This time of year is by far my favourite; mainly due to my love of cable knits, jeans and high-heeled boots. They all get dusted off and brought into a new season once again, and this season, I’m certainly going to be focusing on recycling many items from last year’s wardrobe.
The Autumn leaves have started falling around the UK and my camel coat has already made an appearance to combat the cold.
But if you are looking for some new on-trend pieces to add to your Autumnal outfits, I thought I’d offer up five fashion rules for the season. My new book, The New Fashion Rules, launches on November 1st, and so I thought it would be the perfect time to chat fashion rules once again. Ultimately, I don’t believe there are necessarily any clothing rules – as everyone can wear what they want and how they like – but these are the on-trend tips I intend to follow for this season.
Rule 1: Go bold with your animal print
Animal print is often one for the brave, but this Autumn, it’s become so fashionable that you can’t escape it. So join in. This season has brought it back stronger and classier than ever: duster coats in leopard print, bags in zebra print and sheer blouses through to calf length boots in snake print.
I think the key to rocking this is to keep your animal print piece as the statement of the look, with everything else stripped back, minimal and neutral. This coat from Mango is one of the coolest ways to own the trend, in a big way. You could add some simple heels too, but dressing it down with white trainers would look amazing with some cool, wide leg trousers. But the bolder the print, and the style, the better. Own it.
Mango Leopard Faux-Fur Coat £139. 99
Rule 2: Recycle what you can from last season
There are a number of winter trends that have been pulled from last season into the present, so why not recycle the items you already own and shake up the style with a new accessory or outerwear piece?
We could all do with buying a little less, so it’s about mixing up the key items you have bought into, and making them fresh again for the season.
For instance, the teddy coat of last winter is well and truly back in the mainstream, so pull it out of your closet and rock it again. But if you never bought into the trend in the first place, you can find some amazing Teddies from the likes of Max Mara, Topshop, Mango and Other Stories. If you want to go pricey, go for Max Mara for the quality, but if you want to do the high street look, then this coat from Mango is a steal for the style!
Mango Faux Fur Coat – £69. 99
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Rule 3: Wear your skirts midi
Not only because its colder this time of year, but because midi skirts are all the rage for the season. To pair with a slick pair of calf-length boots or a killer pair of over-the-knee boots, nothing beats a floaty midi skirt for that girl boss vibe. Whether you go for a shirt dress with a long-line skirt, or for a separate midi to pair with your favourite cable knit, go for something that sits between your ankle and your knee.
20 of the coolest, cosiest midi skirts to brighten up your winter wardrobe
For any shorter ladies, throw on some high-heeled boots and keep the skirt high waisted. You will find so many midis on the market, but this paisley, floral print number is bang-on-trend, a perfect colour for the season and would look amazing with over-the-knee boots for the day or stilettos for your evening.
Ulla Johnson, £400
Rule 4: Go brash or go home
Logos – you probably already have a few hanging in your wardrobe, seeing as we have been bearing branded logos for the past few seasons, so, again, recycle those into your AW outfits if you can. You probably haven’t been able to escape Fendi, Prada and Versace logo emblazoned items for the past few months on your social media feeds, and we will be seeing a lot more of the brash, brand heavy look in Spring 2019.
So perhaps it’s time to jump on board the logo train. If you did want to dabble, a T-shirt will be the most affordable luxury option to get you started, so choose a brand you love. The elongated sleeves on this short sleeve tee with the archive logo make this a casual option that you could dress up or down.
Burberry White Archive Logo Tee £180
Rule 5: Rock your inner cowboy
Isabel Marant, DSquared2 and Calvin Klein rocked the cowboy styling on their AW18 runway and it’s something that’s been appearing in the stores over the last few weeks.
Prairie dresses, paisley patterns, studded belts and extreme pointed collars are stylish ways to nod to the trend, but in my opinion, it’s all about the cowboy boot heels. It’s an easy way to style up an ordinary pair of jeans, denim jacket and a white tee – throwing on a killer pair of boots and strutting the streets like you just threw them on as an afterthought. Have a look at the entire Isabel Marant collection on Net-a-porter this season if you want to be head-to-toe cowboy, but for the best boots I’ve found, feast your eyes on this burgundy pair from DSquared2.
DSquared2 Westerly Stitched Boots – £1160
You don’t need to play by the rules, but just a few pointers might point you in the right Autumnal direction. See you next month!
