Nothing gives us that fresh, back-to-school feeling like a season full of new trends, and of those there were plenty at the Autumn/Winter 2024 fashion shows in New York, London, Milan and Paris. Where the Spring/Summer 2024 collections put the spotlight on dopamine-inducing hues such as red and orange, as well as loud prints and exaggerated silhouettes, this season is all about texture, highlighting the foundation of any outfit: the fabric.
We saw it become sheer and crinkled at Preen by Thornton-Bregazzi, shimmering and embellished at Zimmermann and marbled at Roberto Cavalli. Across all cities, draped materials highlighted the female form, from Alaia to Saint Laurent. Even outerwear took on a tactile quality, with the return of the faux fur coat at Acne and Burberry and a most talked-about feather coat at Erdem.
Elsewhere, designers infused a hint of nostalgia in their collections, allowing us to travel back in time: to the 60s with Dior, to 1910s Deauville with Chanel and the 70s of course with Chemena Kamali’s debut collection for Chloe, which instantly rekindled our love of all things bohemian.
Other trends of note: textured eveningwear and suiting. But I’ll keep sartorial spoilers to the minimum. Please keep scrolling for your ultimate Autumn/Winter 2024 trend guide and shopping hit list.
Draping
Soft materials that beautifully hug and drape the body put the feminine firmly back into dressing for the new season. The beauty with draping is that it instantly adds movement to your outfit, while looking effortless at the same time. Look to Erdem and Fendi for some elevated outerwear options, Acne Studios and Missoni for elegant workwear options, and Dolce & Gabbana and Saint Laurent for some dramatic evening gowns.
Shaggy coats
Outerwear has never been so tactile. Touch-me styles were everywhere from New York to Paris, inviting us to bring the fun back into outerwear again, after a few seasons of embracing elevated basics such as trench coats and bomber jackets. Particular highlights included a peach shearling coat at Michael Kors, a faux fur maxi coat with exaggerated collar at Acne Studios, a chic cream teddy coat at Stella McCartney and the most joy-inducing pink feathered coat at Erdem, complete with matching mules. Warning: not suitable for anyone who doesn’t like hugs.
Sheer
Another huge trend to tick over from Spring/Summer 2024 was sheer dressing, from the understated to the bold. At one end of the spectrum, we had Fendi’s demure tulle pencil skirt, layered over black tights and under an oversized jumper, and Giambattista Valli’s richly-embroidered gown which gives us a subtle glimpse of the underwear underneath. Then we had Gucci and Erdem’s seductive black eveningwear, adorned with lace and feathers, and Chloe’s pastel-perfect ruffled dresses. Finally, at the less modest end of the scale, 16Arlington, Eudon Choi and Valentino presented us with daring dresses that celebrated the female form, nipples and all.
Preppy chic
School is most definitely back in session. Miu Miu set the tone with a Spring/Summer collection full of checked shirts, polo tops and heritage blazers, and the trend has taken over the Autumn shows as well. There were plenty of pointed shirt collars (Tommy Hilfiger, Paco Rabanne) and checks (notably, a sheer checked ensemble at Helmut Lang and a Clueless-inspired skirt at Elisabetta Franchi), as well as blazers and prim cardigans (Dior, Miu Miu, Lacoste). The overarching style rule was layering: cashmere jumpers over shirts, blazers over knits, sheer tops over bermuda shorts and skirts over tights.
Wide shoulders
I touched briefly on shoulder pads and I’m going to touch on them some more, because wide shoulders are here to stay, if the new collections are anything to go by. Balance was key, with many designers countering masculine, oversized coats and jackets with more slimline, feminine pieces: a ruffled dress at Etro, slim tailored trousers at Saint Laurent, a knitted dress at Victoria Beckham…
Textured eveningwear
If you’re looking for inspiration ahead of party season, you’re in luck, because far from being overlooked in favour of daytime dressing, eveningwear was given the luxe treatment. Think texture, texture, texture. Gold lamé at Jason Wu, metallic tassels at Dior and Valentino, bouclé textures at Burberry and Missoni… these are dresses to be danced in and Instagrammed, all night long.
Capes
I told you outerwear was big news this season (well, even bigger than usual). Where we saw some capes trickle into last year’s Winter collections at the likes of Coperni and Michael Kors, they were positively everywhere at the shows this season. And while they might have once seemed, well, lame, often associated as they were with superheroes and villains in kids’ stories, now they are elevated and chic. As proven by the checked coat at Balmain, the chocolate coat dress at Bottega Veneta and the 60s-inspired short black cape at Celine. It wasn’t just outerwear that got the cape treatment though, with dresses and tops given extra depth with them at Bora Aksu, Chloe and Batsheva.
Shades of coffee
No matter how you like your coffee, there’s a shade to suit all caffeine-lovers this season, from the palest of lattes to the richest of black brews. I loved the milky creams at Coach and Max Mara, the caramel lattes at Chanel, Burberry and Ferragamo and the ‘just black, no sugar’ at Miu Miu and Prada.
Corporate dressing
On the more grown-up side of the ‘back to school’ trend, corporate suiting dominated the catwalk across all fashion capitals. Here again, there was a style to suit all tastes, from 80s-inspired oversized silhouettes at Schiaparelli (braided hair tie optional), 90s patchwork pastel blazers at Dries Van Noten, tailored pencil skirts and shirts at Bally and discreet shoulder pads at Alexander McQueen and Givenchy. Workwear has never been so cool.
The new boho
I’d be remiss to talk about the major new season fashion trends without mentioning Chemena Kamali and her debut collection for cult French label Chloé, which we still talk about most weeks in the Marie Claire office if I’m being honest. She single-handedly reignited our love affair with the boho trend of the 00s, and I’ll be forever grateful to her for it. I could highlight all the looks from her collection here, but I particularly loved the sheer ruffled dresses paired with knee-high boots and lace tops with patchwork jeans and clogs. The trend, rooted in the 70s, was also given a modern twist at Ulla Johnson and Etro with clashing paisley and floral prints, as well as at Roksanda and Paco Rabanne, with scarf and crochet tops layered over tailored trousers.
Maxi coats
This being the Winter season, most designers showcased outerwear, with many creating looks focusing solely on the coats themselves, while others made them the perfect finishing touches. But what they all seemed to agree on was the length, and it was of the maxi, pavement-skimming variety. David Koma,Gucci and Gauchere played with proportions, teaming uber-long coats pants. Balenciaga, Carven and Cecilie Bahnsen opted for the high-low approach with casual hooded and waxed coats thrown over suiting and ruffled dresses. I also loved Chanel’s pink boucle coat, a beautiful pairing to the house’s iconic tweed skirt suit.
Burgundy hues
Did someone say wine o’clock? And I don’t mean the drinking variety. This season, rich burgundy hues are taking over our wardrobes, the natural progression of the red trend of the past season. Certain designers dipped their toes into the hue by pairing it with other colours, notably Matthieu Blazy at Bottega Veneta with a silk turquoise and burgundy ombre co-ord, and Marco De Vincenzo at Etro, with a silver-embellished skirt suit. However, everywhere else the jewel shade was worn by models, head-to-toe. I loved the leather gowns at Emilia Wickstead and Erdem, as well as the corsetry and sheer skirt at Ermanno Scervino.
The 13 best Autumn/Winter 2024 shows
Our fashion team shares their favourite Autumn/Winter 24 shows from New York, London, Milan and Paris fashion weeks...
1. Erdem
Drawing inspiration from the iconic opera singer Maria Callas and referencing her legendary performance in Greek tragedy Medea, Erdem Moralıoğlu’s collection explored the blurring of myth and reality. Set in the dramatic setting of the British Museum, we were treated to a series of striking theatrical looks from a majestic pea green coat which drew gasps at the opening of the show to flamboyant quilted satin coats, shawl dresses, fitted jackets with oversized lapels and those trademark feather shoes. Looks were accessories with intricately embroidered gloves, embellishments and broaches. This was a stand out show for so many reasons, not least its dramatic finale - Callas' ashes draped in the Greek flag. It’s shows like this which make fashion week so special.
Andrea Thompson, Editor-In-Chief
2. Dior
Paying homage to 60's nostalgia, Maria Grazia Chiuri’s Autumn Winter 2024 show was a powerful tribute to the ‘Miss Dior’ era. This was a collection that celebrated feminine but wearable clothes inspired by Marc Bohan’s 1967 collection, which at the time was celebrated for empowering women with everyday designs in a clean break from the couture designs Dior had become famous for. From easy to wear A-line skirts, slogan-emblazoned trenches and neatly cropped jackets to swishy midi skirts, relaxed knits and easy tailoring, I wanted it all - even the golden flapper skirts. The wooden mannequins and ‘female warrior’ film by artist Shakuntala Kulkarni that served as the backdrop for the show was the rebellious icing on the cake.
Andrea Thompson, Editor-In-Chief
3. Tod's
Matteo Tamburini’s debut collection for Tod’s pulled massive crowds, both the fans braving the weather to get a glimpse of their favourites (think K-Pop stars aplenty, Jessica Alba and Solange Knowles) but also the fashion crowd who had eagerly been awaiting the new vision. It was a home run on both counts. A masterclass in effortless dressing with buttery leather, smart suiting and incredibly large bags (divine). It was all about the details for me: from the double shirt layers, wide cuffs, pin-perfect creasing and my new favourite way to wear a belt.
Sunil Makan, Editor
4. MaxMara
You can always count on MaxMara for refined elegance: lines are clean, fabrics are luxe and pieces are classically beautiful. These are clothes that women will look great in and actually want to wear for years to come.
Sunil Makan, Editor
5. Louis Vuitton
There’s always something incredibly moving about a Vuitton show: it’s not just down to the fact that by then, we’re chronically exhausted after traipsing around Europe after watching approximately 1028 catwalk shows. It’s because Ghesquiere is one of the greatest visionaries in history. AW24—his 10th anniversary at Louis Vuitton—was a celebration. We were taken on a whistlestop tour of his work: there were voluminous skirts, heavily embroidered jackets, sculptural pieces that resembled armour, and the most incredible gowns that were made for the red carpet.
Sunil Makan, Editor
6. Rabanne
For Autumn/Winter 2024, Rabanne is hands down one of my favourite collections. Since joining the brand in 2014, Creative Director Julian Dossena has revived the heritage brand and made it one of the most talked about and shopped brands in the market. But this collection was different. There was a fresh wearability that felt very now, but it was anything but ordinary. There were oversized preppy blazers, embellished tights, bias cut skirts, fringing, houndstooth, leopard print - you name it - this collection was a veritable feast for fashion lovers and anyone looking for new season styling inspiration. There was a lot of colour and print - but it was all seamlessly woven into 34 looks I couldn't wait to wear. It's not often every single look in a collection commands your full attention - but this was it for me.
Lily Russo-Bah, Fashion Director
7. Saint Laurent
Almost all 48 looks of Anthony Vaccarello's collection for Saint Laurent were sheer and made out of the same fabric used for tights (aside from a couple of signature impeccably tailored Saint Laurent suits). And whilst at the time of the show Saint Laurent's Creative Director may not have addressed how to commercialise a collection made out of such a delicate fabric, what was refreshing to see was creativity being put first at a time when designers are under immense pressure to deliver on huge revenue targets. I have always believed in the power of fashion, to make us dream and momentarily take us to a place where we forget the everyday and anyone who dares to buck the current trend by some designers to create 'real' clothes, and instead put creativity first - will always come out on top. The colour palette of earthy shades included moss green, taupe, navy, vermillion and black, and had me (unusually) dreaming of chillier months where I could see myself creating tonal looks in this palette and acted as a preview of just some of the rich colours that will inevitably be filtering their way down onto the High Street this Autumn.
Lily Russo-Bah, Fashion Director
8. Fendi
For this collection, Kim Jones looked to the UK for inspiration. A trip down the 1984 Fendi archives specifically reminded him of the way the British dressed in the 80s, a unique mix of workwear, aristocratic fashion and Japanese style adopted by the so-called ‘Blitz Kids’ and New Romantics. The result? An entirely wearable collection that fused British, Italian and Japanese cultures, that was the perfect marriage between utilitarian and dressier pieces, all in a covetable palette of moss green, grey, deep blue and purple, with the occasional pop of colour. Stand-out pieces for me included a sheer, polka dot pencil skirt, draped dress and kimono-style suit jacket.
Penny Goldstone, Contributing Fashion Editor
9. Burberry
Daniel Lee this season designed for the Burberry customers in all their guises. There was something for everyone, from the upper class lady to the grungy musician, trendy it-girl and dandy playboy. There were high-neck, military-style trench coats, there was tassel-adorned knitted dresses and cardigans, wraparound leather skirts, zip-up trousers and chunky boots, frilly biker jackets and see-through dresses. But while each look was unique, there was a cohesion to the collection, from the many iterations of the iconic trench coat to the olive colour palette. Accessories-wise, it was a toss-up between XXL totes and ladylike shoulder bags. One of each please.
Penny Goldstone, Contributing Fashion Editor
10. Tolu Coker
The entire Marie Claire UK fashion team was dancing in their seats during the Tolu Coker show – it delivered the energy we needed (and then some) on the first evening of the official London Fashion Week schedule. At the top of the runway, Coker had set up a market stall, inspired by the road-side hawkers of Accra, Ghana – and wider West Africa. Coker is known for her sharp tailoring, of which there was an abundance – the show opened with a slick grey pinstripe waistcoat-and-trouser pairing, with a matching hat (another signature of the designer). I was particularly enamoured by the corseted shirt dresses, both maxi-length and thigh-skimming; the beige, puff-sleeved shirt dress with an exaggerated dagger collar and printed tie (as recently worn by Chicken Shop Date host Amelia Dimoldenberg) is at the top of my new-season wish list.
Natalie Hughes, Fashion Editor
11. Molly Goddard
There's no mistaking a Molly Goddard garment, yet the designer never falls prey to a sartorial cliché. This collection was the perfect example of that. Goddard's trademark frills and flounces were reimagined in pleasingly saturated hues, juxtaposed unexpectedly; a loopy-knit, brick-red knit was offset by a coral-orange ruffle skirt, while another look featured three seemingly disparate shades of purple that just worked. I'm partial to a Western motif and this show delivered via a cowgirl-worthy piped-collar shirt and jumper, styled with slouchy, embroidered jeans and a tiered, polka dot skirt, respectively. Some skirt hems were artfully askew, with gathered sections bending them in interesting ways – and showing a glimpse of a contrast-print underskirt. I've never wanted to be a Molly girl more.
Natalie Hughes, Fashion Editor
12. Chloé
If one thing is clear, it's that Chemena Kamali's Chloé debut this AW24 season was one for the books. Featuring a front-row cladded in cork wedged sandals that paid a perfect homage to Chloé's SS06 own collection that paved the way for models exhibiting an emotional assortment of designs that focused on the houses' core values of individuality and freedom. Kamali successfully delivered a lustful collection that provided plenty of covetable pieces, from a key focus on boho silhouettes in chiffon textures and 70s motifs to feminine accessories with logo-printed belts and chain-layered necklaces.
Sofia Piza, Fashion Writer
13. Gucci
In case you haven't heard, Gucci has turned a new leaf. For Sabato De Sarno's sophomore collection at the brand, the creative director followed suit with the previous stripped-back Gucci he had debuted for SS24. Featuring embossed pea coats, lace dresses with embellished texture and detailed accessories that went far beyond the brand's classics. The devil was in the details with this collection, as models graced the runway with intricate crystal beading throughout and new colourways were presented on some of the brand's most classic hero pieces. Butter yellow Jackie handbag, I'm looking at you.
Sofia PIza, Fashion Writer
