Engarde: This season's top dog looks are all about body armour

Suits of armour have never looked so chic… nor so modern. This season’s take on practical outerwear is a curious blend of technical fabrics, luxe sportswear and built-in defence systems. Jackets and coats are puffed and elaborate, knitwear gets body armour worthy of the mightiest of warriors and even chintz dresses encase the body from fingertips to toe, like a second sartorial skin. With clothes like these, you won’t need a guard dog, but you’ll probably still want one.

Practicality has so often felt like the death knell for style, but not so with this roster of outerwear options which ingeniously blend hardened technicality with soft fabrics like Paco Rabanne’s knitted structured dress. The tapered structure of Dries Van Noten’s fluted skirt and the contrast of its leather gloves and ruffled cotton dress show how best to mix textures. Max Mara’s nut-brown knitted sweater is a perfect example of this bewitching combination; the soft appeal of a cosy knit, with the padded sleeves of a Marvel superhero.

Superheroes are a subtle but clear inspiration for this look. Lanvin even partnered with DC Comics this season for a collection replete with Catwoman and Batman motifs, and who can forget Schiaparelli’s iconic abs dress, worthy of any caped avenger. This influence is also clear on Loewe’s woollen structured top, carved like a warrior’s breastplate.

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Then there's Courrèges’s cut-out bodysuit paired beneath a vinyl mini, which implies you can save the world from unspeakable evil and still make after-work cocktails, whilst the closely cropped cut out mini dress from Isla Boulder perfectly blends the practical and the impractical, like any well-dressed hero.

Much of this concept began with the skin-tight, all-in-ones made infamous by Balenciaga. The brand’s white and red floral dress and matching bodysuit will encase your entire form, for a most imaginative take on Marvel dressing.

Sportswear is the most playful iteration of this trend. It was sent down the runway at Boss, Stella McCartney and Giorgio Armani, often in sheer technical fabrics in bold hues or with a preppy varsity aesthetic. Masion Margiela’s rugby and American football inspired pieces take this latter approach, and are innovative wonders in royal red and blue with oversized white laces and quirky caps, layered above neoprene wetsuit tops and tempered for city-wear appeal with leather brogues and tailored shorts.

Dries Van Noten’s ice white puffer jacket is cut to perfection and has an off-piste vibe for when the slopes are a distant memory. You need only team it with polka dots like Commission’s midi dress to show its transitional appeal.

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Meanwhile, Miu Miu’s satin shorts borrow heavily from the tennis skirt aesthetic and they are best paired with the brand’s knitted polo shirt, both with a blue and red preppy trim. Both can be tempered with more formal accents, like the glimpse of an organza shirt peeking through or a classic leather belt.

For armouring yourself this season, the options are endless and imaginative. Cosy up with durable knits in structured designs or embrace a fantastical bent with outfits worthy of the Avengers. Join the team and play with sportswear or simply mix and match effortless protective garb with sleek everyday pieces. Dog optional, though warmly encouraged.