already in your wardrobe. Or for some extra cheer try Warehouse’s bright blue one, below.

NOW SHOP THE TREND…