The 8 key autumn/winter 2014 fashion trends you need to know about

Autumn/winter is our absolute favourite season of the year (just so you know, we think in fashion seasons rather than those of the meteorological variety – much easier to distinguish).

British people dress better in winter than they do in summer. Fact.

We much prefer wrapping ourselves in snuggly coats and layers of soft knit. In fact, we dream in cashmere.

And with shops receiving their first delivery of new season AW14 clothes next month (true story), here’s all you need to know about the key trends.

1. 60s mods

The 8 key AW14 fashion trends you need to know about
The A-line shift, seen here at the Louis Vuitton show, is everything for autumn (Picture: AFP PHOTO / BERTRAND GUAY BERTRAND GUAY/AFP/Getty Images)
Every season has its signature decade these days and this time round it’s the 60s, as seen at Nicolas Ghesquiere’s first show for Louis Vuitton which featured structured A-line shifts, knee-high shiny leather boots and luxe polo necks.

Gucci’s more glamorous take saw brown leather A-lines paired with ruffled leather shirts, while Valentino gave us bright printed tunics.

The 8 key AW14 fashion trends you need to know about
60s minis and bold print is also a key look a la Valentino (Picture: AFP PHOTO / MIGUEL MEDINA MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP/Getty Images)
Note, pointed 60s flats and mini boxy handbags are also having a moment. It’s 60s with a modern twist.

2. Fairy tales come true


The 8 key AW14 fashion trends you need to know about
Giant fur hoods and deep rich reds hit the Dolce & Gabbana AW14 catwalk (Picture: Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images)
Dolce & Gabbana turned storytellers with their dark, unctuous take on traditional fairy tales for AW14. Think huge fur hoods, jade green embellished capes and enchanting Little Red Riding Hood thick ruby coats.

The 8 key AW14 fashion trends you need to know about
Christopher Kane’s dramatic origami dresses were the talk of the town at London Fashion Week (Picture: Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images)
Elsewhere, there was no less drama at Christopher Kane with his delicious 3D millefeuille dresses and tuilled spiral arms. Oh, and don’t forget Preen’s Darth Vader sweats.

Expect shops to be littered with hooded capes and bold embellished detail, particularly when the colder weather hits.

3. Designer normcore


The 8 key AW14 fashion trends you need to know about
Margaret Howell gives us normcore for grown-ups (Picture: Anthony Harvey/Getty Images)
Don’t groan. Yes, normcore’s gone high fashion. Also described as ‘perfectly boring’, the key to this trend is beautifully tailored louche trouser suits, soft wool jumpers, and a lot of classic grey, navy and black. This is about wearing the very best classic pieces you can afford, to make your life as simple and comfortable as possible. As seen at Stella McCartney, Marc Jacobs and Margaret Howell.

The 8 key AW14 fashion trends you need to know about
Cara and Joan Smalls love their comfy normcore shoes and sweats at Stella McCartney (Picture: AFP PHOTO / PATRICK KOVARIK PATRICK KOVARIK/AFP/Getty Images)
Just remember, this is designer normcore, so leave the hoody at home.

4. Portrait of an artist


LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 17: Model Cara Delevingne walks the runway at the Burberry Prorsum show at London Fashion Week AW14 at Perks Fields, Kensington Gardens on February 17, 2014 in London, England. Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images
Indulge in Burberry’s dissolving autumnal water-colour prints for AW14 (Picture: Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images)
Burberry often creates trends all on its own these days. And it’s no different this season with Christopher Bailey celebrating the boho artists and writers of the 1920s, known as the Bloomsbury set. Beautiful, whimsical watercolour scarves were layered over dresses and worn with drawstring ankle boots and either a shearling jacket or one of those monogrammed blankets.

One for the creative spirit inside all of us.

5. Fast-food fashion


The 8 key AW14 fashion trends you need to know about
Get your Chanel crop tops here (Picture: AFP PHOTO / PATRICK KOVARIK PATRICK KOVARIK/AFP/Getty Images)
Seemingly in direct contrast to the romanticism seen at Burberry, Karl Lagerfeld gave us hard-edged consumerism with his supermarket chic-themed show. The catwalk was transformed into the most stylish supermarket we’d ever seen and the FROW was encouraged to go wild in the aisles for the Chanel branded foodstuffs at the close.

The clothes, including very high end Pepto-Bismol crop tops, track pants and trainers, were fabulously trashy.

The 8 key AW14 fashion trends you need to know about
Do you want chips with that? Moschino’s AW14 collection took inspiration from some famous American franchises (Picture: Jacopo Raule/Getty Images)
With Jeremy Scott also taking his inspiration from a certain fast food restaurant at Moschino, expect plenty of brash, bright colour on the high street, along with accessories influenced by your favourite fast food chains. Tasty.

6. Feeling blue




The 8 key AW14 fashion trends you need to know about
Cobalt blues and dove greys made a perfect pairing at Topshop Unique (Picture: Jonathan Short/Invision/AP)
While pink has reigned supreme in recent seasons, blue fought back on the AW14 catwalks (though don’t ditch the pink coat yet – Christopher Kane ensured they’re still en vogue, phew).

From cobalts to teals and everything in between, we’ll all be feeling blue this autumn.

The 8 key AW14 fashion trends you need to know about
J. JS Lee plumped for more of an electric blue for her collection (Picture: Jonathan Short/Invision/AP)

7. What would Dietrich do?




The 8 key AW14 fashion trends you need to know about
Fierce models stalked the catwalk at Prada in soft seductive silks and rich shearling coats (Picture: REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi)
For those of a darker disposition, just channel the uncompromisingly glamorous Marlene Dietrich and her very real brand of romanticism, by indulging your love for buttery soft black leather, flashes of red, and inky languid silks, as seen at Lanvin, Prada and Givenchy. Dangerously seductive.

The 8 key AW14 fashion trends you need to know about
Alber Elbaz used beautiful soft black leathers at Lanvin (Picture: Benoit Tessier/Reuters)

8. The super-coat




The 8 key AW14 fashion trends you need to know about
Copy this Gucci look on the high street with a cosy faux-fur cropped jacket for winter (Picture: Alessandro Garofalo/Reuters)
If you only buy one thing for the new season, it must be a statement coat. Our particular favourite is the blanket coat (what can be better than basically commuting in your duvet?) but other key looks were chunky faux-furs, full length patchwork designs, luxe puffas and anything shearling.

The 8 key AW14 fashion trends you need to know about
One of our favourite statement coats spotted at London Fashion Week was this amazing patchwork 70s style blanket coat by Topshop Unique (Picture: PA)
Is it bad that we’re already dreaming of a white Christmas?