In fashion: the best of A/W 2023 in 12 striking looks

Best of A/W 2023

As seen in the Wallpaper* September 2023 Style Issue, ‘In Fashion’ – the A/W 2023 collections, distilled into 12 striking looks, photographed by Georgia Devey Smith and styled by Wallpaper* fashion director Jason Hughes. From gestural silhouettes to unexpected adornments, each look captures the spirit of the season ahead.

In Fashion: best of A/W 2023 

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On point: Prada (above left) 

Prada’s co-creative directors Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons noted a desire to oppose simplicity with moments of ‘comfort and exaggeration’ as epitomised in a series of precisely tailored jackets for men, out of which fuzzy winged collars emerged.

Rising Star: Ferragamo (above right)

Maximilian Davis’ second season as Ferragamo’s creative director saw him continue to hone the Florentine house’s shoe offering with this mock-croc riff on the Mary Jane, drawing inspiration from old Hollywood starlets but with a contemporary bent.

Wave length: Missoni

Coat, price on request, by Missoni. Shoes, £725, by Ferragamo. Tights, £25, by Falke (Image credit: Photography by Georgia Devey Smith, fashion by Jason Hughes)

Designed to evoke the blooming first stages of romance, eclectic fusions of colour and texture defined Missoni’s womenswear collection, such as this wool overcoat, featuring waves of 3D knit.

Under the belt: Max Mara

Belt, £810, by Max Mara. Bodysuit, £239, by Wolford (Image credit: Photography by Georgia Devey Smith, fashion by Jason Hughes)

Max Mara’s creative director Ian Griffiths looked to 18th-century philosopher Émilie du Châtelet, whose liberated take on the era’s dress codes inspired cocooning opera coats and leather obi belts, cut with the modernity synonymous with the house.

Hair line: Victoria Beckham

Dress, £990; necklace, price on request, both by Victoria Beckham (Image credit: Photography by Georgia Devey Smith, fashion by Jason Hughes)

Inspired by Jackie Onassis’ reclusive cousin Little Edie, immortalised in the 1975 documentary Grey Gardens, Victoria Beckham’s eccentric collection featured surreal necklaces recalling human hair, a nod to the work of Brazilian artist Solange Pessoa.

Knight mode: Burberry

Bag, £2,490, by Burberry (Image credit: Photography by Georgia Devey Smith, fashion by Jason Hughes)

Burberry’s creative director Daniel Lee brought his unique eye for cult accessories to his latest collection, which included the ‘Knight’ bag, featuring an elegant horse-clip fastening, a nod to the brand’s archival logo of a charging knight on horseback.

Ghost story: Loewe

Dress, £2,100, by Loewe. Shoes, £725, by Ferragamo (Image credit: Photography by Georgia Devey Smith, fashion by Jason Hughes)

Spectral apparitions, inspired by the blurred paintings of Gerhard Richter, emerged across a series of silk dresses in Jonathan Anderson’s latest womenswear collection for Loewe, their ephemeral forms recalling garments from past seasons.

Curve appeal: Hermès

‘A l’Écoute’ rings, price on request, by Hermès (Image credit: Photography by Georgia Devey Smith, fashion by Jason Hughes)

An exploration of form, Hermès’ ‘À l’Écoute’ rings – in rose gold studded with glimmering quartz, tourmaline, jade, moonstone and diamonds – see geometric motifs meet the sensual, curved lines of the body.

In the fold: Margaret Howell

Skirt, £425, by Margaret Howell. Shoes, £725, by Ferragamo (Image credit: Photography by Georgia Devey Smith, fashion by Jason Hughes)

Designer Margaret Howell continued her renewal of traditional British clothing archetypes with a riff on the classic kilt, sensually reimagining it in diaphanous pleated layers of matte black organza.

Perfect vision: Lindberg

Glasses, £565, by Lindberg. Coat, £3,296; jacket, £2,295, both by Dunhill (Image credit: Photography by Georgia Devey Smith, fashion by Jason Hughes)

Glasses were rife on the runways, a reflection of the season’s thoughtful mood. This pair by Lindberg are defined by a near-impossible lightness, a result of three decades of innovation and refinement, much of it inspired by contemporary architecture.

Well padded: Saint Laurent

Jacket, £2,650; top, £1,320; leggings, £1,510; belt, £475, all by Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello (Image credit: Photography by Georgia Devey Smith, fashion by Jason Hughes)

A bold shoulder unified Anthony Vaccarello’s offering for Saint Laurent, an echo of the house founder’s 1980s designs, with the runway set evoking the ballroom of the Paris Intercontinental, where Yves Saint Laurent used to show his couture collections.

Knit together: Bottega Veneta

Shirt; tie; trousers; boots, all price on request, by Bottega Veneta (Image credit: Photography by Georgia Devey Smith, fashion by Jason Hughes)

For Bottega Veneta, Matthieu Blazy imagined a series of ‘characters’ one might find on a buzzing Italian piazza, recreating archetypal looks in unexpected materials, like this business-like shirt, tie and trousers, made from various textures of knit.

Models: Adual Akol at Storm Management, Guo Jike at Elite Model Management. Casting: Ikki Casting. Hair: Roku Roppongi at Saint Luke using Babyliss Pro. Make-up: Jimmy Owen Jones at Julian Watson Agency using Westman Atelier. Manicure: Ami Streets using Dior Manicure collection and Miss Dior hand cream. Fashion assistant: Kristina Bergfeldt. Lighting assistant: Robin Bernstein. Digital operator: Conor Clarke. Set design: George Lewin Studio. Set production manager: Hermione Fenton. Assistant: Matilda Greenwood. Retouching: Agata Bielska. Producer: Anya Hassett.

A version of this article features in the September 2023 Style Issue of Wallpaper*, on sale now available in print, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today