If the silhouettes coming out of the likes of fashion house Balmain in the recent collections are anything to go buy, it appears that shoulder pads are “back” for the approaching winter season. Check out some pictures from Style.com to see for yourself here.

And with the Balmain look we’re talking really sharp, exaggerated shoulders - almost pointy. While I think this looks pretty cool on the willowy model types on the catwalk, I’m unsure of my own ability to pull this look off. Having been a swimmer for much of my youth, I managed to develop massive shoulders and if I tried to wear exaggerated shoulder pads I would probably look like a front rower from the Canterbury Bulldogs who got lost on the way to a game.

Anyhow, even if I was certain of my ability to wear this look, at the moment it wouldn’t be possible as the Balmain jackets are a “touch” on the expensive side (check it out here if you don’t believe me).

However I’m fairly confident we’re going to start seeing the chain-store knockoffs in the next couple of months so keep your eyes peeled. At the moment I’ve only come across one lookalike style, from local label An Ode To No One - here. While it’s considerably cheaper, it will still set you back a couple of hundred dollars.

By Caroline Warnes