How to pull off five tricky autumn trends in midlife
Autumn has always been my favourite season for fashion. I positively crave that ineffable moment when the leaves start to crisp and the eking out of summer frocks no longer cuts it (not even with an ankle boot). It’s time to dive into tactile fabrics and cosy layers once more. I inwardly rejoice.
High street shops are brimming with tempting new pieces right now, plus a few trends that have been off my radar for a while. Could this be the moment to lift the decades-long ban on brown in my wardrobe (a question I’ve been consumed with since being wowed by Daisy Edgar Jones’ Twisters press tour trousseau)?
But of course embracing the new season is not really about buying into the trends wholesale. It pays to learn a few new styling tricks to help decide what pieces to invest in and how to make the most of what you already have. With all this in mind, I sought the advice of some friendly style experts and headed to the studio with The Telegraph team to test drive some of the season’s standout looks (even the ones that scare me!).
Back to black leather
Faux leather jacket, ￡49.50 and sequin slip skirt, ￡45, both Marks & Spencer; Cashmere t-shirt, ￡98, The White Company; Leather shoes, ￡119, Mint Velvet; Sterling silver earrings, ￡110, Tilly Sveaas
Let’s start with leather which is back with a vengeance for autumn. I’ve been wearing pleather skirts in metallic tones for the last couple of seasons, but there’s something about a black leather jacket – particularly a biker – that feels too Camden Market circa 1984/too chorus-line from Grease The Musical/just too try-hard for a midlifer like me. But frankly, it’s hard to escape the biker gang this season.
In fact, the first thing that leapt out at me when I popped into the John Lewis showroom a few weeks’ ago, was a bold, oversized biker jacket by in-house label AND/OR (the “Raven” Jacket, ￡299). Rachel Morgans, John Lewis’s head of fashion – herself a leather biker fan – dismisses my misgivings. “When styling leather, I would always suggest experimenting with texture, by pairing it with softer fabrics. A leather jacket over a silk blouse strikes the perfect balance,” she says. Another trusted advisor (and former colleague) Florrie Thomas, who has just taken up the role of chief creative officer at the new styling platform Wrapp10, agrees: “It’s about balancing the jacket’s structure and tough connotations with softness”. She also insists I go for a style that is “free of studs and distressing”. Noted.
In the studio (after much trying-on of options and rejecting), I plump for a pleather biker from M&S, which has the advantage of being light enough to wear indoors and, thanks to its fairly narrow sleeves, not too bulky to slip under a trench or an overcoat once the mercury really drops.
Keeping to the “hard meets soft” advice from Rachel and Florrie, I pick out an embellished slip skirt, also from M&S, with a brilliant long, lean (very flattering) cut; that delivers a cool 1990s silhouette. It’s not quite polo neck weather yet, so I try a grey cashmere t-shirt that looks more season-appropriate than my customary white cotton one (with the added advantage of swerving any Danny Zuko connotations).
Seeing double denim
Denim jacket, ￡190 and trousers, ￡140, A Day’s March; Leather mule, ￡120, Jigsaw; Gold vermeil and sterling silver earrings, ￡98, Astley Clarke
This season, designers – from Mrs Prada at Miu Miu to Pieter Mulier at Alaia – are embracing double denim with bold panache, while Schiaparelli’s sharp, corset-waist denim jackets (a throwback to my beloved Jean Paul Gaultier Junior numbers from the 1980s) have spawned many a high street homage. I’m both intrigued and slightly intimidated by this revival…. And the question remains: Can I really pull off a head-to-toe denim look?
Morgans thinks so. “Absolutely. Head-to-toe denim is our ‘wear anywhere’ fabric of the season…mixing shades, tones and finishes. For ease, dark denim co-ords are a simpler route into this trend. You can have a dark denim jean with a shirt or jacket in the same tone – it’s almost like a new suit.” I ask Thomas how she would approach a full denim look that doesn’t just work for weekends. “Darker washes are a much smarter alternative to those favourite baby-blue everyday jeans and appropriate for many corporate environments if worn with loafers, boots or heels,” she reassures me.
Back in the studio, Telegraph stylist Sophie Tobin helps me rifle through a rail of tailored, double denim options. While the more extreme cinched waists look good on the hanger, I find that I prefer an oversized look to feel confident and not too trussed up. Sophie points me to a co-ord set from A Day’s March, a Swedish label that strikes just the right balance between directional and comfort. I like it. With a sharp mid-heeled shoe and modern jewellery, this feels like a strong, impactful look that I could wear in town to appointments and glam enough for drinks with my girlfriends.
Tricky tailoring
Blazer, ￡175, Aligne; Barrel leg jeans, ￡95, Whistles; Leather shoes, ￡45, Marks & Spencer; Mother of pearl earrings, ￡55, Jigsaw
Ever since I watched Michelle Obama at the Democratic Convention in August, I’ve been marvelling about both her oratorical and sartorial prowess. On the latter: that Monse suit – more precisely, the criss-cross sleeveless jacket – got me thinking that perhaps I need to break out of my tailoring rut. After all, a smart jacket doesn’t have to be a lapelled blazer.
This season, designer brands (Alexander McQueen, Jacquemus, Mugler) and high-street labels alike, are proposing envelope-pushing jackets with cut-out panels, twisted waists and swooping shawl neck collars. At John Lewis (the fashion team are calling this trend ‘Corp Core’, by the way), they even have a much buzzed-about collab, with super avant-garde tailoring brand A.W.A.K.E. Mode which launched last week.
Now, experimental suiting can feel a bit counter-intuitive when it comes to investment buying – are these pieces that can last more than one season? And is a jacket with cut-outs really going to look sharp when the temperature outside demands the wearing of a Heat-Tech vest?
I seek some advice from my always-pulled-together friend Anne-Marie Curtis, a contributing editor at Elle UK, for her thoughts on the matter. “As a small-framed individual, standing at 5ft 3in with a generous embonpoint, cut-away tailoring particularly around the waist and torso is to be avoided. There simply isn’t enough available ‘real estate’ to make it work,” she counsels. “I would consider something cut away at the neck though, subtly revealing the clavicle area is almost always a good thing. Ditto something cut away at the back which can look both sensual and classy. As always, it’s about working with your own body shape and style rather than embracing a new trend because it’s hot at that particular moment.”
In the studio, trying on various jackets in search of my ‘new-tailoring’ sweet spot, proves a difficult one to crack. Scoop necks and cut-outs make me feel chilly, but I do like the various iterations of ‘The Daphne’, a subtly-waisted hourglass ‘blazer’ from Aligne (the cool East End brand, that specialises in easy, insouciant suiting that easily toggles between work and play). Sophie shares her classic styling tip: “Push those sleeves up to the elbow, it just looks more modern”. I particularly like her suggestion to give the look a high-low twist, with barrel-leg jeans and pointy-toed kitten heels. Now I just need to work on my room-owning speech-giving skills!
Frill me
Jacquard blouse, ￡89, Mint Velvet; Faux leather skirt, ￡225, Wyse; Leather shoes, ￡325, Russell & Bromley; Gold plated and pearl earrings, ￡120, Rachel Jackson
Back in the Noughties, when I worked at Harper’s Bazaar in New York, I remember we ran a story by Candace Bushnell on whether one could wear frills over 40. It may not surprise you to learn that the woman who invented Carrie Bradshaw endorsed a midlife ruffle. Still, when I lust after all the filmy, gauzy, boho blouses on the high street, inspired by Chemena Kamali’s new direction at Chloe, I worry that I might end up looking like I am still in my nightie.
I get in touch with Kelly Eastwood aka The London Chatter (whose personal styling services can be booked on the Wrapp10 platform) for her thoughts. “I love the movement that ruffles provide. However, they can also be quite immature and, conversely as it sounds, ageing if worn en masse, without any contrasting structure. Try a ruffled shirt paired with a simple, fitted jacket and more masculine jean, which veers away from looking full on-fairytale (or any unwanted Miss Havisham vibes).”
My try-on session in the studio proves that too-flimsy is not necessarily flattering (and do beware synthetics that cling). However, Sophie picks out a bohemian beauty by Mint Velvet that has just enough volume and interesting texture to look romantic (rather than too revealing, droopy or draining). I pair it with a pleather Wyse skirt (a favoured silhouette for me). As ever, the ‘hard-meets-soft’ styling advice proves sound. Ruffle away all you 40-somethings and beyond… You have nothing to lose, but your fears.
Can I get down with brown?
Cotton blend knitted t-shirt, ￡49, The White Company; Suede skirt, ￡495, ME+EM; Slingback shoes, ￡49.99, Mango; Gold plated and semi precious stone earrings, ￡280, Pink Piglet
Let’s just say that I have traditionally always hated this colour, ever since I was a ‘Sprite’ in my Brownie uniform. But then again, there’s Daisy Edgar Jones and her Twisters’ glow up (as referenced above). “Chocolate brown is the colour of winter 2024,” says Eastwood definitively, explaining that it is yet another 1990s reference: “But unlike other 1990s throwback trends, this is one that has real staying power, so it is worth the investment. Unlike a stark black or cream, this hero hue really does complement all skin tones, whilst also working as a great chic neutral for styling with multiple colours and prints. For a more laid back look, I would advise implementing a leather jacket, ribbed knit dress or suede bag, but for the fully committed, a long chocolate cashmere coat would really update and elevate most outfits.”
I’m still not convinced that brown is ever going to do me any favours next to my face, but the idea of a brown coat does resonate, particularly when layered with other colours, which takes me back to visions of all those gorgeous, textured, brown 1960s style, suede car coats on the runway for Miu Miu AW24 (one of my absolute favourite collections of the whole season). There are some fantastic looky-likeys on the high street (see Cos). Even better, I managed to pick up a spotless 1960s original from my favourite antique emporium in Penrith two days after shooting this story for ￡75. It’s worth hunting around.
Funnily enough, it was scrutinising images of Miu Miu’s AW24 runway again that led Sophie and I to another clue as to how to style brown for this feature. May I direct your gaze to the final image of the show: Mrs Prada herself, taking her customary head-bob bow, wearing a navy sweater, brown A-line skirt, bare legs and pretty heels. A winning look indeed. To recreate it in the studio, Sophie found a sumptuous nutmeg-hued suede skirt from Me + Em (it feels as glorious as it looks). Just add a navy knit T-shirt from The White Company if you want to emulate Mrs Prada’s effortless midlife chic. I certainly do.