The high street will always take its cues from the runway. However, in recent years, many brands have become more confident in championing their own aesthetic, hand-picking styles that go on to significantly impact Instagram fashion trends. This season, it feels as though names such as Arket, COS and H&M have really invested in the bright-colour trend, offering up confident designs that nod to designer collections yet remain distinct in their unique design DNA.
I have noticed three shades in particular that have cropped up again and again: cobalt blue, Kermit green and grape purple, all highly saturated and undeniably fresh. Coming in luxe fabrics that balance out any primary-school associations, these are the sort of autumn staples that pack personality with minimal effort. For example, each one would pair perfectly with the beige colourways that are already sitting in your wardrobe. Think a bright-blue knit layered under a camel-coloured wool coat or a vivid-green tee tucked into cream tailored trousers. Delicious.
So if you crave a little brightness in your autumn capsule after a long year in trackies, scroll down to see and shop the colour trends taking over the high street this season.
Taking over from last year’s retro shades of dusty blue, cobalt is unapologetically bright and, unexpectedly, flattering. I love how Marianne Smyth has worn the hue head to toe for maximum impact.
Despite not being a purple lover for most of my life, I’ve been taken aback by how much I like this season’s grape colour trend. Lighter than your average indigo but still packing plenty of vibrancy, it makes for a perfect pairing for neutrals such as beige and cream or even the odd pop of contrasting orange.
Lucy Williams was one of the earliest adopters of the Kermit green trend after it appeared on the Bottega Veneta runway. It is now proliferating on the high street, with brands such as Arket and Uterqüe offering up particularly chic iterations.
