THE JOY IN AUTUMN DRESSING
It's time to have fun with fashion
Words
EMILY CRONIN
So long, summer. We hardly knew you, but good riddance to your spaghetti-strap sundresses, teeny-tiny tops and rumpled linen shorts nonetheless. Now that autumn has arrived, we can forget all about those insubstantial bits and get down to the business of real clothes.
Spring may be the season of renewal, and summer offers the chance to try on a breezier, sunnier style personality – but for me, it’s always been autumn that has signified new beginnings. That’s probably a hangover from the days when this time of year meant back-to-school. As long as the month has trailed the promise of fresh notebooks and pencils, it’s also carried the sense of a reset. A refresh. And proper fashion.
It helps that it’s fashion month – the most important time of year for the industry, when designers seek to captivate our imaginations with new visions of how to dress. It’s also about the possibilities inherent in… more clothing. As the weather cools, we can cosset ourselves in dresses, jackets and trousers cut from substantial fabrics. Experiment with layering. Blend prints and textures. Play with fashion.
This year, I’m looking forward to indulging in cosiness via soft knits and joggers on some days, and taking the darker evenings as an excuse to dial up after-dark dressing on others. There will be merlots, russets, evergreens, ochres, chocolate browns, and every other colour from the fallen-leaf palette. I’ll wear it all with warm, gold-tone jewellery, a dark red lip and a sense of savouring September, the sweetest prelude to winter I know.
 The brown midi dress When I lived in New York, black was the only dark neutral worthy of consideration for work and dinner dresses alike. Which means I owe an apology to the colour brown for the years I wasted failing to appreciate its charms. After all, the right shade of brown can be so much richer, warmer and more dimensional than cold, hard black. |  The pintuck joggers Remember when joggers were strictly for the gym? These silky joggers are so sleek, you don’t even have to pretend that you’re going to wear them to work up a sweat. Which is lucky, because I’d much rather style them with a navy merino jumper and autumn-ready trainers. Like the joggers, their wine-red hue is the colour of the season. |
 The tulle skirt I adore the romance of this tulle skirt – it’s ballet-inspired without making me feel like a walking, talking Degas dancer. The godet inserts add swishiness without bulk, and the soft grey colour has to be one of the most versatile hues of the season. |
|