Hot off the runway...here's our concise guide to the five most wearable catwalk trends you need to know about this season

The catwalk trends for this autumn that the fashion press are really talking about include (from left to right) a return of dopamine dressing in bright, sunny hues epitomised by Caroline Herrera, the most maxi of maxi dresses like this bold floral print by Richard Quinn, and statement maxi skirts teamed with knitwear shown here at Bottega Veneta's autumn show

I hope you’ve had the most fabulous summer. Maybe you’ve been lucky enough to get away, or perhaps you’ve been enjoying the best of our own British season? Wherever you’ve been, I’m sure you’ll agree how wonderful it is to once again enjoy the delights of events, get-togethers and family gatherings all topped off with seemingly endless sun-drenched days. And if you like your late summer’s warm, the news according to Metcheck is balmy days are set to continue well into October, giving us a little longer to enjoy an Indian summer.

With warmer weather in mind, the team here at Ridley London have been hard at work scrutinising imagery, catwalk shows, influencer blogs and column inches to produce our concise guide to the 5 most important and wearable trends you need to know about this autumn.

Sustainability and wearability are unsurprisingly top of everyone’s list. According to UK Vogue, the biggest fashion trend for Autumn/Winter 2022 is "the return of beautifully made clothes you can wear any time, any place.” As champions of slow fashion, this is music to our ears. Here at Ridley London we’ve always believed passionately in creating well-made clothing that you’ll want to wear again and again. That’s why every Ridley dress, skirt, top or sweater is individually made to order from the finest sustainably sourced natural materials, and can be customised to flatter in your choice of colours or prints.

This season's fashion forecast also encompasses many of the trends we highlighted last season, and top of the list according to leading fashion blog Whowhatwear is a ‘Rediscovery of Optimism’. Let’s face it, with a somewhat uncertain outlook, it’s never been more important to put a positive foot forward and bring some joy and a smile to those around you. Fashion really can help here, as we highlighted in our previous post on the science of dopamine dressing.  So it’s been great to see so many of this Autumn’s collections and catwalk shows awash with vibrant, exuberant and uplifting colours. Elegant silhouettes in bold prints; statement tailoring and bright, joyful knits have been a consistent theme. As has a focus on ‘Versatility’ and ’transitional dressing’ that can be cleverly styled to carry you from day into evening and late summer into autumn and beyond.

1. Dopamine Dressing

The dopamine dressing trend of bright colours has continued from last season and has been a prominent feature on all the major catwalks as shown here by (from top left to right) Caroline Herrera and Siriano. Grab your own dopamine hit with Ridley London's new collection of bright statement prints and wearable new dress styles

The colour explosion we saw burst onto the catwalks in Spring/Summer collections shows no sign of abating, with a focus on mood boosting hues and an unseasonably bright palette. It is no surprise, given the backdrop of a pandemic and the uncertain times we have endured, that the trend for optimistic and uplifting colours is continuing into autumn, with vibrant greens and blues reflecting the mood boosting quality of nature. According to Vogue, this season will be full of “luxurious velvets, bold prints and colours that make you want to jump for joy”. In Ridley’s palette, we are continuing with bright florals, prints and an array of mood-lifting shades, which will take you through this coming transitional season effortlessly and tailored to let your individuality shine. Shop our bright transitional dresses

2. Maxis to the Max

Flattering, elongating maxi length dresses and skirts are also popular again, but this season they're really turned up to a new level of max, as shown here by (from top left to right) Altuzarra, Richard Quinn, and Zimmermann. At Ridley London we've always believed in the flattering power of a statement maxi dress or maxi skirt, and we've introduced some exciting new styles into this season's collection featuring elegantly tailored on trend cuts and bod statement pints

A firm favourite here at Ridley, due its almost magical elongating powers and the ability to instantly create an elegant silhouette whatever your shape or height, maxi dresses and maxi skirts were everywhere on the runways for the coming season. Altuzarra and Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood both showcased maxi skirts in bright colours and bold prints and Zimmermann focused on creating a sense of fun with prints in his maxi dresses. We love this look and it continues to be a staple of our new collection. The wearability of the maxi skirt and dress is perfect for this summer-to-autumn period, as it looks just as fabulous teamed with boots and a leather jacket as it does with sandals in high summer. Shop our Ridley London statement maxi dresses

3. Cinching the Deal 

It's time to get truly waisted! This seasons catwalks celebrate the feminine hourglass figure with this latest trend for corsetry and cinched waists. (From top left to right) Chloe, Versace, and Erdem. This season's Ridley London collection doesn't feature any corsets, although we have embraced this trend with a number of new tailored styles which combine easy wearability with adjustable belts to enhance this season's must have silhouette.

There are strong vibes of nostalgia threading through many catwalk looks for the season ahead. Y2K is still huge, although the ultra-low waistlines and ultra-high hemlines may be best left to those too young to have worn them the first time around. The trend that we at Ridley are more interested in is the return of the waist. Tiktok is flooded with CorsetTok videos, which have translated into catwalks brimming with corsetry. Carolina Herrera showcased bold, bright floor length dresses which emphasised the waist beautifully. This look creates a feminine, hourglass silhouette, but we are all about wearability and comfort. Our maxi dress with a more tailored, belted fit, for example, nods to this trend and creates that feminine silhouette.  Similarly, pairing one of our maxi skirts with a blouse and adding in a cinched belt creates a beautiful, wearable look that is bang on trend. Shop our latest on-trend dress styles

4. Knits with it

Catwalks have embraced a looming energy crises with a plethora of knitwear and long skirts. Yes autumn 2022 is also all about staying warm and horizontal stripes appear to be the motif de moment as shown here by (from top left to right) Molly Goddard, Chloe, and Bottega Veneta. Ridley London's collaboration with Virginia Wool continues this season with a new collection of personalised knitwear including these fabulous striped pieces

Knits were absolutely everywhere on the runways for the upcoming season and they were paired with absolutely everything. Perhaps with a nod to the universal desire to conserve energy this winter, knits are the perfect solution to teaming warmth with style. Chloe, Molly Goddard, Chanel, Ulla Johnson to name a few, all chose to pair beautiful knits with elegant skirts. This season, it’s all about the colour: bold colour blocking, colour-popping details and a prevalence of stripes. At Ridley, our knitwear is made to order with Virginia Wool, so that it is guaranteed to fit to flatter and picks up on this latest trend with pops of colour from our optimistic palette. Shop our Virginia Wool made to measure knitwear

5. Tailored Bright

Picking up on dopamine dressing and last season's trend for tailoring, catwalks have been awash with tailored suits and blazers in an array of bold seasonal colours and sumptuously rich fabrics including velvets as shown here by (from top left to right) Emilia Wickstead, Alberta Ferretti and Eudon Choi. Due to popular demand, we've brought back our tailored velvet Ridley London blazers, with a subtly updated style and new colour palette for this autumn. All of our blazers feature contrasting linings of your choice and can be tailored to flatter.

Blazers and jackets are still big going into Autumn. The key piece on catwalks across the globe for the upcoming season is the oversized blazer. Big, bright, boxy and often layered over feminine dresses, this look is all about a powerful shoulder, in a boy meets girl layering. The wide shouldered and double-breasted trend looks fabulous on the catwalk. Here at Ridley we believe clothing should be comfortable and flattering. So unless you have a body shape akin to those strutting the catwalks, we believe the more toned-down tailoring showcased in Tod’s and Paul Smith’s AW22 collection to be more universally wearable.  We’ve added a sharper tailoring on classic jackets in this season’s optimistic palette but maintained the eminently more flattering single-breasted, sleeker look, which pairs beautifully over our dresses and skirts for a stylish layer as the days cool. Shop our tailored velvet blazers

Ridley London's new Autumn collection of made to measure statement dresses, skirts, tops, jackets and knitwear is available to purchase online and in Ridley's Barnes store. Celebrate your individuality this season with a unique piece that's  individually crafted to flatter from your choice of any of our stunning new printed floral or solid silks or cottons. Or call us to arrange a virtual fitting: 

Ridley London, 82 Church Road, Barnes, London SW13 0DQ T: 01730 823097