fall 2021 fashion trends
Emilia Wickstead, Blumarine, Stella McCartney

6 Fall Trends To Make You Excited About Fashion Again

Catsuits, fearless colour and the return of the 2000s

After a topsy-turvy year that completely dulled our senses, we were due for a fashion rebound, one that implored us to recall the true joy of dressing. And did the designers ever deliver: zingy, un-autumnal colour, sporty catsuits and lots of leisure sparkle replacing season-sensible separates. Read on as we recount the most original, most wearable and most are-you-for-real fall 2021 fashion trends.

fall 2021 fashion trends
Nina Ricci, Roksanda, Stella McCartneyNina Ricci, Roksanda and Stella McCartney

Intoxicating colour 

Every time autumn arrives, we’ve come to expect the same highly recycled palette: burgundies, browns, olives and that ubiquitous shade of burnt orange. Not this season, though. Designers dialled up the saturation, punctuating their collections with brazen hits of beaming colour: modish suiting done up in pucker-y acid green at Nina Ricci, a marmalade-hued dress at Roksanda and Gucci’s bright cerise take on a square-shouldered, feather-adorned coat. A beguiling appeal to taste the rainbow if we ever saw one. 

 

fall 2021 fashion trends
Dion Lee, Maisie Wilen, BluemarineDion Lee, Maisie Wilen and Blumarine

2000s redux 

The millennial set knew this time would come—fashion remains a cyclical force, after all. The early aughts’ moneyed-meets-gaudy approach to dressing, made famous by that era’s mononymic icons (Paris, Britney and Mariah, for those born this side of 2000), saw itself reflected on the runways at Dion Lee, Blumarine and Vivienne Westwood. And while the high fashion hallmarks of Y2K—micro mini skirts, lace-up denim, and fur-collared cardis—are bound to be adopted in full by the younger generations, for the rest of us, Maisie Wilen’s nostalgic velour two piece mellowed out by its more tapered silhouette will feel just as current.  

 

fall 2021 fashion trends
Getty Images, Marc JacobsLouis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs and Loewe

XXL outerwear

Coats of epic proportions were, quite literally, a can’t-miss moment this season. At first glance, the voluminous silhouettes seemed designed as wearable measuring sticks for social distancing. Or, perhaps upon more optimistic reflection, it was an opportunity to take up space after shrinking our physical forms for so long. Either way, the coats in question were absolute marvels: Marc Jacobs’ inky black puffer colossal in size and nearly bursting at the seams, Louis Vuitton’s supersized parka with studded pockets plus an antiquity-printed hood; and a quilted ski bunny jacket by Miu Miu so big, it couldn’t possibly be functional on the actual hills. Utility? Nah. This is fashion at its most fun. 

 

fall 2021 fashion trends
Emilia Wickstead, Salvatore Ferragamo, PradaEmilia Wickstead, Salvatore Ferragamo and Prada

Cool catsuits 

The catsuit isn’t necessarily a silhouette we’re used to seeing off the ski hill (how practical could a skin-tight onesie really be in real life?), but with the so-called Roaring Twenties in full swing, there’s no time like the present to bust our narrow concept of what’s “appropriate.” Some of the season’s iterations were of the sheer and sexy, Mugler-inspired variety (Givenchy and Salvatore Ferragamo both issued sensational options) but the most interesting points of view took inspiration from the aforementioned slopes: graphic one-pieces at Prada, Kenzo and Emilio Pucci all felt like smart starting points to layer upon in the winter months. 

 

fall 2021 fashion trends
Carolina Herrera, Off-White, Dries Van NotenCarolina Herrera, Off-White and Dries Van Noten

Seasonless sparkle 

In a few months from now, we’d be waxing poetic about holiday dressing and all the splashy sequinned minis that fit the bill. But why should sparkle be relegated to December festivities and December festivities only? Designers gave us plenty of good reasons to start the party early. There was Dries Van Noten’s slinky shirt dress covered in ruby red sequins, and a ladies-who-lunch skirt suit from Giambattista Valli, which came dripping in gold sparkle. But the season’s exceedingly covetable standout was a glittery unitard from Off-White: designed in a highly wearable latte hue and slack enough to get away with on a Thursday night. 

 

fall 2021 fashion trends
Ami, The Row, Paul SmithAmi, The Row and Paul Smith

Monochromatic suiting

Hands up if after months of sporting lazy, languid clothing you’re up for an actual fashion moment. Meet the season’s sophisticated suiting, always modelled in uniform colour. The Row presented an oat-hued version, extra long but not necessarily oversized; Paul Smith accessorized his mod suiting with equally stark separates identical in a micro-checked pattern; and Ami showed chic three-piece looks—jacket, trousers and a swishy duster coat—in solid, striking colour. You may not be ready to head back to the just office yet, but you can dress the part in the meantime.

 

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