When it comes to setting trends, Paris is king. There's never been a more influential city in fashion than the French capital. Season after season, they dictate what the rest of the world will wear or want to look like. And autumn 2022 is no different.
Paris Fashion Week produced some of the most fascinating fads that will likely dominate red carpets and the streets this season. From Valentino's hot pink Barbiecore to the modern punk aesthetics of Chanel's minis moment, there's a lot to look forward to this autumn 2022. Here are the biggest trends that the top French designer brands sent down the runway.
Hot pink is the color of the moment courtesy of Pierpaolo Piccioli of Valentino. Though it's technically not a French designer brand, Valentino has long been a staple at Paris Fashion Week. And oftentimes, they steal the show with their awe-inspiring collections. Autumn 2022 is no different. Presented a year before the highly anticipated Greta Gerwig-directed '
Barbie' movie starring Margot Robbie that's set to premiere next summer, Valentino painted the town pink, essentially giving birth to what the world now refers to as '
Barbiecore.' With one electric hue, he trotted out suits, dresses, gowns, and even menswear rendered in hot pink. Forget Valentino Red, autumn 2022 is all about Valentino Pink!
Source: Valentino Instagram Page
Aviation Fascination - Celine
Valentino wasn't the only show during Paris Fashion Week that people connected with a movie. Hedi Slimane's Celine collection, with its cool jackets and aviator shades, reminds one of another Hollywood movie worth noting, '
Top Gun: Maverick.' Having premiered at this year's
Cannes Film Festival, it's become one of the biggest blockbusters of 2022 so far. So it's only natural that the style in the film, heavily inspired by the original 1986 cult classic, becomes a new trend. Little did movie-goers know, however, that a few months prior, Slimane already introduced this aesthetic on his runway!
Source: Celine Instagram Page
Preppy Realness - Dior
Although Maria Grazia Chiuri was highly influenced by technology and the future when she designed her autumn 2022 collection for Dior, many couldn't help but notice the vintage preppy kick to her looks. Particularly a yellow tartan dress that they even used for this season's ad campaign. Paired with the uniform aesthetic that Chiuri has become known for in her time at the famous
haute couture house, one can't help but see classic preppiness in her collection. Admit it! One look at the yellow tartan dress and you instantly remembered Cher Horowitz's iconic opening look in the 1995 teen flick, '
Clueless,' right?
Source: Dior Instagram Page
Mini-Suits - Chanel
The late great Karl Lagerfeld was the first to introduce mini Chanel suits down the runway when he revolutionized the classic
Parisian wardrobe staple during his early years at the label. And today, his successor Virginie Viard continues this tradition for her autumn 2022 show at Paris Fashion Week. Although her main theme this season is tweed, Viard inaverdently touched on fashion's current love affair with the late 90s/Y2K aesthetics. This isn't to say that her clothes look old or vintage, but her mini suits in classic Chanel tweed certainly have a cute, slightly kitschy, but undeniably chic nostalgic appeal to them.
Source: Chanel Instagram Page
Back to Basics - Hermès
Only a luxury brand like Hermès can get away with showing a highly minimalist collection amidst all the maximalism that other
French designer brands are putting forth. Focusing more on quality and craftsmanship, creative director Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski went for a sporty and simple aesthetic for autumn 2022. Unembellished coats, leather dresses, flowing frocks, and monochrome suits. At first glance, one would think these looks would pale in comparison to the more visually impactful clothes that other labels sent down the runway. But in truth, these styles serve as a chic palette cleanser from all the other opulence that Paris Fashion Week saw.
Source: Hermès Instagram Page
Sometimes, all it takes is just one look to start a trend. Or, at the very least, help catapult it to worldwide attention. During Louis Vuitton's autumn 2022 show at Paris Fashion Week, all eyes were on '
Squid Game' star and brand ambassador HoYeon Jung. She opened the show in a chocolate brown leather coat, a tropical-printed tie, and pinstripe pants. The entire look definitely caught all attention—as did the model wearing it—but it was the leather coat that truly stood out. It helped set a new love for luxurious leather in spite of the growing call for sustainable fashion.
Source: Louis Vuitton Instagram Page
Creamy Caramel - Chloé
Speaking of sustainable fashion, Grabiela Hearst's autumn 2022 collection for Chloé aimed to discuss just that! Ironically, her show had its fair share of leather pieces, but other looks, particularly the knitwear, held her end of the bargain. Not to mention her use of caramel. Coloring coats, jackets, dresses, and accessories, this creamy color put a more neutral tone all over the entire collection. And since it's a fairly easy hue to pull off, it's no surprise that it's already a trendy color even before autumn 2022 has officially started.
Source: Chloé Instagram Page
Yves Saint Laurent's autumn 2022 show was a revelation from the brand's creative director, Anthony Vaccarello. The Italian designer is known for his dangerously short and skin-exposing aesthetic, one that would often require a supermodel body to pull off. However, for this season's show at Paris Fashion Week, held
near the Eiffel Tower, Vaccarello sent out a parade of flowing maxi dresses and evening gowns, paired with his signature sexy tailoring. Each and every look had an air of mystery and sensuality in them, reminiscent of the legendary brand's eponymous designer's
Le Smoking suit and what that meant for modern femininity.
Source: Yves Saint Laurent Instagram Page
If there's one city that knows how to set trends, it's Paris. It's here where the biggest French designer brands show off their latest collections during Fashion Week and, in turn, set the new trends for the upcoming season! Learn what autumn 2022 will look like!
