TREND REPORT

Autumn/Winter 2024 fashion trends to know now

Photos: CPHFW, James Cochrane, Noorunisa

Luxury leather

When it comes to materials there’s one that stands out this season and it's leather. Leather dominated the catwalks, from shirts and skirts to dresses and trousers to jackets and coats. The finish is glossy be it vinyl or soft matt leather so supple you just want to keep stroking it. While black leather will always be in, blues, browns, and greens are the highlight this season creating a bold, edgy statement with timeless appeal. Mix leather pieces with softer fabrics for contrast, like a leather skirt with a cozy knit sweater or a leather jacket with a flowy dress.

Modern Femininity

The key to this look is embracing softness, elegance, and a hint of romance. Waists are cinched, shoulders chiseled, and accessories are truly timeless. Look for feminine silhouettes through A-line and midi skirts, belts around the waist, ballerinas, and pointed heels. Lean into monochromatic textures when styling your ladylike tailoring. It’s the new ‘quiet luxury’ of this season.

Roll neck hit

Autumn winter always calls for layering and there’s no better item to do the job than a roll neck. It skims the chin and elongates the neck playing with proportions, plus it adds elegance to an outfit and keeps you warm. While the humble cardigan will always have a place in the winter wardrobe, switch in this turtleneck and it will lay the foundation for many outfits over the coming months. Wear it under a dress, a shirt, and a blazer, or even solo, it will always look oh-so chic.

The colour palette

It’s time to embrace a rich palette this season of burgundy and Bordeaux, red, khaki green, grey, blue tones, and pastel yellow. Not sure what colour to go for? Remember this. Burgundy, Bordeaux, and red exude warmth and elegance and are perfect for statement pieces like coats or evening dresses. Khaki green and grey offer a versatile, neutral base for casual wear or sophisticated layering. Blue tones bring a refreshing and calming vibe to work and leisure outfits and pastel yellow adds a cheerful touch to accessories. Just have fun and make your wardrobe interesting.

Corporate Core

Otherwise known as ‘Corpcore’ it’s a fresh take on your typical 9 to 5 dress code and references office attire of the ‘90s, exploring workwear in a slightly grungier and streamlined manner. Go for structure and exaggerated shoulders in your blazers, cropped styles are showing up here too, and look for pleats on your wide-legged trousers, and layer with crisp white shirts and knitted jumpers to give it that ‘back to school vibe’. Accessorize with minimalist pieces like sleek belts and understated watches to maintain a polished yet edgy look.

Double Denim

Whether it’s simple, or statement-making denim is an integral part of our daily wardrobes as it’s so easy to wear. But this season, it’s the Canadian Tuxedo maxed out and you’ve got to make ‘more is more’ your mantra. Choose denim pieces in different shades or washes, mix in patterns and patchwork to create contrast and variation, and pair it double and even treble. Mix and match as much as you like to create maximum impact. The more exaggerated the better. Accessorize with neutral or leather accents, like a simple belt and boots to balance the look and add a touch of sophistication.

Shoe story

While there’s always a variety of footwear trends from the shows, you can’t help but notice the rise of ladylike heels. Some days you just need the all-day wearability of a kitten heel or slingback to swish between meetings. Ballerinas, Mary Janes, and the classic loafers are still floating around and once the temperature drops, we’ll all be reaching for boots again, so make sure it’s the biker and cowboy boots, and come the snow go for Sherpa and Shearling and you’ll stay on the fashion track.

The bag spotlight

Not sure which bag to buy this season? It’s a real mix on the runways, but shoulder and tote bags still reign supreme, and the bigger the better. If you like a smaller approach, a cross-body or small top-handle handbag will update your look. And, as for texture, braided bags and lots of suede in the hobo shapes are hot favourites. Colours to look out for are all tones of red and a dash of pale yellow.

Big-cat vibes

When is animal print ever not on trend? Sometimes it’s micro, sometimes it’s an explosion, well this season leopard print is still very much part of the autumn-winter wardrobes. We’ve already seen it go wild during spring/summer but now it’s more pared back in outerwear shapes and knits. But, whether it’s as a billowing blouse with wide-leg jeans, a jacket or coat, or simply a peplum top or printed-on sling-back shoes, add it to your outfits now.