London Fashion Week, you spoilt us this season! The Who What Wear UK team spent a solid five days taking in the A/W '24 runways that were sprinkled around the British capital and my, what a stylish scavenger hunt it was. We found ourselves in the grandeur of The British Museum where Erdem showcased a beautiful collection as per usual, with a few very intriguing surprises along the way (more on those later).
There were the collections that tapped into the emerging "corporatecore" aesthetic, held in city skyrises, whilst others were set against a backdrop of leather-bound books and oak wood panelling in quiet neighbourhood libraries (thank goodness for our slick Volvo car which meant we didn't miss a single show!). Much like the locations in which they were held, next season's collections were just as unpredictable, presenting us with the freshest selection of trends we've seen in a long while. Yes, red is still a predominant theme (much as it has been for the last three seasons) but, as a writer, I've been yearning for something new to tell you about. Thankfully, A/W '24's trend line-up delivers just that.
Below, I've outlined the eight biggest trends that we saw at London Fashion Week this February to give you a taste of what's to come, fashionably speaking, for the latter half of the year. However, if you'd like to stay one step ahead on the fashion Monopoly board, I've included some chic shopping suggestions for each for you to enjoy and consider now.
Without further ado, here are London's top fashion week trends for A/W '24.
8 AUTUMN/WINTER 2024 RUNWAY TRENDS TO BOOKMARK FROM LONDON FASHION WEEK
1. EVERYTHING IN OXBLOOD
Style Notes: There's no escaping the hold red has on fashion right now, but for A/W '24, we're going to see it take a deeper turn. Top-to-toe oxblood outfits were a common theme across incredibly varied designers, cementing it as a need-to-know shade for the colder months. Expensive-looking no matter how much you spend, this is a colour I know we're going to see a lot of.
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2. FEATHERS TAKING FLIGHT
Style Notes: I cannot begin to count how many feathered outfits we saw grace London's runways; it was genuinely that staggering. From David Koma's dramatic dresses to subtle nods by way of scarves at 16Arlington, if you add one thing to your wardrobe next season, consider a feathered item to be a safe bet.
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3. ALL HAIL THE SKIRT SUIT
Style Notes: Designers are still exploring tailoring in a big way in London right now and for next season, but something that does feel all the more impactful for A/W '24 is the rise of the skirt suit. We saw the most elegant two-piece at Emilia Wickstead in a move that felt incredibly fresh for a designer known for her beautiful dresses and gowns, whilst Yuhan Wang delivered a collection featuring countless skirt suits, which models wore to walk down the runway whilst snippets of dialogue from the Legally Blonde boomed overhead.
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4. PUT A BOW ON IT
Style Notes: I wasn't sure how I felt about the "girlhood" trend that bubbled up last season, mainly because I found it too hooked on fashion stereotypes. However, there's no denying that there's a joy to be found in that jovial approach to dressing, and one way designers decided to channel it (apparently en masse) was by way of bows. Decorating everything from knitwear to dresses, shoes to bags, bows are going to be the season's prettiest detail—which is excellent news if you already bought a pair of bow slingbacks when they were big during party season.
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5. COTTON CANDY DRESSES
Style Notes: Will they keep you warm? No. Are they practical? Also no. But my, how beautiful the dresses were! Susan Fang's delicate construction was one of the most breathtaking things we saw, with her signature pastel palette only adding to the candyfloss-like feel of the entire collection. We saw a similar use of colour at Bora Aksu, whilst Simone Rocha enveloped models in layers of fabric to create looks as light as air. On the market, look for tulles, chiffons and mesh gathered together to create volume and texture.
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6. YOU SHALL GO TO THE PUFFBALL
Style Notes: Looking back, there was definitely an '80s undercurrent rippling through London's A/W '24 collections. Between the power suiting we saw at Rihanna-loved label Frolov to the biker sets at KNWLS, there were countless throwback references, but the most prevalent was absolutely the puffball. Found in skirt and dress form, puffball hems dominated the runways at Conner Ives and Molly Goddard, whilst Marques' Almeida, whose triumphant LFW return was a firm a highlight of the week, turned the puffball on its head by creating pieces that puffed from the waist.
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7. THE NEW THREE-PIECE
Style Notes: Three-piece-suit sets were a resounding success last season, redefining the boundaries of the workwear staple whilst allowing shoppers to create a cohesive look with ease. This season, designers pushed the trend further, crafting corresponding items that layered together to reveal a complete puzzle. With matching scarves, trousers and jackets all hitting the runways, it’s never been easier to get dressed.
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8. 50 SHADES OF GREEN
Style Notes: Designers took respite from working with the vivid shades that dominated last season and instead chose to hone in on an earthy colour palette that championed every shade of green. Celebrating the natural tone, designers stretched the grounding colour in every which way, crafting dramatic emerald gowns, draped khaki dresses and exquisite olive layers across collections.
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