So which Paris Fashion Week trends will you buy on the High Street this autumn?
If Paris is the city of dreams, it’s also the city where trends are born. as the birthplace of couture, it’s regarded — certainly by itself — as an epicentre of creativity, the city on which all eyes are fixed to find out what women will be wearing next season.
for autumn/winter 2024, Paris didn’t disappoint, with household and insider names alike presenting clothes on a runway inside the oldest courtyard of the Louvre, to compel even the most discerning dressers.
still, of the thousands of looks shown, it can be hard to identify those key trends most likely to translate from the catwalk to our wardrobes, and those which are best left on the supermodels.
However, with a seasoned eye, it’s possible to weed out the winning looks coming soon to a High street near you.
since it tends to be one of the biggest and most important financial outlays of the autumn season, let’s start with coats, which are going to be long next season — floor-scrapingly so, as seen at schiaparelli, acne studios, Carven and The row.
Designed by twins Mary-Kate and ashley Olsen, The row is hugely influential (as well as fiendishly expensive), so expect us all to be dodging puddles in extravagantly long styles come October.
Tailoring remains a strong trend next season, but whether you work from the office or at home, you’re likely to be wearing an oversized jacket.
STeLLa MCCarTney led the charge, with roomy blazers which she said had been inspired by her mum’s wardrobe, in soft pink, white or beige. Paris would never be so basic as to suggest a single decade was
back in vogue, but Chloe’s new creative director, Chemena Kamali, made a strong argument for the seventies, in a whimsical collection that harked back to its original heyday, but which also had strong elements of the 1990s,
right down to the wooden wedgeheeled shoes worn by frontrow guests sienna Miller and alexa Chung.
Voluminous peach dresses, white lace blouses and bellbottom jeans may well be
dominating our wardrobes next season.
nor would Paris ever be so straightforward as to offer up a single colour — although, at times, it came close. Those fed up with fuchsia or tired of matching
‘I never want to see another bare breast in my life,’ was the reaction in some quarters
one tricky shade with another will be heartened by the return of black, that trusty wardrobe favourite that goes with everything.
at Valentino, Hermes, Comme des Garcons and alexander McQueen, fabric replaced colour as a focus: think crushed velvet, lace, sequins, feather and leather iterations that ran the gamut from shiny patent to matte black.
not every trend was as wardrobe-friendly though. ‘i never want to see another bare breast in my life,’ was the reaction in some quarters, after sheer revealed itself all too literally as one of the week’s biggest trends.
While saint laurent presented an extreme version, Chanel’s take made the legs an erogenous zone, in semi-transparent fabrics such as fine gauge wool or printed chiffon.
Miranda Priestly, portrayed by Meryl streep, may have used her most sarcastic tones when she pronounced ‘florals for spring’ as ‘groundbreaking’ in the devil Wears Prada. But she’d surely have been more enthused by flowers for winter. this was what northern irish designer Jonathan anderson proposed at the spanish house loewe, in a collection that many reckoned was his best yet.
Chintzy fabrics adorned dresses with cutaway sides, casual tracksuits were embellished with beaded floral embroidery and wide, balloon-shaped trousers came in bold flower and foliage prints.
so influential is anderson that the High street will be positively blooming next winter, even if your garden looks bleak. thanks to Paris Fashion Week, in our wardrobes at least, the outlook for autumn/winter looks rosy.