In fashion: the best of A/W 2023 in 12 striking looks

Jun 26, 2023

The best of A/W 2023 distilled into 12 looks and accessories for men and women, from pointed Prada collars and ghostly Loewe gowns to a stack of glimmering Hermès rings

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As seen in the Wallpaper* September 2023 Style Issue, ‘In Fashion’ – the A/W 2023 collections, distilled into 12 striking looks, photographed by Georgia Devey Smith and styled by Wallpaper* fashion director Jason Hughes. From gestural silhouettes to unexpected adornments, each look captures the spirit of the season ahead.

Prada’s co-creative directors Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons noted a desire to oppose simplicity with moments of ‘comfort and exaggeration’ as epitomised in a series of precisely tailored jackets for men, out of which fuzzy winged collars emerged.

Maximilian Davis’ second season as Ferragamo’s creative director saw him continue to hone the Florentine house’s shoe offering with this mock-croc riff on the Mary Jane, drawing inspiration from old Hollywood starlets but with a contemporary bent.

Coat, price on request, by Missoni. Shoes, £725, by Ferragamo. Tights, £25, by Falke

Designed to evoke the blooming first stages of romance, eclectic fusions of colour and texture defined Missoni’s womenswear collection, such as this wool overcoat, featuring waves of 3D knit.

Belt, £810, by Max Mara. Bodysuit, £239, by Wolford

Max Mara’s creative director Ian Griffiths looked to 18th-century philosopher Émilie du Châtelet, whose liberated take on the era’s dress codes inspired cocooning opera coats and leather obi belts, cut with the modernity synonymous with the house.

Dress, £990; necklace, price on request, both by Victoria Beckham

Inspired by Jackie Onassis’ reclusive cousin Little Edie, immortalised in the 1975 documentary Grey Gardens, Victoria Beckham’s eccentric collection featured surreal necklaces recalling human hair, a nod to the work of Brazilian artist Solange Pessoa.

Bag, £2,490, by Burberry

Burberry’s creative director Daniel Lee brought his unique eye for cult accessories to his latest collection, which included the ‘Knight’ bag, featuring an elegant horse-clip fastening, a nod to the brand’s archival logo of a charging knight on horseback.

Dress, £2,100, by Loewe. Shoes, £725, by Ferragamo

Spectral apparitions, inspired by the blurred paintings of Gerhard Richter, emerged across a series of silk dresses in Jonathan Anderson’s latest womenswear collection for Loewe, their ephemeral forms recalling garments from past seasons.

‘A l’Écoute’ rings, price on request, by Hermès

An exploration of form, Hermès’ ‘À l’Écoute’ rings – in rose gold studded with glimmering quartz, tourmaline, jade, moonstone and diamonds – see geometric motifs meet the sensual, curved lines of the body.

Skirt, £425, by Margaret Howell. Shoes, £725, by Ferragamo

Designer Margaret Howell continued her renewal of traditional British clothing archetypes with a riff on the classic kilt, sensually reimagining it in diaphanous pleated layers of matte black organza.

Glasses, £565, by Lindberg. Coat, £3,296; jacket, £2,295, both by Dunhill

Glasses were rife on the runways, a reflection of the season’s thoughtful mood. This pair by Lindberg are defined by a near-impossible lightness, a result of three decades of innovation and refinement, much of it inspired by contemporary architecture.

Jacket, £2,650; top, £1,320; leggings, £1,510; belt, £475, all by Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello

A bold shoulder unified Anthony Vaccarello’s offering for Saint Laurent, an echo of the house founder’s 1980s designs, with the runway set evoking the ballroom of the Paris Intercontinental, where Yves Saint Laurent used to show his couture collections.

Shirt; tie; trousers; boots, all price on request, by Bottega Veneta

For Bottega Veneta, Matthieu Blazy imagined a series of ‘characters’ one might find on a buzzing Italian piazza, recreating archetypal looks in unexpected materials, like this business-like shirt, tie and trousers, made from various textures of knit.

Models: Adual Akol at Storm Management, Guo Jike at Elite Model Management. Casting: Ikki Casting. Hair: Roku Roppongi at Saint Luke using Babyliss Pro. Make-up: Jimmy Owen Jones at Julian Watson Agency using Westman Atelier. Manicure: Ami Streets using Dior Manicure collection and Miss Dior hand cream. Fashion assistant: Kristina Bergfeldt. Lighting assistant: Robin Bernstein. Digital operator: Conor Clarke. Set design: George Lewin Studio. Set production manager: Hermione Fenton. Assistant: Matilda Greenwood. Retouching: Agata Bielska. Producer: Anya Hassett.

A version of this article features in the September 2023 Style Issue of Wallpaper*, on sale now available in print, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today

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Jack Moss is the Fashion Features Editor at Wallpaper*. Having previously held roles at 10, 10 Men and AnOther magazines, he joined the team in 2022. His work has a particular focus on the moments where fashion and style intersect with other creative disciplines – among them art and design – as well as championing a new generation of international talent and profiling the industry’s leading figures and brands.

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