Words by Eleanor Hibberd
1st October 2026
I’ll be honest: I don’t wear a lot of colour. It’s not that I’m loyal to the beiges and heather greys of the quiet-luxury aesthetic, I just find myself naturally drawn to those capsule pieces that feel like they’ll go with everything. It’s the 'girl math' of it all – how many wears will I realistically get out of this or that piece?
And yet, as layering and colour blocking continue to take up space on the runway, I’m finding myself more and more drawn to those brighter hues that I ordinarily only admire from afar (usually on the front row of Copenhagen Fashion Week). The question I’ve been asking myself is: how can I wear more colour in a way that feels like me – without feeling like I’m trying to rebrand my personal style?
The simple answer – one that countless fashion writers before me have advised – would be to try pops of colour. Wear your usual jeans and a white shirt, but add a red shoe – that sort of thing. But that doesn’t quite feel like enough this time. I want colour to be the main character, not just the supporting act.
So, how am I approaching colour trends as someone previously married to the basics? For me, it’s all about rethinking what neutral is. You don’t have to go from zero to head-to-toe primary colours – choose a more muted shade that feels a little more within your comfort zone, and try pairing it with one or two bolder, contrasting hues. These are four colour combinations I’m using to dip my toe into the world of colourful dressing this autumn/winter.
This is a somewhat more subtle take on the divisive red-and-pink combo – once a fashion faux-pas, as their closeness on the colour wheel makes them clash rather than complement. But burgundy – think of it as your neutral here – paired with baby pink feels more like a rich, tonal contrast than a clash, but just as unexpected. Consider it one of the more sophisticated combinations to keep in your arsenal.
Maybe it’s cheating to include navy blue in a feature about wearing more colour (I’d call it neutral-adjacent) – but that just makes it a great base for trying out trickier colours, such as chartreuse green. Where navy is classic, chartreuse is eclectic and vibrant. The latter brings an element of surprise to something safe and reliable; it creates a high-contrast combo that feels at once sophisticated and fresh. If you’re feeling a little bolder, I think this green can look so chic with lighter shades of blue, too – at London Fashion Week, I spotted someone wearing a chartreuse sweater draped over the shoulders of a classic blue shirt, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since.
Even if you don’t wear much colour, chances are you’ll already have light blue in your wardrobe, whether it’s a shirt, a pair of jeans or a denim jacket. Instead of wearing it with greys or creams, make it pop next to the colour that’s captured the hearts of designers, editors, influencers and buyers alike for several seasons in a row – red. This combination has been on my mind since Prada paired a crumpled blue shirt with a tomato-red midi skirt on the AW26 runway. They balance each other out really well: where red is bright and fiery, light blue is cool and airy, and there’s something kind of sporty and preppy about it that I love, too.
Cargo trousers are back in the zeitgeist (’90s Jennifer Aniston, you will always be an icon), so it’s only natural that khaki feels right at the moment. These earthy shades of green can easily sub in for your usual neutrals, so try using them as a backdrop for brighter hues. All the primary colours work, but where red and blue offer contrast, yellow feels more harmonious (since it's a neighbour to green on the colour wheel). I’m taking inspiration from the way our stylists paired a khaki Ganni bag with a luminous Loewe jumper for our Pre-Fall shoot (pictured above).
From autumnal burgundy to icy blue and off-white, AW26’s trending colours cover the full spectrum. A shade apprehensive? Here’s how to style them.
Looking for a little refresher when it comes to dressing for autumn? These are the capsule wardrobe staples to rely on during the transitional season.
