Dresses are short! Or long. Gothic black is back! And so is minimalist white. Today, looks don’t rotate in and out, but rather evolve — one idea rapidly building on the next, giving you more and more to choose from. Here are the standout runway talking points set to define AW22:
The look: Tweed 3.0
‘Devoting the entire collection to tweed is a tribute,’ says Virginie Viard, who went so far as to cover the Chanel show venue in different shades of the fabric. That was where the reverence stopped, though: the Queen in the Highlands this was not (even though fishing waders made a surprise appearance on the runway). This season’s take on the trend is sweet but not saccharine, sophisticated yet still playful, with an upbeat and entirely youthful spirit. Tweed shorts suit to the office, anyone?
The trend: School uniform
Pleated plaid kilts, Peter-Pan collars, half-undone neck ties, white tights and gym-kit tops: AW22 produced plenty of looks designed for bunking off behind the bike sheds. A Sixties insouciance informed the Miu Miu show – these are styles for girls who are too cool for school.
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The detail: Tied up
The printed silk scarf gets a glow up this season. Clash colours and contrast, because anything goes – as long as you master the Sloane Ranger knot. Alternatively, toughen it up with a leather tie.
The silhouette: Gender neutral
The lines are blurred when it comes to gendered dressing. What works now is a flexible take on both masculine and feminine fashion, using timeless tailoring as a starting point for subverting style norms, as seen at Erdem: ‘I was thinking about the avant-garde expressionism of Weimar Berlin. Imagining characters like the dancer Anita Berber, and how she would wear a suit. I loved the idea of showing the same tailored silhouettes on both men and women – they are fluid and interchangeable.'
The piece: On the fringe
Matthieu Blazy’s Bottega Veneta debut was full of sure-fire hits. But this season’s super-soaraway, street-style standout will surely be his fringed leather midi skirt. ‘Bottega Veneta is in its essence pragmatic, as it is a leather-goods company. Because it specialises in bags, it is about movement and going somewhere. There is fundamentally an idea of craft in motion,’ he says, of his inspiration for swinging fringe. ‘It is style over fashion in its timelessness. That is part of its quiet power.’
The length: Short and sweet
A youthquake of mini dresses appeared on the AW22 catwalks, where Sixties rebellion collided with Noughties exuberance in a pastel-hued parade that was anything but sickly. Miu Miu hit the hemline highs again, but sweet little looks were everywhere from Loewe to Simone Rocha. ‘My most recent collection was originally influenced by the [Irish myth] Children of Lir. The children are transformed when they are still young, and I wanted the youthfulness and naïveté to be translated into the silhouette. So some of the hemlines became very teenage, very micro,’ says Rocha.
The accessory: Thigh high club
‘The taller, the better’ is the motto of this season’s footwear. These are boots for styling with mini skirts and dresses – look out for metallic and jewel tones.
The shape: Maxi coats
We don’t usually like style diktats, but AW22 has made one thing clear: if in doubt, throw a long and lean coat over it.
The statement: Catsuits vs bodysuits
How short, tight, cut out and sheer can you go? This is a trend for those who dare to bare.
The mood: I see through you
Risqué necklines, slinky slips dotted with delicate sequins, and sumptuous lace garments dominated catwalks this season. Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons’ take involved crystal-studded mesh numbers, while Erdem’s Thirties-inspired collection included numerous dresses in translucent lace.
The texture: Pull the wool over
It’s time to turn down the heating and turn to sweater dressing. From coats to cardigans, two pieces and twin sets, anything goes so long as it’s knitted.
The vibe: Pretty in punk
Rebellion is always a good idea. Punk energy flowed through AW22: lingerie dressing got tough with crystal embellishments, vinyl boots gave an edge to babydoll silhouettes and feminine subversion was everywhere. If you only take on one element, make it Miu Miu’s velvet-and-diamanté choker.
The return: The corsetry
Last season’s sex obsession has turned from hot to haute for AW22. Fastening a corset over a tonal top is the new way to do body-con.
The moment: Oh my goth
Go hell for leather this season – make sure it’s black, slick and super shiny. More protective than provocative, AW22’s styles resemble a kind of body armour. From military-inspired corsetry at Dior and Balmain to enveloping coats and tinted visors at Dolce & Gabbana and glossy combat boots at Alexander McQueen, embrace the dark side.
This article appears in ELLE's September 2022 issue, available on newsstands from July 28.
Kenya Hunt is the Editor-in-Chief of ELLE UK. Her career spans working for some of the world's most influential women’s titles on both sides of the Atlantic from her post-graduate days as an Assistant Editor at the seminal magazine, Jane, to her time as Deputy Editor of Grazia UK and ELLE UK. As the founder of R.O.O.M. Mentoring, she advocates for greater diversity within the fashion industry by providing a supportive network for some of the many talented aspiring designers, journalists and image makers of colour London has to offer. In 2021, she was recognised by The British Fashion Council for her work and given a Global Leader Of Change Award at its annual Fashion Awards. An American based in London, she lives south of the river with her husband and two sons. Her critically-acclaimed book, Girl: Essays on Black Womanhood (HarperCollins/HQ), is out now.
