The 10 Autumn/Winter Fashion Trends Worth Your Attention, According to a Fashion Director

After a summer of heatwave after heatwave, it feels like we’re not just ready for Autumn/Winter 26—we’ve earned it. Of course, ironically, Marie Claire’s editors first saw these collections in February, dreaming of warmer temperatures and yet beadily eyeing the coats, boots, trends and styling tricks unfolding in the fashion capitals of New York, London, Milan and Paris.

It was a season of two halves in some ways, with a lot of “maxxing” in terms of fabrics (velvet!) and colours (red!), but also plenty of polish that spoke to a wardrobe that rises above anything flash in the pan. Instead, the goal is discernment—and having the confidence to dress like yourself for yourself. Whether you’re feeling drawn for the first time in ages to a classic print, or want to switch up your waistline or tailoring or silhouette (or all three!), keep reading as we visit some of the key moments of this season.

Hot Sauce

If you think red isn’t your colour, prepare to be convinced otherwise as designers double down on the colour this season. It was everywhere for AW26, largely chilli-hot but with a few shakes of slightly darker Ketchup. In his last collection for Alaïa, Pieter Mulier designed a long-sleeved column dress that draped its wearer, Mariacarla Boscono, in the primary colour from clavicle to ankle. At Bottega Veneta, the catwalk was a plush vermillion carpet, which provided the perfect surface for one particular dress—a mohair number that resembled fiery strands of saffron. Gucci, meanwhile, created an outfit for the 2026 “femme fatale”, a polo shirt paired with very tight pants, both in hot-sauce red. A dollop might not be enough this season. Instead, dare to wear a red dress, trousers or pair of knee-high boots. Trust us, you’ll raise the temperature of every outfit.

Polished Folk

Folk-singer-turned-glamazon seemed to be the mood at many houses, offering a new wardrobe for the bohemian soul. At Dior, this included a dressing-gown style coat, louche in proportion with a rug-like pattern and pile, worn over a white shirt, indigo jeans and flat suede boots, as well as a pair of balloon pants whose surface was made of individual flowerheads. The polished folk theme continued at Givenchy, where a black gown was stitched with poppies but also given a metre-long fringe of loose threads. Finally, Gucci presented not the ingénue but the doyenne version of folk, where a floral knee-length skirt was given the “sciura” treatment with a faux-fur coat, monogrammed tights, horsebit mules and bug-eyed sunglasses.

Spotted

Just like a leopard can’t change its spots, the print will always be a commanding presence on the catwalk. When Meryll Rogge made her debut at Marni, she lent into the brand’s wearable eclecticism; clashing prints, colours and textures in one look that was topped with a single-breasted, just-above-knee-length, leopard-print coat that immediately went on many an editor’s wish list (ditto the leopard pencil skirt paired with snowy tights at Jil Sander). At the more fantastical end, meanwhile, was Givenchy, who combined the classic spot with corsetry to brilliant effect (psst: Sandra Bullock has already worn it).

Mod(ern) Suits

Retro suiting was given a modern flavour at Acne Studios, Celine and Louis Vuitton, with details such as split-hem (and skin-tight) trousers, kick flares that swung above the ankles and blown-up buttons. Fresh takes on tried-and-tested silhouettes were also spotted at Prada (whose trouser suit was androgynous in cut) and Proenza Schouler (whose blazer was cinch-waisted and fastened with two single buttons). Last but not least Emilia Wickstead. The label might be known for swoon-worthy dresses, not to mention bridalwear, but one of the collection’s most thrilling looks was nothing more, nothing less than a trouser suit, with perfectly cool proportions that made us yearn for back-to-school September.

Drop It

The waistline on many catwalks wasn’t in the usual spot but several centrimetres—or maybe even inches—south. That’s right, the drop waist hasn’t been this popular since the early 20th century. Lanvin presented a new-gen flapper dress—a delicately beaded sheath that one could quite easily pair with jeans in 2026 (a year after the centenary of The Great Gatsby). At Marni and Chanel, meanwhile, a belt fastened around the hips gave an extra point of interest to looks that could easily be workwear (Chanel’s drop-waisted skirt feels like a particularly fresh take on the pleated office midi). It might not be as classically “flattering” as the hourglass, but why not throw your waistline a curveball this season?

Countryfile

The kind of coat you can wear in the city, sure, but more importantly in the countryside—on morning trudges, afternoon walks and any ramble in between—got an impressive showing on the catwalks, with many designers bringing their customers to pastures new (or as yet unexplored). The Burberry trench coat, for example, was "Countryfile-d", with a heavy wool check in burgundy, plum and black, not to mention leather epaulettes, wrist straps and a waist belt. Chloé’s boho-goddess will be trading diaphanous chiffon layers for a more practical alternative in autumn—a plaid cape that wouldn’t look out of place on a moor. Argyle appeared at Khaite, houndstooth at Dior, tartan at Acne Studios, Fair Isle at Marni. In short—and not forgetting a gorgeous duffle at Dries Van Noten—clothes made to be worn in a green and pleasant land are what’s in season.

Layer Up

There was a pile-it-on approach to AW26, with outfit configurations that weren’t one-dimensional but multilayered. Prada delivered one of the best “aha!” moments of recent seasons when it sent out the same models only to have them walk again with an item of clothing removed to expose what had been lying underneath the whole time. We know that genius lies in the styling, which made this collection a breath of fresh air, not to mention evidence that you can layer your way to a great wardrobe. Elsewhere at Erdem, sequinned bralets were fitted over sheer turtlenecks. Lanvin posited a solution to autumn workwear, providing sophisticated coverage in the form of a tomato polo neck layered under a grey shirt, finishing the look with long suede gloves that disappeared up the sleeves. A different version of more is more that we can get on board with.

Very Demure

After a “hot girl summer” in the UK—no seriously, it’s expected to be declared as the hottest since records began in 1884, according to the BBC—September is already embracing the kind of hemlines, not to mention waist-cinched silhouettes, that are suited to cooler temperatures (thank goodness!). Is it the advent of “sensible woman autumn”? Or is it part of the return to a ladylike form of dress that we saw at labels such as Chanel, Dior and Gucci, all of which sent out their version of a two-piece that doesn’t get as much air-time in office wardrobes as it should: the skirt suit. It was new-gen tweed at Chanel; single-breasted ‘90s at Gucci, but both skirts, incidentally, hit the centre line of the knee cap, meaning that a heel is almost mandatory (and the hyper-feminine, boss-lady appeal is in-built).

Soft Power

This season was plush for want of a better word—and nothing encapsulates those five letters more than velvet, a fabric whose hand-feel is fabulousness personified. The colour palette added richness—gemstone shades like citrine (Alaïa) and garnet (Balenciaga). Having said that, the most elegant way to wear velvet might be in black or and midnight blue (shoutout to Conner Ives, whose collection included a velvet gown in an inky shade). Calvin Klein’s black velvet trouser suit played with proportions—wide shoulders and straight-up-and-down pants—to thoroughly modernise the fabric. The velvet sofa might have been and gone but the suit still has legs.

Checked In

The check print has a rigid formation but, trust us, there’s nothing square about its appearance for Autumn/Winter 26. Tolu Coker’s checked skirt suit—sculpted and cropped—was an excellent case in point. Loewe’s yellow-and-red shift dress had the naughty but nice flavour of Cher Horowitz. Chanel took a maximalist approach, updating its tweed jacket with a grid pattern made of a luminous weave in shades of black, yellow, pink and red. It shouldn’t have worked on paper but it couldn’t have been more successful, proving that, when it comes to checks, there’s no need to think too closely about balances.