The only thing I look forward to more than Zara's big but brief Black Friday sale is what always comes right after it: a brand-new collection that rivals even the most drastic of discounts. And this year's drop did not disappoint. Following the largest shopping day of the year, the Spanish fashion brand launched its long-awaited F/W 21 collection, and this year, it's basically a treasure trove of party looks that are just waiting to be worn throughout our busiest party season yet. 

From champagne-coloured suiting and sequin miniskirts to tuxedo-style capes and glitter-covered heels, Zara's new collection contains a little something for every holiday mood—even one that calls for a pearl- and jewel-encrusted headpiece (because why not?). Keep scrolling to see and shop the entire party-ready drop. 

Coming up: high-street winter dresses we love. 

Meet Lauren, Who What Wear's fashion editor and co-founder of The Devils Wear Zara. Lauren is so obsessed with Zara that we started calling her The Zara Scout. Now she's turning the nickname into a franchise so she can regularly share her insider knowledge of the brand, including all her hacks, secrets, and must-haves with you.

Mimi Postigo and I know Zara like the back of our hands. While some might champion that as an accomplishment, it's more often than not our biggest weakness, as it results in us spending way too much time and money obsessing over the retailer. Instead of keeping all of our Zara knowledge to ourselves, we started sharing our changing room pictures regularly on Who What Wear (along with our Instagram account The Devils Wear Zara) as a way to inform you on the latest and greatest happenings in the Zara world.

Today, we're back in the changing rooms photographing some of our favourite finds from inside brick-and-mortar Zara stores in New York (Lauren) and Los Angeles (Mimi). The theme this time around is summer trends. Each season, Zara tends to stock up on not only trends that are bubbling throughout the industry, but also micro-trends that are unique to the brand. Ahead, find out which trends out of the ones we tried on were winners—and we considered taking out of the changing room and to the till. 

1. Updated Wrap Tops

"I saw this top in the window and instantly knew I needed to try it on. The material is light and breezy, and the way it ties is flattering despite its oversized shape. I also tried it on sans my miniskirt for a bit of Jacquemus flair, and it looked just as cute. This would be great over a bathing suit, with some jeans or even over a silky slip dress for a fresh touch." — Lauren 

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"This one was a little harder for me to pull off because of the low back and my personal preference for not enjoying going braless. However, from the front, this top looks so expensive, and when paired with these wide-leg trousers (shoppable later on), you have yourself a chic and comfortable summer look." — Lauren 

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2. Button-Front Dresses

"Another linen dress because apparently I am addicted to linen dresses. This feels appropriate for summer and is also the perfect length for a minidress. It would look cute with high-top Converse, too." — Mimi

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One-Shoulder Pieces

"Zara had this top in a few different colours, but in case you haven't noticed, I was most drawn to white and neutrals this shopping trip. I like that this one has some tailoring to it, making it feel more elevated than your regular one-shoulder tank." — Lauren

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3. Slime Green

"I'm late to the green trend, but I'm pretty sure it's still going strong for summer. I like the idea of wearing this with the perfect pair of vintage jeans and strappy heels for a summer night." — Mimi

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4. Printed Co-Ord Sets

"Co-ord sets are one of my favourite categories at Zara for many reasons. The main one being you really get the most bang for your buck. This looks like a dress when worn together with the matching skirt (perfect for weddings, brunches, etc.), but when worn separately, you have yourself a cute summer top to wear with all your jeans and shorts and a printed midi skirt to wear with tanks and tees and more.

"Hot tip: Buy these sandals too. They are so comfortable. I wear them almost every day here in New York." — Lauren 

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5. Wear-With-Anything Breezy Top

"Okay, I know this looks a little bit odd over the jeans—hence I tried to unbutton it halfway to look more intentional—but I plan to wear this over a bikini top and with denim shorts this summer. It's the perfect breezy fabric that works as an elevated cover-up. Definitely one of those pieces you'll get a lot of wear out of on summer weekends." — Mimi

Related: Zara, Mango and Topshop Are All Selling This Expensive-Looking Dress Style

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6. Scarf Prints

"I have been looking for the perfect scarf top, and I think I finally found it. I love that this one comes to a true scarf-esque point in the front and ties in the back without being too complicated to put on. This top is the perfect thing to wear with denim, but I particularly love it with these wide-leg trousers. There's something about the colour combination and the overall contrast between the two pieces that really got me." — Lauren 

"I literally only tried this on because Lauren did, and I thought this story needed a twinning moment. Zara, will you make this in two different colours so that we can have a Mary-Kate and Ashley moment this summer? Thank you." — Mimi

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7. Linen

"Suits are all I can seem to talk about (and purchase) this spring/summer. My blazer collection quickly rose from a few to way too many in a matter of months. So do I need this blazer? Yes. Why? Because it's linen, and linen is the failsafe material of the summer. I love that this linen here is a bit heavier, which will hopefully help with the whole wrinkle situation. The pants didn't fit me nicely, but if they had, I would have grabbed the entire suit without thinking twice." — Lauren 

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Related: The 5 Microtrends You'll See All Over Zara This Summer

"I swear every time we do one of these stories, I try on some type of linen dress. This one is a swing dress, so it legit has no shape to it. However, with a cool chain belt, I think this could be a look. It's made really well and not see-through at all. I'm sold." — Mimi

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"One more linen piece because this one was truly stunning. The way it nips at the waist made me feel so confident, and the big buttons (you can barely see them here, sorry) feel so cool and make the cuffs feel forward for what's basically a wrapped blazer." — Lauren 

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8. Maxi Dresses

"Full disclosure: I'm holding up this dress in the photo, but it's so stunning in person and makes for the ideal summer maxi dress. It's definitely worth tailoring so that it fits just right. It feels like the type of dress you'll get 100 compliments on. Take it on whatever summer vacation you're planning, or better yet, buy this dress, and then book said vacation to wear it on." — Mimi

9. Party Dressing

"I won't lie—I secretly prayed that this would be in the store because I've been dying to try it on ever since Zara dropped its Dress Time collection a few weeks ago. I think the back is so stunning and fun, and the front feels classy and timeless. For £70, this party dress is truly a steal." — Lauren 

"Here's a shot of the front for you to see. Sorry my hair was so weird." — Lauren 

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"Last but not least, I couldn't leave without trying on one of the many '80s-inspired pieces on the Zara floor. This skirt came with a matching top, which seemed like a bit much for me, but paired with this tank (that everyone in our office owns, by the way), it feels weirdly cool and like a great summer party outfit." — Lauren 

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Meet Lauren, Who What Wear's fashion editor and the co-founder of The Devils Wear Zara. Lauren is so obsessed with Zara that we started calling her the Zara Scout. Now she's turning the nickname into a franchise so she can regularly share her insider knowledge of the brand, including all her hacks, secrets and must-haves with you.

We often talk about trends as if they are easy to pull off so long as you buy the right things. While that sentiment is not wrong, we often ignore how wearing certain trends will make you feel. Trends like animal print and statement sweaters are typically no-brainers when it comes to styles we're willing to try, but throw something like neon and slime green into the mix, and suddenly we're not feeling so confident. 

Assuming you probably feel some type of way as well, we did what we do best—went to Zara and tried on all these weird trends so you don't have to. As you probably know, we view Zara as the best place to test out rising trends for the clothes are affordable and they churn out new trends at the speed of light. Here, Mimi and I will walk you through our semi-traumatic Zara dressing room experiences coming at you all the way from L.A. and NY and show you which pieces we actually ended up falling in love with. 

Highlighter Brights

"I've been really nervous to buy into the neon trend, so I'd rather test the water with more affordable pieces first. This neon corduroy 'shacket (shirt + jacket) was honestly so cool. It would look good over a black turtleneck, tied around your waist, or buttoned all the way up as its own shirt. Even though it was nearly blinding, this piece was surprisingly wearable." 

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The "Stick of Butter" Look

"Thanks to Man Repeller's Harling Ross, there's a new outfit phenomenon going around that she so cleverly coined as the 'stick of butter' look. Into it. I feel like the neutral monochromatic vibe just elevates your look. This sweater has super-oversize sleeves, but the pants dress it up a bit. I'm okay with looking like food, I guess."

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Grinch Green

"For some reason, I'm always attracted to clothes that look like the Grinch's body, and this green fleece coat was no exception. Soft to the touch and incredibly warm, I say why not opt for this weird colour instead of the camels and blacks that everyone usually chooses when it comes to this coat style?" 

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Two-Tone Denim

"People will either think this hoodie is dope as hell or totally heinous. Honestly, I wasn't sure what side I was on until I tried it on. It has that perfect oversize feel you want with a hooded sweatshirt. Yes, the denim-hybrid look is a little weird but I feel like it could get compliments (maybe). It's one of those things you'll probably reach for every weekend because it's so comfy."

"And here it is from the front."

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Crafty Carryalls 

"I saw this online and thought it was cute but might be too much with all of the trends going on (PVC, chain link strap). I was wrong. Perfect mini bucket bag and would go with pretty much any look. Looks like something you'd want to Instagram IMO."

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Updated Suiting

"Suiting as a trend has been around for a while. To some, it may not seem exactly controversial, but the truth is that most people like the idea of wearing a suit more than they actually like wearing a suit. One of those people is definitely me. I see women wearing tailored suits of all kinds all over Instagram and beyond, but whenever I try one on in the store, I feel like I look so lame.

"This skirt suit from Zara was honestly the first time I felt cool wearing a suit. The blazer is unique in that it is collarless with boxy shoulders and the miniskirt fits just right with a high-rise waist, belt loops and pockets."

"I also tried the blazer on with my jeans and black long-sleeve shirt I was wearing while shopping to see if it looked good all alone, and it does. In other words, my friends and co-workers will be seeing a lot of these two pieces in the coming weeks."

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Tie-Dye

"Another perfectly oversize sweatshirt. I feel like this is the tie-dye trend for beginners—it's not too crazy because it's pretty neutral based. Could wear with a skirt, jeans, over a dress… the list goes on."

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"Tie-dye is really cool and can be really easy to wear if you buy the right pieces. Clearly, Mimi and I love oversize shirts and oversized anything that kind of makes us look like punk skater girls even though we could not be farther from that aesthetic. I digress. This shirt was soft and the ombre effect on the tie-dye really stands out. So I bought it."

I paired it with these silk cargo pants that have pockets and snap closures at the ankles. It's hard to see in this pic, but they are legit (and only $40, fam). This is an outfit I will be wearing on repeat. 

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Knit Sets

"With the right hair and makeup, I could look like an extra in a Tim Burton film in this. Since my life is not a movie, I will probably style this with combat boots and a denim jacket around my waist. Shouts to Zara for making outfits very easy with the two-piece sets these days."

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Next Up: We Try Before You Buy: The First Spring Pieces to Land on ASOS