Autumn is the bit of the year our customers actually enjoy dressing for. Summer is mostly about staying cool and hoping it holds. Autumn gives you something to work with. Layers, texture, knitwear that earns its keep, boots that look better after a wet Welsh winter than they did in the box.
We have just finished putting the AW26 edit together, so what follows is what we ended up buying and why. It is not a trend forecast. More a note on what we think is worth your money this season. All of it is in the Autumn Winter '26 edit if you would rather just look.
Chocolate brown is doing the work of black
Brown. That is the short answer to what has changed.
We took more of it than we ever have, and we were not entirely sure at the buying stage. Brown reads flat on a spreadsheet. In the shop it does something else. Bellerose sent a straight trouser in dark roast and a midi skirt in mocca. Jumper 1234 has a roll collar in cocoa that has not spent much time on the rail. The VI.VE.RE fit and flare is the sort of dress you would wear to a wedding and then again on a Wednesday. Even the boots came through in espresso and chestnut.
What makes it worth buying into rather than waiting out is that brown works as a base. Put it on the bottom half and everything you already own in cream, oat, camel and grey suddenly has somewhere to be. It is also kinder than black on a grey Cardiff morning, which is most of them from October onwards.
Knitwear with something to say
Plain jumpers sell and we stock plenty. But the knits we keep pulling off the rail for ourselves have a pattern or a texture doing the talking, so the jumper becomes the outfit rather than the layer under the coat.
Jumper 1234 is where this lives. A brushed cashmere argyle cardigan, a block fair isle tweed roll collar, stripe crews in ruby and hickory. Expensive, and worth it, because you will still have them in ten years. Essentiel Antwerp comes at it from another angle, with a ruffled cardigan and turtlenecks in red and dark green. BA&SH sits in the middle, elegant and easy to wear. American Vintage covers the quiet end: a sweater in dark red melange, and a sleeveless cranberry stripe that goes over a shirt.
If you refresh one category this autumn, make it this one. A jumper gets worn more days than anything else you will buy in September. Our full knitwear edit is the place to start.
The denim shape of the season is a barrel
We watched the barrel leg arrive with some scepticism. Curved through the thigh, tapered at the ankle. On paper it sounds like a shape that would suit about four people.
It is not. It has turned out to be one of the more forgiving cuts to come along in years, and it is the trouser doing the most work this autumn. The black barrel from VI.VE.RE is the easiest way to find out whether you get on with it. Still unconvinced? A wide leg does a similar job with less commitment, and Paige has two in the Anessa cut.
Corduroy is the other trouser story, and arguably the more useful one. The Citizens of Humanity utility cord with the twisted seam is quietly one of the best things in the shop at the moment, and VI.VE.RE has a high waisted cord in ecru. Both sit in the trousers edit alongside the wider tailored shapes.
The jeans collection has the barrel and wide leg cuts we have in now.
Outerwear you choose for the texture
Coats this season are being chosen on how they feel rather than how they are cut. Faux fur, brushed wool, waxed cotton, faux leather. All of it more tactile than the pared-back outerwear of the last few years.
Rino & Pelle is the name to know and we bought deep. Jackets in coffee roast and fudge, waistcoats in coffee bean and chocolate bean, and a coat in urban teal for anyone who has had enough of neutrals. The BA&SH faux fur is lovely. Bellerose handles the everyday end with a trench-style jacket, a bomber and a leopard print bodywarmer, and VI.VE.RE has a short faux fur and a faux leather bomber in taupe.
Barbour needs no introduction in Wales. The waxed jackets are the fifteen-year purchase. The waxed caps and bucket hats are a small thing that turns out to matter a great deal in November.
Have a look at the whole coats and jackets edit, with one caveat: outerwear is where our small batches show most. We buy a handful of each and they do not come back.
Berry, wine and forest green
Brown is the base. The accents are berry, wine and a deep forest green, all of them a good deal richer than the dusty shades we have had for a few autumns running, and all of them sitting far better against brown than they ever did against black.
Essentiel Antwerp does this best, with turtlenecks in red and dark green and wide leg trousers in orange and burgundy. American Vintage has the dark red melange sweater and the cranberry stripe. Stella Nova brings the dressier version in a black sequin mesh skirt and matching blouse.
One strong colour at a time against the brown or cream is all it takes. A wine jumper with cord trousers. A dark green turtleneck under a waxed jacket. That is the whole trick.
Boots, and the rest of the finishing pieces
Boots are what turn a summer wardrobe into an autumn one, and this year they are flatter, browner and softer than they have been. Alohas has a brown suede ankle boot, a vintage effect leather boot that arrives looking worn in, and a brown loafer for the mild fortnight before you commit. The rest of the boots edit runs to espresso and chestnut ankle boots, with a couple of higher stiletto options if you have something on.
Everything in between is in footwear. Loafers, flats, and the metallic trainers that stop a dress feeling like an occasion.
Then the small things, which is where autumn dressing gets enjoyable. The Jumper 1234 cashmere bandanas end up living in a coat pocket. Essentiel Antwerp has a silk scarf, a brooch, and leather belts in brown, pink and green. Our scarves, bags and jewellery edits cover the rest. A few pieces of gold against a roll neck will do more for an outfit than almost anything else, and cost you less.
Three autumn outfits, start to finish
If you would rather skip the theory, here are three we keep going back to.
Everyday: chocolate roll collar, barrel leg jeans, suede ankle boot, waxed jacket over the top when it turns. Warm, comfortable, and it looks like you meant it.
Work: fine knit turtleneck in dark green, a cord or wide leg trouser, loafers, trench-style jacket. Add a belt and a bit of gold and it is finished. This is the autumn work outfit that still looks right at six o'clock.
Evening: sequin mesh skirt or the silk blend jumpsuit, heeled boot, small bag. If you would rather stay in a dress, the brown fit and flare or a printed silk tie dress does the same job. Autumn going out outfits are easier than summer ones anyway, because the coat is part of the look instead of something you apologise for in the doorway.
How to build an autumn capsule wardrobe
Same method we use when we buy. Pick a base colour, then go deeper rather than wider.
Brown or cream, and hold to it for trousers, boots and outerwear. Three or four knits, one plain and the rest with something going on. One pair of jeans, one pair of trousers in a different cloth, cord or wool. One coat you love and one you can throw on. Then a scarf, a belt and some jewellery, which cost the least and change the most.
Twelve pieces, give or take, and it will see you from September through to February. Owning less is not really the aim of an autumn capsule wardrobe. Owning things that combine is, so that getting dressed on a dark morning takes thirty seconds instead of ten minutes.
The season worth dressing for
Autumn asks more of a wardrobe than summer does, which is exactly why it is more interesting. Get the base right, spend on the knitwear, buy the coat you will still want in five years, and the outfits rather sort themselves out.
All of it is in the shop now. The Autumn Winter '26 edit is the place to start, or the latest arrivals if you want to see what has landed this week. We buy in small batches and they are not restocked, so what is on the site is what we have.
Shop the AW26 edit.
Frequently asked questions
What clothes should women wear in autumn?
Think in layers rather than single heavy pieces. Trousers or jeans in a neutral like chocolate brown or cream, three or four jumpers and cardigans in a mix of plain and patterned, ankle boots, and a jacket or two will handle nearly everything autumn throws at you. Scarves, belts and jewellery then change the look without changing the outfit.
What are the autumn winter 2026 fashion trends?
Five things stand out this season. Chocolate brown has taken over from black as a base colour. Knitwear has gone pattern-led, with fair isle, argyle and brushed stripe all back. Barrel leg and wide leg denim have replaced the straighter cuts. Outerwear is being chosen for texture, so faux fur, waxed cotton and faux leather. And the accent shades have turned rich: berry, wine and forest green.
What colour is in for autumn 2026?
Chocolate brown, used the way black has been used for years. Around it sit the warm neutrals, oat, cream and camel, with berry, burgundy, wine and deep forest green doing the accent work. Brown and berry together is the pairing that feels most current.
What jeans are in style for autumn?
The barrel leg, curved through the thigh and tapered at the ankle. Wide leg remains the straightforward alternative if a barrel feels like a step too far. Corduroy trousers are the other strong option this year and go particularly well with chunky knitwear and a flat boot.
What is an autumn capsule wardrobe?
A small set of pieces built around one base colour so that everything combines. In autumn that usually means a couple of pairs of trousers, a pair of jeans, three or four knits, a dress or skirt, two jackets, ankle boots and a few accessories. Because it all coordinates, a dozen pieces will produce weeks of different outfits.
What should I wear for an autumn evening out?
Easier than summer, because the coat counts as part of the outfit rather than something you leave at the door. A sequin or textured skirt with a fine knit covers most occasions, as does a dress with a heeled boot. Keep the palette dark and rich, add gold jewellery, and choose outerwear you are happy to be seen in.
