I realise that it’s still quite warm and if you’re anything like me, you’re determined to cling on to every last drop of summer (actually it still feels like the first drops of summer but I won’t go there!). However there’s no denying that the evenings are cooler and it’s getting darker much earlier – autumn is on its way. There will be a day soon when you suddenly realise that the wardrobe turnover is due and so today’s post is here to help you get ready for that. I’m trying to make sure that when it comes to assessing what you already have, you’ll be able to breathe new life into a few old favourites and be clear about any gaps. So let’s look at Autumn fashion trends 2024 – what’s new?
Autumn fashion trends 2024 – what’s new?
When you ask the question ‘Autumn fashion trends 2024’ – what’s new, the quick answer is ‘not much at first glance’ because the season’s refresh is quite subtle. There’s no great turnover in shape, hem length or colour and many of the trends are things that as midlifers we’ve seen before and may already have in our wardrobes – or at least know how to wear.
However there are adjustments to be made. The whiplash reaction to the super-relaxed silhouettes of lockdown continues and so the key trend that you’ll read about is ‘demure’. Think Hitchcock heroine in a tailored pencil skirt… Chanel and Dior at its most classic. Will it translate to the high street? There will be versions of it – the gold buttoned tweedy Chanel-style jacket is everywhere, the cardigan and even the twinset is key, the pencil skirts are there… whether they will sell remains to be seen. Along with the dramatically oversized trouser suiting they may be picked up by the generations below us who are returning to the office – in fact riffs on ‘office girl’ are trending hashtags and memes.
For those of us who are less likely to be chained to the 9-5 commute it’s a look that doesn’t quite chime with our lifestyle. It will be interesting to see how the older power women pick up on it – I guess in the continuing absence of the Princess of Wales it will be the Duchess of Edinburgh, Angela Rayner, perhaps a little bit of Victoria Starmer along with other politicians who will hold the eye when it comes to more formal dressing. The trouble is that very classic Chanel style jackets and pencil skirts can be difficult for older women to pull off – they have a Mad Men irony on the young but more of a Hyacinth Bouquet effect on us. If you love them, I’d suggest deliberately contrasting the other half of your outfit so perhaps a sweatshirt with the pencil skirt and wide, loose jeans with the little cropped jacket.
Demure is a trend I’ll be swerving on the whole, along with ‘paper doll’ (imagine the paper cut-outs at the back of Bunty magazine and the way the clothes were angular and slightly oversized when you folded the tabs to put them on the doll). I’ll probably give bubble hems a miss too – remember the puffball skirts of the 80s? They’re back but in more of a midi-length.
So what’s easy to adopt from the autumn fashion trends 24?
Autumn fashion trends 2024 – country style
Houndstooth trousers; Merino jumper
This really isn’t new, in fact I think it’s reinvented under another name every single autumn. Think checks, tartan, argyle – you know the look. I’m noticing the small dogtooth check that Viyella used to pretty much own just about everywhere in a tan and brown mix.
Checked trenchcoat with wool; orange scarf; boots
Quilted jacket; denim shirt; t-shirt
There’s lots of tartan, in trousers and dresses or big tartan scarves worn as wraps over coats.
Argyle cardigans…
Argyle cardigan (also available in camel)
… and jumpers…
…and socks (worn with loafers) abound.
The pleated skirt will be replaced by the kilt – this is launching soon at M&S…
And as we get further towards winter there will be lots of Alpine knitwear – think après ski jumpers, padded boots and warm hats.
Autumn fashion trends 2024 – leopard
Yes. Really!
To be fair it hasn’t really been around for a while, there’s been a focus on snake and zebra but this year it returns and it’s great because it has naturally autumnal hues. The most contemporary way of pulling it off is if it has a sniff of vintage about it – which is great for us because we can dig it out of the attic and look groovy.
Leopard dress – goes up to size 30
You’ll either be a leopard lover or you won’t, there’s no right or wrong about it. Leopard jeans are currently the fastest selling items as we transition towards autumn.
As with most pattern I feel a bit dizzy if I’m dressed head to toe in it but I do think it makes a great outfit elevator if you add it as an accessory – shoes… belt… bag… that kind of thing. It isn’t easy to find good quality, richly coloured ponyskin and that’s really important, otherwise leopard accessories can just look cheap. This is the best high street rendition at the moment.
Leopard belt – (best value here – must be a pricing error)
Autumn fashion trends 2024 – Boho
I know it feels like yesterday that Boho was key – it only really dissipated in 2016.
It’s a big look for AW24 but in a Chloe way so it’s about tan suede…
…pretty blouses and wide jeans.
If you don’t like the full Boho drama then the 2024 version is easier to pare down than the 2014. Think slightly flared jeans, a gauzy blouse that fits on your shoulders and a pair of ankle boots. The embroidered waistcoats and disc belts haven’t reappeared… yet.
Popover blouse; slim flared jeans with front crease; ankle boots
Autumn fashion trends 2024 – Shine
Shine was big last year when silver reigned supreme. There are still metallics everywhere which thrills me because nothing gives your skin as much of a boost as the reflected glow from a metallic top. The new high shine texture though is leather or faux leather with a much glossier finish than we’ve seen for a while, patent is even pushing through along with vinyl.
Faux leather trousers (lots of colours available up to a size 30)
Leather is no longer confined to black either, it’s around in all of the autumn hues – burgundy, pine green, chestnut brown.
Chocolate faux leather skirt and top
Faux leather trousers; gilet; supersoft jumper; boots
I find leather easiest to wear as a bomber jacket or trench coat and tapered leather trousers can look great with heels for a night out.
Faux leather trousers (lots of colours available); rib tank top (lots of colours available)
When it comes to Christmas, a tinsel effect is replacing sequins – but more on that in a few weeks’ time.
Fur, feathers and fluff
This trend hasn’t dropped yet, it will start to appear as we move further into the season. It pairs well with the Boho – short faux fur jackets, long faux fur coats, shearling and borg – the whole mood makes me think of Joan Collins. The feathers are the faux ostrich trim kind, on hems and sleeves – they make me worry about dry cleaning but I’m sure there’s a way. If you have a faux fur coat in your wardrobe this isn’t the year to sell it, especially if it’s leopard.
The wide silhouette
(Image: Stella McCartney)
There’s a constant trumpeting of the return of the skinny jean and yet I don’t see any sign of it reappearing on the high street just yet. Instead we continue to see jackets with oversized shoulders and wide trousers. This season though the waist is the focus, belts are everywhere, worn at your narrowest point, even over a coat or jacket.
The button-up
Knitted merino and cashmere waistcoat; layering shirt; barrel cord trousers
Jumpers are playing second fiddle to the cardigan this season and tank tops have made way for the knitted waistcoat. It’s because layering is key so they allow you to easily achieve the layered look by wearing a shirt or blouse underneath.
Merino, cashmere and silk cardigan
The soft knitted waistcoat is a very easy way to bring your wardrobe up to date, you can play around with it by not doing all of the buttons up so that you accentuate the waist only.
Knitted waistcoat (also available in black); cotton denim shirt
Pointed toe shoes
We saw the formal shoe edging back with the return of the slingback over the summer. Now we’re slowly starting to see the classic ‘pump’ or court shoe taking over, worn with jeans again. The pointed toe is key and I wonder how many people will embrace it for more than a night out that involves a lot of sitting. I used to commute in them, running up and down escalators on the tube after walking around in them all day. I just can’t imagine that now – I wonder if the younger generation will accept the aching feet and calloused toes.
Grey
My heart sinks when it sees that grey is the dominant neutral that the high street has pounced on. There were lots of other colours on the catwalks as I’ll show you in a minute but grey hasn’t been around for a while and it’s easy to sell, so here it comes. Grey is much easier to wear if you have a cool skintone. If you’re warm like me, look for an elephant grey that is mid-toned and has a bit of yellow in it, or marled grey is another option. As you can probably tell it isn’t a colour that I love- it just makes me feel… grey!
Autumn fashion trends 2024 – colour
So here are the colours that Pantone analysed as being the strongest Autumn fashion trends 2024 after assessing the London Fashion Week collections. There’s something for everyone here and even the greys are soft and warm. You can see how easy it will be to pull in some of the pumpkin, aubergine, tomato and pine with things like the denim basics that you already have. 
If you’re buying, for wardrobe longevity I’ll always steer you towards the oranges and greens that work just as well in spring and summer. Never forget that unless they’re the colours that really suit you, autumn hues such as burgundy will be the last thing you want to wear after November so they just don’t give you value for money. The very best way of scratching the autumnal burgundy itch is with a bag. This one is great value and exactly the right style for the season – a good way of nodding to the demure trend.
Burgundy bag with shoulder and crossbody strap
Here are the neutrals for the season ahead. You’ll hear a lot of noise about khaki being back and it’s prevalent in the high street collections. It’s a tricky colour to get right, look for the warmer, deeper olive versions if you have a warm skintone and the cooler, lighter ones if you don’t. There are lots of other ‘off’ shades of green around though so if you keep trying different hues, you’ll find the one that will give you a wardrobe update.
It’s great to see brown featuring so strongly, it’s been making a slow comeback for a while now and this year’s collections are the first time I’ve seen it have a good presence in high street stores. Brown jeans or trousers along with a brown coat or jacket and brown accessories could be a great basic to add – they’ll go with the navy, grey, black or camel basics you already have but completely refresh your wardrobe.
And now I hope you’ll feel prepared for everything you see as the new season drops. Suddenly instead of it just looking like a sea of ‘stuff’, you should have a bit of fashion context behind you as you browse and that makes shopping so much easier. Think of the stories your outfits are telling about you. The good thing about this time of year is that it’s worth investing in your wardrobe because these are the clothes that we wear for three quarters of the year. So enjoy them. For the first time in a long time I think that the collection that dropped at M&S yesterday is the most interesting one out there so far – you can find the best pieces here but be quick because they’re flying out.
Midlifechic Reader Event – 31st October
As I mentioned last week, I’m really looking forward to having a chance to meet some of you properly at the event with my friend Claudia Bradby. If you missed the ‘save the date’ post, here’s a reminder of what we’ll be doing. We’re meeting up at a lovely venue, The Artist Residence in Pimlico, London. Over a welcome drink you can relax and listen to Claudia and me talking about the wonders of jewellery. We’ll hear about how she sources it, where the inspiration for her designs comes from and I’ll quiz her on how to style it by mixing and matching metals, textures and weights. It’s going to be very informal so if you have any questions you can just butt in and ask us anything.
After that there will be jewellery on display for you to play around with so that you can put a bit of what you’ve learned into practice on your own necks and arms. We’ll have plenty of time to chat in the very chic townhouse milieu and the bar will be open if you’d like to buy more drinks. So we should be able to have a really good catch-up and there will be a little goody bag too for you to take home with you.
I do hope you can come along, tickets are now on sale but because it’s an intimate venue we only have 30 places so when they’re gone, they’re gone – and that’s why I gave you a week’s notice.
- Date: Thursday 31st October
- Time: 6pm – 10pm
- Venue: Artist Residence, 52 Cambridge St, Pimlico, London SW1V 4QQ
- Ticket price: £17
You can book here – and if you do, I really look forward to seeing you on the night.
That’s everything for today. I hope I’m leaving you feeling full of enthusiasm for the autumn fashion trends 2024 and the season ahead. We have the last of our outdoor music events this weekend and it feels like a bit of a poignant farewell to one of the best summers we’ve ever had. So here are a few uplifting words for anybody else who’s feeling the end of summer blues…
“And all the lives we ever lived
and all the lives to be
are full of trees and changing leaves”
(Virgina Woolf)
Autumn isn’t an ending – it can be the beginning of a whole new chapter.
See you next week.
Disclosure: Autumn fashion trends 2024 is not a sponsored post
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