We are halfway through summer, which means it is fully time to start thinking about autumn fashion. I love summer dressing, obviously. It is easy, effortless, and you can get dressed in about three seconds. But September is when fashion comes back. The September issues arrive, fashion month starts, everyone suddenly puts a bit more effort into their outfits, and it all feels exciting again.
Autumn is also the most predictable fashion season, in my opinion. The same general pieces return every year: great coats, tartan, boots, knitwear, layering. What changes is not always what we are wearing, but how we are styling it. So these predictions are less about going out and buying a whole new wardrobe, and more about spotting the little shifts that can make familiar clothes feel current.
And, as always, please do not buy something just because it is trending online. Fashion should be about what you like, not what the algorithm has decided everybody likes this week. The best way to join in is usually to restyle something you already own.
The graphic tee is getting stranger, more personal, and more local
One of the more surprising trends bubbling away this summer has been the return of the “I heart” city T-shirt. Yes, I used to think these were incredibly touristy. They are touristy. But that is sort of the point now. There is something fun about being patriotic for your city in a slightly silly, non-serious way.
The classic “I ♥ NY” tee is the obvious example, but the idea works for London, your hometown, a holiday destination, or even somewhere oddly specific that only makes sense to you and your friends. It feels a little like wearing sports merch without actually wearing sports merch. A city shirt can carry the same communal, summer-of-sport energy in a much more fashiony way.
This fits into the much bigger graphic tee moment. The strongest graphic T-shirts right now are not polished logo shirts or generic band tees. They are weird, niche, slightly random, and very much if-you-know-you-know. Think obscure references, strange images, hyper-specific slogans, and graphics that feel like they should not work but somehow do.
For early autumn, keep graphic tees in rotation by changing the styling rather than hiding them away with summer clothes. Wear one with loose trousers, a long skirt, a structured wool coat, or layered under a cardigan. The contrast between an unserious T-shirt and a more considered outfit is exactly what makes it feel fresh.
Show your sternum: the bare décolletage silhouette
This is one of the predictions that feels like it is only just beginning. We have been seeing exposed shoulders, open necklines, and skin revealed from the collarbone down toward the navel on couture runways and red carpets. Zendaya has worn several looks on recent press tours that make this particular silhouette feel very obvious.
The influence from Schiaparelli is especially strong here. The brand has become such a big fashion reference point, and the dramatic couture shapes have made a deep, sculptural neckline feel less like a basic going-out top and more like a full styling idea.
For autumn and winter, I think this translates beyond bare skin and into outerwear. Rather than only huge puffers or big furry jackets, expect more structured wool coats with deep V-shaped openings, exaggerated collars, and sharp tailoring. It could mean wearing a coat open over a lace layer, an asymmetric bodysuit, or very little underneath at all. Basically, structured clothing with a bit of sternum involved.
Maximalism is back, but make it tonal
This has been a very colourful summer. Turquoise has been everywhere, but the bigger point is that we have started to move away from the clean-girl, quiet-luxury, ultra-minimal era. There is more colour, more personality, and a little more willingness to look like you actually had fun getting dressed.
Autumn usually makes everyone reach immediately for brown, black, navy, and grey. Those colours will always be there, but this year feels different. Rather than stripping colour out of our wardrobes in September, I think we will be keeping richer shades going well into October and November.
Deep red, not just a pop of red
Red will be big, as it always is in autumn, but I do not think this will be the old “minimal outfit plus one red accessory” version. The new mood is deeper, moodier, and more committed. Think deep wine-red, oxblood, or a saturated cherry tone worn with other related shades.
A tonal red outfit does not need to mean matching every item perfectly. It can be a burgundy knit, dark red tights, brownish-red leather shoes, and a bag that picks up one of those tones. The point is that the colour feels intentional across the outfit rather than dropped in at the last second.
Orange, olive, and jewel-tone blue
Burnt orange is another colour that normally gets abandoned too quickly after summer. This year, keep it. The orange I am thinking of is rich and warm rather than neon: the sort of colour that works with denim, dark brown, cream, or a faded tartan.
Then there is olive green, but not the plain utility version. It is a more jewel-toned olive, a deep green that feels almost glossy and a bit unexpected. With couture full of nature references, including Dior’s greenhouse setting, green seems likely to stay at the front of everyone’s minds for longer.
Finally, jewel-tone blue is on the list. It is one of those subtler trend predictions, but the richer blue tones appearing in details like nails, accessories, and styling images feel worth noting. A blue bag, nail colour, knit, or sheer layer can make an otherwise familiar autumn outfit feel much less predictable.
Lace-up details are the small thing to notice
Sometimes the trend is not a whole aesthetic, it is a fastening. Lace-up clothing has been quietly appearing in trousers, boots, tops, and dresses. It has a slightly grungy, classic autumn feeling without becoming full costume.
Lace-up trousers are particularly interesting because they bring in shape and detail without asking for a completely new silhouette. Boots laced up the back give a similar effect. It is a reference that feels a little historical, a little bohemian, and a little bit cool-girl 2000s.
There is also a Jane Austen adaptation arriving this autumn, which may or may not be connected, but the timing does make sense. Tie closures and corset-style details are very compatible with that romantic, period-adjacent mood. Not necessarily actual Regency dress, obviously. Just a slightly softer and more decorative way of getting dressed.
City girl summer becomes country girl autumn
Last autumn was extremely city girl. The Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy influence was everywhere: black sweater, white T-shirt, blue jeans, clean lines, workwear energy. This year I think we are swinging in the other direction.
We had a country girl summer last year and a city girl autumn. This time, it feels like we are having a city girl summer and heading into a country girl autumn. There are more boho references, softer flowing necklines, and a general move away from outfits that are too buttoned-up or corporate.
The boho version of autumn does not have to mean buying a whole new crochet wardrobe. It can be as simple as bringing in a flowing blouse, a slouchier leather bag, a tassel necklace, textured suede, a long skirt, or an open neckline. The key is allowing the outfit to be a little less rigid.
Horse girl autumn, but high fashion
This is potentially the most niche prediction on the list, but I genuinely think there is something in it. Horse references have been appearing in fashion editorials, and the press-tour styling around The Odyssey makes the Trojan horse feel strangely relevant too. We are already in the year of the horse, so honestly, it is all lining up.
Think horse riding, but high fashion. There may be actual horse prints on clothing, western-adjacent details, equestrian boots, riding-inspired jackets, leather belts, and saddle-shaped bags. The Dior saddle bag resurgence would make complete sense in this world.
The important part is not dressing as though you are literally on your way to ride a horse. It is taking one or two references: tall boots with wide trousers, a fitted jacket with a soft scarf, a leather bag, or a horse motif tucked into an otherwise normal outfit. The boho, country, and equestrian ideas all work together surprisingly well.
T-shirt dresses are ready for a return
Another T-shirt trend, because apparently we are not done with them. The T-shirt dress is coming back around, helped along by Zendaya wearing an iconic version on a Spider-Man press tour. It is the sort of piece that feels familiar enough to be easy but distant enough from its last big moment to feel new again.
The strongest version will probably combine with the graphic tee trend: a big slogan, a print, a slightly oversized shape, or a dress that looks almost like an extra-long vintage T-shirt. Style it with boots, a belt, layered jewellery, or a more structured jacket so that it feels like autumn rather than a leftover summer outfit.
Tartan came early, and it is staying light
Plaid and tartan normally arrive with heavy knits and immediately make everything feel like November. This year, they showed up early in summer, often in brighter and more pastel colourways, styled with breezier pieces. I have loved it because tartan in warm weather is unexpected and a little bit wrong in the best way.
Heritage fashion has had a strong year, and brands such as Burberry have helped make tartan feel relevant again. But do not feel pressured to switch immediately into dark green, black, and red checks. Keep lighter blues, faded pinks, soft yellows, or grey tartans in your wardrobe as the weather changes.
A light plaid shirt under a cardigan, a pastel tartan skirt with boots, or a checked scarf over a plain coat can carry the trend into autumn without looking overly traditional. It is heritage fashion, but fresher.
The anti-slick-back: braids and personal styling
My final prediction is not exactly a trend, but it is everywhere: braids. On the streets of London, in editorials, in music, in film, just everywhere. And I love it.
Braids make sense alongside all of the other autumn fashion predictions because they signal a move away from the ultra-slick, overly perfected look. The slick-back bun had its moment. It will always be useful when you need to get your hair out of your face. But fashion is shifting toward something more personal, younger, softer, and more playful.
A messy braid, two small plaits, a ribbon woven through hair, or a more intricate braided style works beautifully with the country-girl, horse-girl, and boho references. It is an easy way to make a basic outfit feel like it belongs in this season’s mood without buying a single thing.
The overall autumn fashion mood
None of these trends feel particularly grown-up or overly serious. Even the bare décolletage silhouette has a dramatic, playful quality to it. The rest of the autumn fashion mood is graphic tees, colour, tartan, lace-up details, horses, tassels, and braids. It is all a little more fun.
That makes sense after such a pop-culture-heavy, sport-filled summer. Instead of abandoning that energy as soon as the weather turns, autumn style looks set to carry it forward in richer colours, better layers, and slightly stranger references.
Some of these predictions are definitely stronger than others. But that is the fun of a mid-year forecast. The clues are already there. It is just about noticing which ones become a full trend and which ones remain a very niche Instagram-girl thing.
FAQ
What colours are predicted to trend for autumn?
Deep tonal reds, burnt orange, jewel-tone olive green, and richer blue tones are the key colour predictions. The bigger shift is toward wearing colour more intentionally throughout an outfit, rather than relying on one bright accessory against an otherwise minimal look.
How can I try these autumn trends without buying new clothes?
Restyle what you already own. Layer a graphic tee under a cardigan or tailored coat, bring out a tartan piece earlier than usual, wear boots with a T-shirt dress, add a lace-up detail, or try braids with a simple outfit. Small styling shifts can do a lot.
Is horse girl autumn actually wearable?
Yes, if you take it as a reference rather than a costume. Try tall boots, a leather belt, a structured jacket, a soft scarf, a saddle-shaped bag, or a subtle horse motif. One equestrian detail is usually enough.
Are graphic T-shirts still in style for autumn?
Very much so. The more current direction is niche, weird, personal, city-specific, or slightly ironic graphics. For autumn, pair them with structured layers and heavier textures rather than putting them away with summer clothes.