There’s a charge in the air this autumn, and it’s not just the auburn rainbow of leaves clinging to branches or the darker nights that have quietly started to seep in. Step into any major city and you’ll sense it immediately—the passersby wrapped in rich textures, the shop windows glowing with new-season palettes—there you’ll find the discernible hum of anticipation that comes when everything feels in transition, and that’s especially true of luxury fashion right now.
After years where pared-back elegance dominated wardrobes, autumn/winter 2025 has arrived with a different sort of energy. Designers are embracing grandeur again, but not in the ways we might expect. This isn’t maximalism as spectacle; rather, it’s a season that manages to be bold and intimate at once, offering clothes and accessories that are powerful, playful and deeply personal.
For me, this feels like a particularly compelling moment to look at luxury more closely. What we’re witnessing is a conversation between restraint and indulgence, tradition and experimentation, polish and eccentricity. On the runways, that meant suede reimagined in sumptuous browns, softened bags that invite touch, and silhouettes that reclaimed ideas of power dressing without reverting to cliché. Off the runways, it’s watches being worn like jewellery, colours chosen for their richness, and eccentric styling choices that signal confidence as much as taste. In short, it’s luxury reminding us of its greatest strength: its ability to reflect not just how we want to look, but how we want to live.
So, what are the luxury trends and movements that are set to define autumn 2025? Let’s take a look, shall we?
WHAT LUXURY TRENDS LOOK LIKE FOR AUTUMN 2025
1. SPOTLIGHT ON SUEDE
Few fabrics whisper luxury quite like suede. Historically prized for its softness and depth, it has long been a byword for indulgence—its matte finish offering a subtler expression of wealth than high-shine leathers. And this season, suede is not just taking centre stage; it feels like it’s directing the entire production. While it was worn by fashion people by way of blazers last autumn, the material has since been rendered in just about every garment, bag style and shoe you can imagine.
While I’ve seen khaki, navy and black suede trickle into new in sections, it’s shades like rich chocolate, caramel and chestnut that heighten its premium look. Some noteworthy mentions include Ferragamo’s long-line coats and Hermès’s oversized carry alls—brands that bring even more luxury clout to the material.
What makes suede so powerful right now is its ability to alter the chemistry of an outfit—it makes jeans feel high end but more formal pieces which as satin dresses and suiting look the more directional part. A clever way of adding texture without screaming for attention, when layered in tonal looks, it becomes a signal of affluence. In autumn/winter 2025, suede is less about the nostalgia evoked by fringed jackets and cowboy boots and more about the status it commands by way of tote bags and frock coats.
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2. LUXURY TIMEPIECES
Luxury watches are firmly back in the spotlight—and this time, women are leading the conversation. Once treated as an afterthought in a male-dominated market, women’s watches are now driving growth, with both auction houses and retailers reporting a surge in demand. This reflects what’s happening in the global luxury watch industry as a whole, too, as, according to Straits Research, market values are anticipated to rise to $104.2 billion by the close of 2025—that’s $1 billion up since last year. What’s more indicative of this shift, however, are future projections—by 2033, the global luxury watch market will reportedly be worth a colossal $158.19 billion.
There’s more. Google searches for “cocktail watches” have risen notably—31% year on year to be precise—and I have a hunch as to why. The Cartier Baignoire, in particular, has become the watch of the moment. Its elongated oval shape and jewellery-like refinement feel both timeless and unexpected, making it a favourite among fashion insiders. According to shopping and data platform Lyst, searches for the Baignoire have grown by 22% this year, reflecting its transformation from IYKYK piece into bona fide status symbol. What’s most striking is how fashion people are treating watches now: not as rare heirlooms reserved for milestone birthdays, but as considered investments to wear daily, in the same way one might build a collection of handbags or shoes. For those fortunate enough to afford them, a luxury timepiece has become part of the everyday style uniform.
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3. WEAR YOUR POWER
Of all the trends that have come out of 2025—the runways, social media, the shopping—the most notable and most needed has to be the reclamation of power. In a world where headlines read like lost George Orwell book pitches, designers have embraced the renaissance of power dressing, offering clients the ability to communicate strength by way of style.
No longer restricted to stiff tailoring or plain suiting, autumn 2025’s take has evolved. Shoulders remain a focal point, but they framed softer silhouettes, while suiting has been reimagined in sumptuous fabrics that go beyond typical Wall Street cotton blends. On the runway, the rise of the knee-length skirt spoke volumes. Long overlooked, it made a compelling return, worn with matching blazers or well-chosen knitwear. It's arguably the most professional hemline out there, but it no longer feels corporate. It feels commanding. There's something quietly subversive about taking a garment that's historically been coded as "proper" and turning it into a tool for self-expression. When you wear a knee skirt, you're not trying to look desirable or cool—you're dressing for you. That's power.
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4. SOFTENED BAGS
If structure defined the bag trends of recent years, autumn/winter 2025 has chosen to let go. Squishy, huggable shapes and relaxed silhouettes were everywhere—from Tod’s buttery clutches to Louis Vuitton and Fendi’s roomy top-handles. Gabriela Hearst and Giorgio Armani played with jumbo proportions, while Balmain introduced slouchy clutches designed to be carried nonchalantly under the arm.
This shift from rigid to slouch tells us anything, it’s that luxury is becoming more aligned with day-to-day style. Instead of saving your best pieces for best, high-end fashion houses are encouraging clients to make luxury an everyday experience. In terms of bags, the effect is clear: no longer just trophies; designer bags are now viewed as trusty companions, ones made to fold into all of life’s facets.
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5. MAXIMALISM FOR MINIMALISTS
If minimalism defined the early 2020s, autumn/winter 2025 shows us a fascinating evolution: maximalism executed with a minimalist’s eye. Givenchy sent coats with dramatic rounded shoulders and dresses with sculptural volume down the runway, while Tory Burch—one of the most talked-about brands in fashion right now—brought quiet drama with capes and drapes in heavy materials.
This is maximalism at its most intelligent—designs that make a statement without the need for brazen excess (think glistening embellishments), offering impact to those who usually prefer understatement, and restraint for those who would typically lean into theatrics. It’s a trend that proves luxury is as much about silhouette as it is about surface.
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6. PREMIUM PALETTES
Autumn always brings about a change in palette, and the last few seasons have been very clear in their intent—colours should look expensive. 2025’s spectrum is no exception, in fact it’s drenched in richness. Burgundy, arguably the defining hue of autumn/winter 2025, has proven itself both stately and sensual, appearing in leather coats, suede boots and evening dresses. Deep browns, long considered a secondary neutral, are now on par with black in their ability to signify elegance, especially in tactile finishes. Then there’s pale yellow—a whisper of gold in an otherwise heavy palette. It’s this association with one of the world’s most precious commodities that gives it that inherently wealthy appeal.
These colours together speak to luxury’s evolving priorities: tones that feel indulgent, grown-up and refined, yet wearable enough to actually live in. We’ve seen these shades adopted by brands across every budget this year, but you need only look at the archive collections of brands like Bottega Veneta to know that they’ve been a part of the luxury conversation for much, much longer.
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7. INFLUENCE OF AFFLUENT DESTINATIONS
This season, rarefied lifestyles have become a central inspiration. Exclusive country clubs informed striped shirting and polished knitwear and fee-paying school tailoring manifested in blazers and pleated skirts, both of which were prevalent looks on the autumn/winter 2025 runways.
However, it’s not just gated communities that have inspired us to dress a certain way. You need only look to the Instagram feed of any supermodel or socialite between the months of December and April and chances are they’ll be holed up in Aspen, one of the world’s most exclusive ski resorts, wearing a capsule wardrobe of cashmere knitwear and sumptuous faux fur.
The references are more than aesthetic—they’re symbolic. They suggest worlds of access and privilege, woven subtly into the clothes. Wearing them aligns not just with fashion, but with the suggestion of a lifestyle. It’s aspirational in the most traditional sense of luxury.
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8. ROOM FOR ECCENTRICITY
Perhaps the most refreshing shift of autumn/winter 2025 is luxury’s embrace of eccentricity. Designers leaned into the slightly strange—unexpected colour pairings, offbeat prints, playful layering. At Marni, clashes of pattern and texture created ensembles that looked haphazard yet intentional. Loewe, meanwhile, revelled in the odd, offering silhouettes and accessories that invited double takes during the brand's languish presentation in Paris. Elsewhere, Miu Miu experimented with layering in a way that says, "yes, I really did just throw this on but, because I'm utterly fabulous, it works".
Eccentricity is, of course, a privilege—a luxury that allows space to be bold without fear. This season proves that quirk and polish can coexist, and that sometimes the most luxurious statement is to wear something unapologetically odd.
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WHAT’S NEXT FOR LUXURY FASHION?
Autumn/winter 2025 shows us that luxury has entered a new phase, one that thrives in dualities. On one hand, it’s about heritage, craft and longevity—the suede coat you’ll treasure, the Cartier watch you’ll pass down, the knee-length skirt that feels timeless. On the other, it’s about play, eccentricity and reinvention—bags that soften, colours that surprise, pieces that reclaim strength with humour.
Looking forward, I believe this balance is the future of luxury: investment pieces that endure, paired with joyful, personality-driven choices that keep fashion alive. More than ever, luxury is not just about what we own, but about how we express ourselves with it—and right now, expression has never felt more luxurious.
