A reasonably routine schedule of physical fashion shows has finally finished after a peculiar few years. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, several designers returned to the physical calendar for autumn/winter 2022, while more foreign journalists and influencers went around the world to sit front row at the big shows as constraints lifted.
That doesn’t mean we didn’t see some digital presentations, as several designers continued to use non-traditional methods of displaying their work, such as images, film, or something else entirely new. However, the typical catwalk display was clearly emphasized.
Scroll down to see every key event from the catwalk now that the shows have officially ended for another season. Here’s what autumn/winter 2022 looks like in New York, London, Milan, and Paris.
Celine
Trend Takeaway: Cool Classics
Hedi Slimane unveiled his latest Celine collection for autumn/winter 2022 which he chose to stage in two historic Paris landmarks, the Hôtel de la Marine and the Hôtel National des Invalides. The show dubbed “Dans Paris,” was filmed by Slimane outside of Paris Fashion Week and stars Kaia Gerber.
Ralph Lauren
Trend Takeaway: Enduring Elegance
Ralph Lauren chose to throw an elegant evening at the Museum of Modern Art in New York instead of following the typical fashion week timetable for autumn/winter 2022.
“When I decided months ago to share my new collection in this intimate experience, there was no war in Ukraine,” the designer stated in a message to show visitors. “The tragedy and devastation we are witnessing now was unthinkable. Back then all I could think about was coming back together with my teams and all of you to share the hopefulness that collaboration and creativity can inspire.”
“So, in the midst of this sadness, we go forward united in our hope for peace, and our hope for the end of this pandemic and a return to being together. I am so proud to be with you again sharing
not only a collection, but an optimism for living that respects the dignity of all.”
The optimism was mirrored in a perfectly ageless collection of monochromatic items with occasional flashes of red, as well as the label’s signature sleek lines and fitted designs.
Alexander McQueen
Trend Takeaway: Beautiful Embroidery
“I am so happy to be back in New York, a city that has always been close to our hearts,” said Sarah Burton, creative director of the house’s first exhibition in the city in over 20 years. “We showed the Dante collection here in 1996, and then came again with Eye in the autumn of 1999. It is part of our community, a place that has always welcomed us, and this season I want to honour that.”
“So, this collection is inspired by that idea of community, and specifically by mycelium, by the reality of nature as a community that is far, far older than we are. Mycelium connects even the rooftop of the tallest skyscraper to the plants, to the grass, to the ground, to animals and to human beings. Mycelium has the most profound, interconnecting power, relaying messages through a magical underground structure, allowing trees to reach out to each other when either they or their young need help or are sick. The idea is humbling – beautiful – and, of course, a metaphor for interconnection and for community between people, between us all. We exist as single, individual entities on one level, but we are far more powerful connected to each other, to our families, to our friends, to our community. Given everything that has happened over the past two years, that seems more important than ever. As a community we are infinitely more able to restore, reinvent, rejuvenate – heal.”
Burberry
Trend Takeaway: Tartan and sequins
“It was important for me to explore what it means to belong, how our roots influence our identity and how the power of community and togetherness is what truly brings meaning to the world,” said Riccardo Tisci, Burberry’s chief creative officer, speaking at the launch of the AW22 collection in Westminster.
“Therefore, I wanted this collection to convey that intensity of feeling and to celebrate not only coming together, but the city in which we come together today; the city in which Burberry grew and established a family. To me, London is a place of dreams, a capital building on its heritage and unified by its diverse community and an attitude of moving beyond boundaries – of pursuing limitless potential.”
The collection was a celebration of British culture, juxtaposing metropolis with country, pageantry with punk, and addressing the concept of Britishness as a fluid term that embraces possibility rather than being a fixed concept.
Miu Miu
Trend Takeaway: Schoolgirl style and micro minis
It was the penultimate presentation of the month-long Paris Fashion Week calendar, and Miu Miu did not disappoint. The collection was sporty and preppy, it was influenced by tennis, and featured more teeny, tiny small skirts (after the brand’s viral SS22 piece).
Chanel
Trend Takeaway: Tweed, jumper dresses, and jumpsuits
Chanel’s autumn/winter 2022 collection focused on tweed, a house hallmark.
“Devoting the entire collection to tweed is a tribute,” said Virginie Viard, design director.
“We followed the footsteps of Gabrielle Chanel along the River Tweed, to imagine tweeds in the colours of this landscape… This is what Gabrielle Chanel would do on her walks through the Scottish countryside: she would gather ferns and bouquets of flowers to inspire the local artisans for the tones she wanted.”
Louis Vuitton
Trend Takeaway: Unexpected layering
“This collection is dedicated to youth,” stated Nicolas Ghesquiere of AW22, “in hopes that it can keep the unresolved poetry of adolescence like a flawless garment – in all its vivid romanticism, inspiring idealism, hope for the future, for a better world, and its dreams of perfection.”
Balenciaga
Trend Takeaway: Head-to-toe black and oversized tailoring
Demna Gvasalia’s AW22 Balenciaga show was a powerful one, as she made a statement about climate change (with the models walking through a fake snowstorm) while also paying tribute to those currently suffering in Ukraine, both on the catwalk and with the show’s message of “a fearlessness to resistance” and “the victory of love and peace.”
“The war in Ukraine has triggered the pain of a past trauma I have carried in me since 1993, when the same thing happened in my home country and I became a forever refugee,” read a personal letter from the Georgian designer on each seat. “This is why working on this show was so incredibly hard for me. Because in a time like this, fashion loses its relevance and its actual right to exist. Fashion week feels like some kind of absurdity.”
The designer revealed why he decided to go forward with the exhibition. “Cancelling this show would mean giving in, surrendering to the evil that has already hurt me so much for almost 30 years. I decided that I can no longer sacrifice parts of me to that senseless, heartless war of ego.”
Valentino
Trend Takeaway: Bright pink and everything
The Valentino show this season was a major pink-out, with nearly the whole collection made in the same shade of pink, which Pierpaolo Piccioli picked in partnership with the Pantone Color Institute.
Pink was described in the show notes as an expression of the unconscious and a freedom form the necessity for realism.
“The accumulation of pink elements is such as to eliminate the visual shock to bring out, together, the unique character of the person, expressed by the face and the eyes, and the work on the pieces of clothing: the signs that shape them into a silhouette, the textures that give them consistency, the decorations that are part of the construction… The pink-out is an experimental yet deeply human gesture that enhances individuality, capturing values and feelings.”
Givenchy
Trend Takeaway: Pearl jewellery and giant sequins
Givenchy’s latest collection was inspired by a mix of forceful, elegant feminity, with an interplay of different American and Parisian elements, sports and workmanship. According to creative director Matthew M. Williams, “Next to her stands a contemporary man with an instinct for chic nonchalance. On the runway, both are grounded by a sense of reality.”
Chloé
Trend Takeaway: Buttery faux-leather and colourful knits
Each season, Gabriela Hearst focuses on a distinct climate solution in conjunction with an overarching aesthetic reference. The topic for AW22 was ‘Rewilding.’
“A progressive approach to conservation that centres on allowing nature to take care of itself. By enabling natural processes to repair damaged ecosystems and restore degraded landscapes, wildlife’s natural rhythms can ultimately create more biodiverse habitats. As part of her research, Hearst spoke to the British author Isabella Tree, whose latest book ‘Wilding — the Return of Nature to a British Farm’ charts the story of her pioneering Rewilding project on the West Sussex farm where she lives. Hearst asked Tree how she deals with climate anxiety, to which she replied, ‘By living in the solution.'”
Trend Takeaway: Elegant layering
After being invited to join the schedule during the pandemic, Danish designer Cecilie Bahnsen made her Paris Fashion Week runway debut yesterday. The evening began with a reading of Tove Ditlevsen’s ‘Night Wandering,’ which Michael Favala Goldman had translated for the first time into English.
“Cecilie first began to read Tove Ditlevsen’s poetry as a teenager,” the brand added. “Later, in her 20s, she identified with Tove’s search to find her voice. Tove was a prolific chronicler of girls and women, writing fearlessly about their complexity and waywardness and struggle for a place in the world.”
Trend Takeaway: Floor-length faux fur coats and pared-back suiting
The house stated, “The radical elan of Art Deco permeates the Saint Laurent AW22 women’s collection. The reference is not literal, informing the show more in essence and overall outline than in direct quotations.” In the show notes, Anthony Vaccarello also mentions Nancy Cunard, an outspoken activist publisher who dressed ahead of her time, incorporating her “intrepid ethos” into our current era.
Dior
Trend Takeaway: Feminine tailoring and futuristic accessories
“Maria Grazia Chiuri is ushering in a new age,” Dior said about the AW22 collection. “The captivating silhouettes are set against the backdrop of Mariella Bettineschi’s The Next Era, a gallery of huge female portraits drawn from the history of painting from the 16th to the 19th centuries. Cut and pasted eyes question the judgment that has conditioned – and continues to condition – women… The designs, which range from apparel to accessories, mix aesthetics and technology while paying homage to Dior’s past. A remarkable journey through time, both past and present.”
Trend Takeaway: Toned-down tailoring
Tod’s AW22 collection was a celebration of Italian elegance. Walter Chiapponi, the creative director, wanted to reinterpret icons of Italian beauty and turn them into modern, flexible objects for everyday use. “This collection’s aesthetic exploration reverberates with Italian heritage, studying Italy’s culture and showcasing tradition that has always been embedded in Tod’s aim.”
Versace
Trend Takeaway: Corsetry and high-octane glamour
Donatella Versace remarked of the event, “Our cast of Versace Women for AW22 is exciting.” “Avanti, Anyier, and Tilly are great representations of Versace’s new generation attitude and variety. They represent the collection’s energy, as well as the looks based on contrast and tension — like an elastic band squeezed tight and about to snap back with a build-up of energy. I can’t get enough of that sensation. It creates new opportunities and allows things to happen.”
Trend Takeaway: Sculptural tailoring and flat ankle boots
The clean, modern, and sophisticated designs were inspired by “an overriding feeling of elegance,” Lucie and Luke Meier wrote in their exhibit notes.
“Confidence is a woman’s inner power and conviction expressed via her voice. In fabrics and structure, each garment has the dignity and refinement of couture, as well as the vitality of the transitions between our urge to glow and connect, the realities of our daily existence, and our need to play and change.”
Gucci
Trend Takeaway: Sporty elegance
“Vincent de Beauvais’ Speculum majus recommends the mirror as an essential knowledge instrument in the 13th century,” said creative director Alessandro Michele of Gucci’s AW22 collection, dubbed “Exquisite Gucci.” “It is possible to achieve a transparent and exact understanding of reality through the mirror.”
“Therefore, I use the metaphor of the magical mirror to approach the phantasmagorical power of fashion. A sacred power that radiates from the surface of the fabrics. And there I work, on this tactile surface, through cross references, alterations, loopholes and grafts. Juxtaposing worlds and meanings. Altering the stability of perception. Manipulating and magnifying the existing. Through these interventions, I celebrate the clothes as real optical labs: magical machines that can give birth to fairy tales of metamorphosis and re-enchantment.”
Trend Takeaway: Eighties’ power dressing
Dolce & Gabbana took part in the metaverse with a collection that was both real and virtual. The show had avatars dressed in the collection that morphed into real models on stage and strutted down the runway. It was the Italian label’s latest embracing of a new sort of technology, and it’s a brand that’s never been reluctant to try new things on the runway.
Trend Takeaway: Lots of layering
“In fashion, the word glamour has become synonymous with sparkle, seduction and allure. In keeping with the Armani mindset, this collection takes glamour back to its roots: personal charm. And it does so the Emporio way: playing with an eclectic equilibrium of contrasts.”
Prada
Trend Takeaway: Grey Nineties’ tailoring and elevated basics
With their combined collections, Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons continue to delight and surprise, this season opening and concluding the show with a simple white tank top (worn by none other than supermodel Kaia Gerber and Euphoria star Hunter Schafer). This was the focus of the AW22 collection, which was defined as “pragmatic works given fresh emphasis and importance.”
“A fascination with and reflection of humanity is a fundamental principle of Prada,” the duo wrote in the show notes. “This collection is a commemoration of life and living – of the occasion of the everyday, affording importance to each moment.”
Max Mara
Trend Takeaway: Statement winter accessories
Sophie Taeuber-Arp, an architect, dancer, textile designer, painter, and sculptor, was honored by Max Mara this season as “a creative polymath whose oeuvre was overlooked for decades, and is now rediscovered…a modernist who invested even the most everyday objects with a sense of magic and mystery,” according to the house.
