Red is the only colour you should be wearing this Autumn

Wallflowers abstain

Fashion Trend Report Autumn Winter 23

No colour universally commands attention like red. It is one of the first colours used in art in the prehistoric era, is the colour associate with love and became the emblem of royalty during the middle ages. 

Red can be seen from the longest distance and is the least scattered by air, triggering the brain more hence its use in traffic lights and warning and stop signs.

It is the colour of a red carpet and of some of the most iconic dresses of all time, both on and off screen. Julia Roberts at the opera in Pretty Woman. Cher in Clueless ("You don't understand! It's an Alaia!"). Marilyn Monroe in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge.

Cindy Crawford in a red Versace dress at the 1991 Oscars. Britney Spears' red latex jumpsuit in her Oops! I Did It Again video. Kylie Jenner's Haider Ackerman dress at the 2023 Met Gala. Meghan Markle wearing a bright Safiyaa gown during one of her last appearances as a working royal. And let us not forget Lady Gaga in THAT meat dress. 

So it's no surprise that it made a hot comeback on virtually every catwalk during Fashion Month earlier this year for the showing of the autumn/winter 23 collections.

From David Koma having models walk on a vibrant red carpet to Nensi Dojaka casting her show space in crimson light, red was undoubtedly the colour of the season. 

Models wore the fiery shade head-to-toe. At Di Petsa and Nensi Dojaka it was all about sheer dresses with cut-out details. At Prada, Ferragamo and Stella McCartney, red skirt suits took centre stage. Alexander McQueen, and Bottega Veneta showcased show-stopping maxi gowns with power shoulders, while at Bora Aksu, Christopher Kane and David Koma, the fiery hue toughened up frills, lace and floral cut outs.

In case you aren't convinced, according to Tagwalk, Autumn/Winter 2023 saw a 33% increase in looks featuring the colour compared to Autumn/Winter 2022. 

In conclusion, red really is the only colour you need to wear this season, and here's my edit of the best red fashion trend items to buy now. 

Penny Goldstone

Penny Goldstone is the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire, covering everything from catwalk trends to royal fashion and the latest high street and Instagram must-haves.

Penny grew up in France and studied languages and law at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris before moving to the UK for her MA in multimedia journalism at Bournemouth University. She moved to the UK permanently and has never looked back (though she does go back regularly to stock up on cheese and wine).

Although she's always loved fashion - she used to create scrapbooks of her favourite trends and looks, including Sienna Miller and Kate Moss' boho phase - her first job was at MoneySavingExpert.com, sourcing the best deals for everything from restaurants to designer sales.

However she quit after two years to follow her true passion, fashion journalism, and after many years of internships and freelance stints at magazines including Red, Cosmopolitan, Stylist and Good Housekeeping, landed her dream job as the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK.

Her favourite part of the job is discovering new brands and meeting designers, and travelling the world to attend events and fashion shows. Seeing her first Chanel runway IRL at Paris Fashion Week was a true pinch-me moment.