The AW26 Trend Report
Your insider’s guide to the colours, silhouettes, fabrics and accessories that will be shaping how we dress this season
All products are chosen independently by our editors. Luxury London may earn commission on items purchased.
Given that temperatures in the UK have only just dipped below 30°C, knitwear, leather jackets and faux fur coats are probably the last thing you’re thinking about wearing right now. In which case, maybe bookmark this page and revisit it in October when its grey, cold and knitwear is once again a mainstay. For those of you looking to get ahead on your new season shopping, however, the AW26 collections are already in stores and it’s a mere matter of weeks before this season’s biggest trends begin hitting the streets.
As ever for autumn, outerwear is a big story, but this year we’ll all be swapping our sleek slimline overcoats for voluminous fluffy numbers and striking silhouettes. Likewise, leather will expand beyond jackets and work its way through the rest of your wardrobe, while those with a penchant for winter brights will be easily seduced by this season’s vogue for all things scarlet. Read on for everything you need to know about the AW26 trends set to dominate.
Red alert
Lanvin
Ferragamo
Earlier this year, Tomato Red was announced as the official colour of Royal Ascot – and it appears that the race meet was ahead of the curve, with the AW26 runways dominated by all things crimson, scarlet and poppy. The general rule of thumb here is ‘go big or go home’, with Michael Kors, Jacquemus, Ferragamo and Lanvin sending models down the catwalk kitted out head-to-toe in red, hats, gloves and shoes included.
Mithridate
Michael Kors
If that feels like a little too much for your personal tastes, a festively hued gown always makes an excellent choice for seasonal events. Valentino’s long-sleeved bold shouldered number is guaranteed to make an impact while Fendi and Carolina Herrera offered sleeker, sexier numbers primed to turn up the heat.
Get the look
Textured outerwear
Ami Paris
Schiaparelli
Put down your puffer jacket. While voluminous silhouettes aren’t going anywhere this season, when it comes to outerwear it’s all about fluffy, huggable teddy bear textures that will act as the softest of armour against winter’s harsh climes. For those privileged enough not to battle the grubbiness of the tube, Ami, Valentino and Gucci advocate for snow white faux fur – preferably worn with bare legs and sky high heels.
Valentino
Louis Vuitton
Need something a little better suited to commuter life? Turn heads on the Central Line in Valentino’s floor sweeping style or Schiaparelli’s pin-sharp leather collared take on the trend. A word of warning: Louis Vuitton’s spiky shoulders are strictly for black cabs only.
Get the look
Layer it on
Kent & Curwen
Gabriella Hearst
For AW26, layering isn’t simply a practical way of moving between drizzly street and overheated office, it’s a style statement in its own right. The only rule? There are no rules. Taking a Western tinge at Gabriella Hearst, made preppy by Kent & Curwen and Toga, and given a streetwear spin at Simone Rocha, this is one trend that likely requires only one or two small purchases to slot seamlessly into your wardrobe.
Simone Rocha
Toga
Pop a pair of legwarmers on over your tights and loafers, add a sheer layer over your favourite pencil skirt or double up on multiple idiosyncratic shirts and jumpers. Pro tip: a selection of lightweight polo neck jumpers in a rainbow of hues will do a lot of heavy lifting here.
Get the look
The modern twinset
Dior
Gucci
Skirt suits are back – but not as you know them. Forget your grandmother’s twinset and pearls: this season’s skirt suits are designed to do anything but blend into the background. At Dior, Jonathan Anderson offered his in this season’s resurgent peplum silhouette, while Sean McGirr at McQueen sent hemlines soaring from knee to upper thigh.
Jacquemus
Carolina Herrera
1990s-style minimalism at Gucci made a case for bringing the modern twinset into the boardroom while Simon Porte Jacquemus’ leopard print and feather embellishment proved co-ords are anything but boring. And for evening? Step out in shimmering sequins a la Carolina Herrera.
Get the look
Barely there
Pauline Dujancourt
Gabriella Hearst
The seemingly perennial trend for sheer fabrications takes on a new guise for AW26 with designers offering unexpected pairings, sophisticated layering and a move away from classic chiffons. At Gabriella Hearst, Dior and Fendi, for example, heavy lace and laser cut leather provided the opportunity for playful peekaboo dresses and a more fitted take on the sheer trend.
Ferragamo
Julien Macdonald
For Ferragamo and Simone Rocha, meanwhile, layers of tulle and gauze were piled upon each other to suggest, rather than shout about, transparency. Pauline Dujancourt’s featherlight cropped bomber is an excellent way to dip your toe in but, if you’re ready to go full throttle, OG party boy Julien Macdonald is more than ready with a series of shimmering, swaying designs that leave little to the imagination.
Get the look
Full-look leather
McQueen
Fendi
We’ve all got a battered bomber or biker in the closet that we turn to every September but why stop there? The AW26 collections made a case for reconsidering leather as a fabric on which to build a full head-to-toe look which, I promise, is far less daunting than it sounds. Rendered in all over black, Fendi’s fitted dress and McQueen’s minimalist mini and bomber combo aren’t so dissimilar to pieces you probably already have in your wardrobe – just add a slip or a pair of tights to keep things PG.
Burberry
Tod’s
Likewise, Burberry’s leather kilt and shirt combo is simply a more impactful take on a classic look – and a shortcut to head-turning style that requires practically no styling expertise – while Tod’s more artisanal take sees an elegant wrap dress reworked in strips of contrasting leather. Fabulous with a pair of thigh-high boots.
Get the look
A night at the opera
Sportmax
Michael Kors
Okay, I’ll, ahem, throw up my hands and say I didn’t see this one coming: opera gloves are the accessories story of AW26. Seen everywhere from Michael Kors and Max Mara to Richard Quinn, Mugler, Zimmermann and Sportmax, and paired with everything from oversized knitwear to ballgowns, this is the one piece that will bring any outfit into the new season.
Richard Quinn
Max Mara
So how to wear them in 2026? Keep it simple. Roll the cuffs of your favourite jumper over a pair of elbow-length black suede gloves or go tonal and match a leather pair to your outfit. Unless you’re looking to do Audrey Hepburn cosplay, however, pristine white should be saved for seriously formal events only.
