THE JOURNAL

New York, September 2019. Photograph by Mr Daniel Bruno Grandl
The transition of the seasons can often prompt lyrical reflection and change. Especially so in autumn, when new colours, smells and, well, clothes arrive to refresh our senses. The light is still bright enough for new shades and textures in your wardrobe to pop, while the cold means that brand new coat or parka can be worn – with all the trimmings. Or, in the words of the famous meme, you can really start dressin’.
Below, based on what we’ve seen at the shows and on the street, we’ve pulled out five trends we’re going to be wearing this autumn. Hop to it.
Long scarves

London, January 2019. Photograph by Mr Marc Richardson
We’re not quite ready to commit to this in the manner Mr Lenny Kravitz (Google it), but we are very much here for the proliferation of long, oversized scarves that go all the way down to the knee (and beyond). You can channel a back-to-school/Harry Potter vibe with AMI and Kent & Curwen. Or go loud with Acne Studios’ logoed Toronty scarf. Context is crucial. When worn with a beret or soft structured hat, we’re talking Left Bank existentialist. If you’re slim and have the right floppy haircut, it’s lead singer of a 1980s pop band. Another tip: oversized scarves are an easy way to soften sleek tailoring.

Leopard print

London, September 2017. Photograph by Ms Valentina Frugiuele/Blaublut-Edition.com
Menswear’s ongoing quest to make weird things fashionable continues with the burgeoning trend for leopard print. At Celine, Mr Hedi Slimane deployed leopard print on sleekly tailored overcoats to imbue them with a rock ’n’ roll, mod vibe. Versace showed a shaggy leopard-print coat on a model whose hair had also been dyed leopard print. Double-down leopard print might be a step too far, but in this slightly daft, post-modern menswear moment, it seems to make perfect sense.

Grey flannel suits

Florence, January 2014. Photograph by Mr Adam Katz Sinding
There used to be a time, especially, perhaps, in the 1950s, when a man in a grey flannel suit represented all that was conformist and dull. All the Italian powerhouses – Prada, Fendi, Marni – sent grey flannel down the catwalk, while Versace accessorised its with bright-going-on-fluorescent accessories. In 2019, there’s something refreshing about a trend that embodies simple, timeless elegance without bringing undue attention to itself. Grey flannel was practically made for crisp, clear autumn mornings, especially when worn with suede shoes.

Oversized outerwear

Paris, October 2016. Photograph by Mr Adam Katz Sinding
Dressing in the winter is as much about the feel of your clothing as it is the look. And there’s something undeniably pleasing about the swooshing, sweeping feel of all that fabric on a full-bodied coat. With the collar popped on that oversized trench or overcoat from Balenciaga or Prada, you’re Mr Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca, even as you shiver in the rain at the bus stop on the way to work.

Black leather jackets and coats

New York, September 2019. Photograph by Mr Daniel Bruno Grandl
Ex-para military. Debt collector. Possible connections to organised crime. Until recently, that was the status of the tailored black leather jacket or coat. This autumn, however, they’ve got a bit more luxurious and sophisticated. Dolce & Gabbana, Fendi, Berluti and Dunhill all sent rather ravishing black leather coats down the catwalk for a look that has a slightly seedy glamour to it.