The days between July and August, are when hot and stuffy weather is at its peak. With September bringing a new season, we wave goodbye to summer fashion and welcome the Autumn and Winter 2024/2025 (AW2024/2025) trends.
In the Middle East, the story is slightly different, and the weather outside doesn’t really match the new season wardrobe (our summers here are definitely longer than anywhere else, and September is the most humid month of the year, so the dog days will take a while to retreat). However, the fashion trends from the AW 2024/2025 collections are hitting the stores’ racks, and we couldn’t be more excited! Revamping our closets and turning them into winter mode is our mission for the next few months.
We’ve picked some of the best bets for the cold season that go beyond all the black and transparency spotted in many shows. Some of them are popular ones and entirely expected, such as leopard prints and grey shades, but we also noticed some styling twists that will ginger up your outfits, like turning socks into the eye-catching element of your look or flaunting a cool head warmer.
We hope our picks inspire your new season wardrobe and help you flaunt your best self in the sweater weather season – stylish cold months; here we go!
Wild Card
Animal print is winter made. This year, there is one sure stand out: leopard. The pattern usually mixes different tones of brown, from very dark to lighter shades, in an instantly identifiable design. Pair the motif with white or bright hues of blue and red for a striking contrast and interesting outfits.
Round And Round We Go
Usually seen as a summer print, polka dots can easily transition into the cooler months’ wardrobe. The classic black and white with small circles is an elegant pick and can take you from office wear to a date night. Dresses and tops are the best way to showcase the trend and embrace this timeless motif.
Ladylike Suiting
Tailoring is another winter style that we love. But stay away from the boring black suit, white shirt combo and invest in a dazzling top, coloured suit or embroidered numbers to add a feminine touch to these items borrowed from men’s dress code. You can also pair your favourite blazer with a mini or flowy skirt to create a girly silhouette.
The Grass Is Greener
As a colour easily seen in nature (a common inspiration for designers worldwide), green has a safe spot in fashion. During winter, its darker tones are the preferred shades and military or olive hues are quite big this year, covering coats, dresses and accessories. Tom Ford and Ferragamo are betting on a complete tone-on-tone look, fully embracing the trend.
Tie A Ribbon
Talking about feminine touches, we move on to a detail that can be subtle or steal the spotlight. Big, small, thick or thin, bows are the ultimate add-on that transform monotonous clothing into girly girl outfits with a cute twist. We absolutely love Prada’s take on this, adding perfectly knotted bows to their dresses.
Plié, Élevé
Ballerina shoes continue to be the footwear of the moment in the autumn and winter collections. They are the perfect complement for a girly look and if you like comfort, that’s a fantastic option. Apart from evening wear, they can easily match any outfit. Numbers in baby pink and black are our favourite picks.
Exotic Legs
The styling trend here is to make your socks or tights the centre of your look. Coloured items are a voguish way to wear them, but there are other approaches, like wearing them pulled up to your knees, as suggested by Brunello Cucinelli. Inspired by Zimmermann, we will be hitting the stores and looking for animal print pantyhose – they look fab with mini dresses.
Grey Area
This colour continues to be the best choice over black. From pale shades to charcoal, grey gives a contemporary flair to your winter outfits. Kenzo and Burberry propose to wear it with brown and we find it an elegant and innovative suggestion. As seen in Max Mara, a total grey look is also a creative approach, mainly when working the layers in different tones.
Spread Your Arms
Gloves have a prime purpose: to protect hands from potential injury, such as freezing in cold weather. As this reason does not apply to us in this part of the world, we wear them just to look fabulous! Super long ones can replace long sleeves for a fashionable statement, and we are very tempted to embrace this trend – will you?
Fluffy Accessories
Feathery shoes and handbags are more in vogue than ever and not only reserved for evening wear anymore. They can add graceful panache to your everyday looks, like an eye-catching element to elevate your white tee and blue jeans. Most brands already opt for faux versions, but make sure of the origins when purchasing your item.
Head Warmers
The OHLALA team is obsessed with winter hats, and we can’t wait for the new season to dust them off and adorn our heads. For the cold season this year, the popular bucket hats are covered in warm textiles to suit the weather, while the usual knitted beanies have a different shape or are embellished with brooches for some poise, as proposed by Coach.