From the catwalks to the latest collections, the mood has shifted. Here are the six most wearable trends to dress in for Autumn and Winter 2023

The catwalks for Autumn winter 23 have featured more wearable styles focusing on longevity, understated elegance, luxuriously soft materials and a resurgence of more tailored styles. As shown here by (From left to right) Alberto Ferretti, Stella McCartney, and Carolina Herrera 

Wherever you are, I hope you’re enjoying the most fabulous summer. Maybe you’ve been lucky enough to get away, and enjoy sunshine and pleasant temperatures. While much of Europe has been frying in record heatwaves, here in London it’s been the wettest July on record. So it’s hardly surprising to see so much attention focused on climate change, while the windows and websites of the fashion world have already shifted to Autumn. With this in mind, the team here at Ridley London have been busy scrutinising the latest catwalk shows, influencer blogs and fashion press to compile your concise guide to the 6 most important wearable trends you need to know about for Autumn 2023.

 

The Macro Overview

Fashion continues to be dominated by the shift away from the novelty and disposability of the previous era towards a more conscious and sustainable style of consumption. While we can all get behind this principal, the proof really is in how it filters onto the catwalks, high streets and into our collective behavioural consciousnesses. While A younger Gen Z audience rapidly embrace vintage shopping, recent re-cycling and disposability scandals highlight how much of the mainstream is still lagging behind in favour of greenwashing. And while we’re dealing with elephants in rooms, I think we could also question the continued viability of lavish luxury global catwalk productions and their eye watering budgets and carbon footprints. Copenhagen Fashion Week and it’s focus on authentic sustainability is a welcome contrast to this.

What has been heartening is to see is the emergence of a slower style of fashion that has placed wearability and longevity centre stage on many of this season’s runways. There is a visible move away from ‘Instagramable' ‘moment clothes’ to the 'real here and now'. As Ellie Pithers of Vogue points out "If we thought the post-Covid 2020s were set to mirror the Roaring Twenties, with Champagne for breakfast and sequins for the supermarket run, well, we were wrong. The runways at Bottega Veneta, Miu Miu and Loewe were all filled with outfits one could easily imagine throwing on before heading out to take on the day. And if you’re rolling your eyes at a publication extolling the merits of clothes you can actually wear, the difference came in the details that elevated them from mundane to magazine-worthy.” 

Clearly designers everywhere have taken notice of that well worn, if somewhat counter intuitive rule of thumb: in economically challenging times consumers become ever more discerning, favouring quality over novelty.  With 'Investment pieces’ fast becoming the sartorial watchword, there’s a re-focussing towards understated elegance, high quality fabrics, conservative colours and serviceability. And while there is still a small slice of escapist fantasy on show, glittering metallics are probably best reserved for the festive season. Everything we’re seeing undoubtedly caters to a savvier breed of consumer looking for intelligent 'wardrobe building pieces' and 'heirloom styles' that can be passed down. As long standing champions of slower fashion, everyone here at Ridley is fully behind this. We should all be following the late, greta Vivienne Westwood’s maxim: “Buy less, choose well, make it last.” And with this in mind here are our seven selections of the most wearable investment pieces you should be considering for this autumn….and beyond! 

 

Trend 1: Quiet Luxury

Undoubtedly the most important trend for 2023 has been the emergence of a new understated aesthetic of quiet luxury across the catwalks as shown here by (from top left to right) Saint Laurent, Chanel, and Gucci. Timeless cuts, High quality materials and exceptional tailoring have always been part of our ethos here at Ridley, and this season we've introduced a pallet of on-trend neutral colours as shown here by our Olive Green needlecord maxi dress and luxurious new tailored navy velvet trouser suit

It is so often the quieter looks that make the biggest impression, and as fashion blog Who What Wear points out "quiet luxury is without doubt this year's most coveted aesthetic.” But what does this actually mean? Essentially its a reaction to the heavily logo driven 'naughties' with a return to craft, quality and creating a more refined and understated aesthetic that will stand the test of time. And in some cases it's an elevation of wardrobe basics. Join the luxe set with understated ease by embracing, classical cuts, muted colour, high quality materials, immaculate tailoring and a focus on intelligent wardrobe pieces that you’ll wear for seasons to come. Key wardrobe pieces include the cynched waist blazer, the clean lined skirt, a power blouse, a tailored overcoat, and a nonchellant trouser. Longevity has always been key to our philosophy here at Ridley, and like all of our collections, this season’s embodies this with our a mix of timelessly feminine styles, the highest quality fabrics, personalisation and traditional tailoring that make our clothes last. 

 

Trend 2: Return of the Hourglass 

With and emphasis on a more tailored aesthetic, catwalks have featured an array of figure enhancing hourglass styles as shown here by (from top left to right) Schiaparelli, Givenchy, and Prada. Here at Ridley, a number of our new styles for Autumn winter 2023 feature more tailored cuts and belted waists to produce a more shapely silhouette including (left) the new Katerina dress in crepe silk Cupid's Bow print and our statement Suzy dress in luxurious black velvet which can be customised for your most flattering fit

Originally conceived as a reaction to slouchy lockdown loungewear, the hourglass silhouette has been building momentum on catwalks for more than a year, and this season features highly across collections from many of the world’s most famous designers and labels. “In line with the ‘no gimmicks’ trend which has emerged from the autumn/winter 2022 catwalks, we’ve seen designers focus on reviving classics by playing with volumes and shapes – but not to the detriment of their wearability,” explains Liane Wiggins, head of womenswear at Matchesfashion.com. The body sculpting look not only flatteringly accentuates our most feminine qualities, but as Vogue so eloquently puts it "speaks to our communal craving for structure (both in our wardrobes and life).” Here at Ridley we’ve embraced this trend with…….  

 

 

Trend 3: Dark Florals

Multiple catwalks and collections have featured dark floral prints for Autumn Winter 2023 including (from top left to right) Carolina Herrera, Alexander McQueen, and Erdem. Here at Ridley London we've always been partial to this timeless winter look and have an array of beautiful new dark floral printed silks and cottons including (from bottom left to right) the new Fantasy Land Liberty Floral Print shown here on our Lyra shirt dress, the red Midnight Rose silk floral print shown here on our maxi skirt, and the black and teal Pegasus silk satin Liberty print as shown here on our Layla dress

Florals have taken on a faintly gothic feel for Fall, with catwalks and collections showcasing a multitude of delicate prints and dark moody backgrounds. The style perfectly captures the mood of the moment, and is a feminine clarion call for those who believe in the slimming power of black. Here at Ridley we have a number of stunning new Liberty print floral silks and cottons which perfectly embody this trend, as well as unique vintage prints from our archive. Any of our styles can be made up in any of these fabrics and customised for your most flattering fit.

 

Trend 4: Statement Maxi Coats

Statement maxi length tailored coats are a key piece for autumn winter 2023 and have featured across multiple catwalk collections including (from top left to right) Burberry, Zimmermann, and Dolce & Gabbana. Our new Ridley London collection for autumn winter 2023 also feature a number of statement maxi length coats including (from bottom left to right) our statement tailored opera coat in black velvet with a Mongolian Lambswool colour and our new Odette tailored overcoat in red Scottish tweed

Nothing says winter elegance like a beautifully tailored coat, and this season’s runways featured a multitude of full length statement offerings in a variety of cuts, checks and rich seasonal shades. Statement tailored blazers with big shoulders and synched in waists are also in. With enduring serviceability in mind, when it comes to overcoats black is unsurprisingly shade of the season, and as Vogue underlines, "Pick wisely and you’ll be wearing yours for years to come”. Here at Ridley we’ve got a number of investment pieces in beautiful tweeds, rich velvets and our beautiful maxi length statement opera coat.

 Trend 5: Molten Lava, this Season's Hottest Colour

The hottest colour for autumn winter 2023 is undoubtedly Molten Lava Red which has featured strongly across all the major collections and catwalk shows including (from top left to right) Stella McCartney, Bottega Venetta, and Nensi Dojaka. Here at Ridley London we've embraced the hot red trend with a number of solid and printed silks as well as tweeds as shown here with our statement tweed blazer worn here with a customisable Livia midi dress in the Michelle floral Liberty print. (Right) Ridley London Lillian dress in luxurious molten lava red silk chiffon.

With an emphasis on wearability and investment pieces, this season spectrum of colours are unsurprisingly understated with as the Pantone Colour Institute points out "an array of neutral and natural tones that embody a sense of calm and containment and satisfy our need for harmony and tranquility.” On the catwalks and column inches this has translated into lots of utilitarian grey, deep navies, verdant greens, rich aubergines, bitter chocolates and black. But If you’re looking to make a statement, without doubt colour of the season is fiery ‘Molten Lava' red and it’s been a feature across a multitude of collections. Our Autumn 2023 Ridley collection includes all the major colour influences, however we take the view that it’s about wearing colours cleverly and finding the right shade that enhances your own natural colouring.  

 Trend 6: The Cosy Cross-over

Autumn & Winter 2023 is all about cocooning oneself in comfort with luxuriously soft materials as shown here with (from top left to right) oversized scarves, by Georgio Armani, oversized knitwear, by Tory Burch and statement coats, by Gucci. We've embraced this trend at Ridley London by adding super soft details like this luxuriously soft Mongolian lambswool collar (left) and using sumptuous materials like velvet seen here in our new collection of tailored velvet coats

Cocooning oneself in winter is hardly a new trend. What is different for autumn winter 2023, is the nuanced and unexpected way this is now being expressed with an influx of luxuriously cosy materials entering more formal dress codes. We may have ditched our lockdown loungewear, but designers have spotted an opportunity to translate its cosy comfort into other areas of our wardrobes. As fashion blog Who What Wear points out, "Comfort is more than a trend. It's a state of mind.” This has been most apparent in the array of snuggly oversized jumpers, big statement scarves and luxe textures which have dominated this Autumn's catwalks. Sumptuous velvets, soft wools and shearling have all featured heavily, adding a soft touch to the clean lines of this season’s collections. Here at Ridley 

Ridley London's new collection of dresses, skirts, tops, jackets and knitwear for Autumn and Winter 2023 is available to purchase online and in Ridley's Barnes store. Celebrate your individuality this season with a unique piece that's customised to flatter in your choice of any of our stunning new printed florals or solid silks or luxurious velvets. Or call us to arrange a virtual fitting: 

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