Five Womenswear Trends To Know Now

Say it with us: ‘more is more’. That feels especially true this season when it comes to skirts and dresses. Much has been made about what the lengthening of hemlines means in the grander scheme of things, but on the flipside of the argument, the return of the maxi length is a signal that dressing is becoming a little more about making a statement. Especially when married with a strong print in an eye-catching colour scheme, such as this one from our new collection. The beauty of a piece like this is its versatility: paired with sandals or flats, it’s the perfect daytime dress, but with heels and the right jewellery, it’s perfect for evening.

As we got back to normality post pandemic, there was a resurgence in dressing up again: a desire to make more of an effort now we weren’t all permanently glued to our sofas. Now, the great return to the office is well underway and it’s presented a fresh conundrum: a wardrobe that will easily transition from day to night, for when work turns into dinner or drinks. The answer, in our humble opinion, is in pieces like this mix and match jackets and skirts from our new collection, which can easily be worn dressed up or down. Keep your accessories in mind, too: swapping your laptop bag for a colourful clutch or mini bag and a pair of statement earrings will do wonders to transform your office look.

It’s hardly a surprise that tailoring makes an appearance on this list – in fact, we’d hesitate to call it a ‘trend’ per se, given it’s something that sits at the heart of Paul Smith and has been a central part of the designer’s collections since he founded the company back over 50 years ago. This season, our women’s tailoring is feminine but still strong, with references to heritage styles from the Paul Smith archive and undertones of the 1970s. But you don’t need to go full suit to tap into the trend: there’s also new takes on traditional menswear codes in this collection, with a reimagined tuxedo, reinterpretations of the crisp white shirt, and a reworked preppy striped shirt dress.

Along with colour and tailoring, prints will always be at the forefront of Paul Smith collections – but this season they’re a touch bolder than usual. Why? Well, it all comes back to that idea that we are ready to make an impact with our wardrobes again. Paul Smith AW23 prints, like the ‘Rug’ print – which draws inspiration from vintage interiors – and the ‘Flecks’ print – a reimagining of tweed in 2D form – also play with texture in particularly interesting ways – a sure-fire way to add dynamism and depth to your look without the need for endless layers. Worn together, they’re a statement making duo, as this pairing more than proves.

Checks are a big theme in the Paul Smith AW23 collections – both for him and for her. In this instance, they were inspired by menswear heritage checks found in the Nottingham archive, which houses examples of Paul’s designs dating back to the 1970s. Appearing on tailoring and sweeping outerwear, like this sophisticated brown two-piece and coordinating coat, they add a distinct vintage appeal that’s perfect for autumn. If you go head-to-toe, you might be tempted to keep the rest of your outfit simple, but instead we like to think of checks as a neutral base for prints – like this big flower scarf that was worn on the men’s runway.