"Step into a new and vibrant season with dynamic trends full of refreshing colour, exquisite silhouettes and powerful outerwear," says Shelly Corkery.

The Fashion Buying Director of Brown Thomas held her Autumn/Winter 2022 launch event at Windmill Lane on Wednesday, 31st of August.

We caught up with Cokery following the show to talk through the trends dominating A/W fashion for 2022/2023.

Outerwear With colder temperatures just around the corner, now is the time to think about a good winter coat and a stylish pair of boots. According to Corkery, this season is all about ornamental features such as faux-fur trims, wide lapels, and swathes of beautiful fabric.

Puffer jackets adorned with feathers and tailored coats with vibrant bursts of green faux fur were seen at Prada, while models were swaddled in magnified striped coats at Alaïa.

"There is a very big focus on outerwear, sort of powerful outerwear. When you look at the coats out there, from the checks in Dior - which I think are stunning - and the beautiful big striped Alaïa in that cocoon wrap shape. Then you've got the 'wow factor', which are my favourite, which are the Prada, that magnificent jacket with the feathers, and then the fantastic wool coats with the shearling on the sleeves."

"I think they're super cool. They're 'wow' pieces and fun fashion, kind of out there and more directional, but there are also the lovely silhouette, hourglass, more fitted coats with beautiful, rounded off hip line or flared back or pleated back. I think there's a lot of focus on the detail of outerwear."

Similarly, footwear is looking fun-filled and colourful this season with sparkling with occasion detailing. Winter boots are coming up to thigh high thanks to Isabel Marant and Stuart Weitzman, while patent is popular at Paris Texas and Aquazzura.

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Hard Shoulders and Pinched Waists Whether it be the pinstripe tailoring at Isabel Marant or structured tuxedos at Saint Laurent, the power shoulders of the 1980s are back.

Key pieces include the oversized blazer styled as boy-meets-girl, layered over short skirts or sexy dresses, and the hard shoulder tailored dress, best seen at Prada and Dolce & Gabbana.

"Big shoulders are bringing power to outerwear," says Shelly. "Some people hate the big shoulders but I actually really like them because you don't have to wear the really big ones. There's definitely cool ways to wear it and you can get that triangle shape. If you've got emphasis on your shoulder, you have a slimmer waistline - and there's a big focus on the waistline this year."

After seasons of oversized shapes and more masculine tailoring, designers such as Alexander McQueen and Dolce & Gabbana are bringing their focus back to the body.

For inspiration, look to Versace's corsets as seen on Bella Hadid at their vibrant Milan show, to Alaïa's sheer waist mini dress, belted for waist appeal.

Long Hemlines and Preppy Skirts After miniskirts dominated the catwalks for SS22, hemlines are hitting the floor for AW22.

Etro added a feminine touch with fluid printed maxi dresses while Saint Laurent brought a sophisticated edge in full-length cutout ensembles finished with beautiful flower brooches.

If you can't quite let go of your mini-skirts, however, you may style them in a preppy way. While Miu Miu delivered sporty and tennis styles, The Row offered a sophisticated edge with extra-long sleeved knitwear.

Electric Colour and Fearless Cutouts Ever since pandemic restrictions began to ease across the globe, optimistic energy has reigned supreme in the world of fashion, and it seems that AW22 will be no different.

This season will see highly saturated colour with trans-seasonal appeal and 'high octane glamour' thanks to sequined mini dresses, sparkle encrusted separates, and cool-toned florals.

"There's big focus on trimmings and faux furs, a zip here and there, brocade fabrics and checks. There's quite a lot of detail. There's a futuristic feel as well with brands like Balenciaga and Jil Sander, they're quite strong with the shoulder line."

"The colours are electric," she continues. "Bright blue, bright yellow and bright red, and you have Valentino doing that fuchsia bright pink. I think there's a warm feeling about fashion, people love colour. Obviously I adore black but I love seeing brighter colours as it's lighter and more fun. It gives us a different take."

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Although the temperature may be changing, designers are continuing the summer trend of revealing cutouts and exposed straps.

While the cutout trend has been gaining momentum since last season, these slinky pieces have been reworked in a feminine and edgy way by designers such as Mônot, Mugler and Nensi Dojaka.

"These brands are very sophisticated and sexy. The cutaway is very body conscious so it's about being fearless about your body and being very sexy - cut away waistlines, cut away hiplines, drop downs, bandeau style tops, high slashes and asymmetrical slashes. It's revealing but it's super cool."

The Accessories Green has been the dominating colour of the last few seasons and continues to prevail, but purple seems to be fighting through in shades ranging from light to dark, blue-tinted and pink-toned.

This season showcases a refocus on the perfect black bag. Evening and party bags are very popular in tones of silver and gold with a strong focus on sparkle, glitter, high shine and rhinestones.

Noughties nostalgia has led to a revival of the Hobo bag and the popularity of all-over logos. Puffer bags are also key this season with designs including curved quilting and padded leather.

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"Crossbody has been so popular for a while now so I think that's definitely changing," says Shelly. "Hobo shape is the big shape, you know, bags with curves. I think that's a strong trend coming through. I love that beautiful Fendi one with the curve, it's got a great nineties feeling about it."

"Black bags are definitely still there, they're strong along with trimmings. Gold chains help to embellish them more."

"Jil Sander is back with beautiful minimalist pieces with futuristic shapes, Alaïa is back, Miu Miu is back, and Victoria Beckham is launching her new collection of bags, and they're full of colour."

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