Finding a dress that’ll endure the UK’s autumn weather isn’t easy, but you needn’t completely veto the idea of wearing one during the cooler months. Gone are the days of throwing on a lightweight linen or cotton poplin mini over a bikini – this season calls for more covered up silhouettes in thicker fabrics that can be layered beneath knitwear and coats. Unless, you’re dressing for indoor evening events, in which case you can loosen the parameters of what you can wear after dark – a silk slip is still feasible if your only time outside is moving between an Uber and a restaurant, and you have a fuzzy coat on hand.
Dress trend-wise, Matthieu Blazy made a case for the return of the drop waist with V-neck, relaxed silhouette dresses at Chanel’s autumn/winter 2026 show. Miu Miu featured several looks built around slimline trousers during the first chapter of its show, and closed with ’20s-esque, lingerie shift dresses with embroidered, gossamer-thin chiffon overlays, offering a varied set of outfit ideas for its customers to take into the new season.
These Miu Miu dresses were but a whisper of material and embellishments, worn with nothing else other than the brand’s cult bubble trainers, slides and pumps on the runway. By comparison, Ms. Prada and Raf Simons’s Prada show was perhaps more realistic in its styling: the 15-strong model cast wore four looks each, transforming from bundled up coat, dress and sock ensembles to later reveal a dress or skirt-and-top combination, as if arriving somewhere wrapped up and then revealing their intended looks. A sentiment that many people can relate to when dressing during party season.
Beyond these louche fits, Pieter Mulier concluded his tenure at Alaïa with a form focused final collection, comprised of dresses that were true to Azzedine Alaïa himself. Sarah Mower noted in her Runway review: “At a time when ‘bodycon’ is about as relevant a theme du jour as it could be, the opening scoop-neck engineered jersey dresses acted as a reminder that Azzedine Alaïa was the designer for whom that very phrase was coined by the press.” This will no doubt influence a trickle-down effect that’ll hit the market in time for autumn.
As summer becomes a fading memory, highlights the key dress trends from the autumn/winter 2026 runways – and how to incorporate them into your wardrobe, now.
Prada AW26.
Simone Rocha AW26.
Colleen Allen AW26.
Satin Lace Insert V-Neck Midaxi Slip Dress
Alaïa AW26.
Chanel AW26.
