Feathers, fuchsia and fierce femininity: 5 trends from London Fashion Week
From cinched corsets to flashes of hot pink, London Fashion Week’s autumn/winter 2026 season delivered a mix of high-end glamour and playful provocation.
Across historic townhouses, underground show spaces and futuristic runways, designers leant into subversive femininity and sharply sculpted silhouettes.
Here are the five trends that defined the week.
1. Feathers take flight
While fur was the biggest trending trim of last autumn/winter, it seems feathers is set to be the standout accent for 2026-7.
At Conner Ives and Annie’s Ibiza, plumed capes and feather-trimmed corsets amplified both brands’ vintage-inflected glamour.
Annie’s Ibiza showcased feathered capes (Lucy North/PA)
Chet Lo approached the trend with a sharper edge, incorporating ostrich feathers into both garments and hair, creating sculptural silhouettes that extended beyond the body.
Elsewhere, Erdem and Julien Macdonald offered more classic interpretations – full-feathered jackets, cuffs, hems and stoles that became the focal point of each look.
Erdem incorporated feathers into several looks (Jason Lloyd Evans/PA)
It seems the key for styling the trend is to concentrate first on accessories – bringing it into scarves, capes, clutches and shoes – then as the main look from from head to toe. Erdem was one designer who showcased full-feathered eveningwear.
Expect to see this flourish translate to red carpets and party dressing next season.
2. High-cut briefs and hot pants
Autumn/winter is rarely associated with bare legs, but designers made a persuasive case for high-cut briefs and ultra-short hot pants.
At Paul Costelloe, tailored jackets were styled with high-rise briefs, reworking heritage fabrics into something unexpectedly daring. Masha Popova leaned fully into early-2000s nostalgia, sending out abbreviated shorts and low-slung silhouettes that nodded to the styling of Y2K.
High-cut briefs on the Paul Costelloe runway (Ben Whitley/PA)
Karoline Vitto, on the other hand, balanced sensuality with structure by pairing high-cut bottoms with draped tops and sheer layers that celebrated the body rather than concealing it.
Karoline Vitto also showcased hot pants (Ian West/PA)
It seems that the clear message takeaway from this trend is that proportions are shifting. Even in colder months, designers are playing with exposure – often styled with tights or boots to ground the look.
3. Coloured stockings
Coloured tights began trickling into the trend cycle last autumn, but it seems next season knee-high stockings will take their place.
Coloured stockings were a big trend on the Masha Popova runway (Ian West/PA)
Spotted on the runways of Masha Popova and Karoline Vitto, sheer tights in pinks and smoky mauves injected contrast into otherwise neutral looks. Rather than traditional black opaques, designers opted for tonal or clashing hues that subtly shifted the mood of an outfit.
Worn with briefs, mini dresses or layered under tailoring, cut off-coloured hosiery became a style statement rather than a practical accessory.
4. Peplums and the hourglass return
An evolution of the tailored blazer trend from last season, the peplumed Fifties-style hourglass silhouette emerged as one of the week’s defining shapes.
Richard Quinn presented more sculpted hourglass shapes (Jeff Moore/PA)
Dreaming Eli championed cinched corsetry while Tolu Coker and Richard Quinn showcased sculpted and dramatic peplums, creating sharply cinched waists that flared into fishtail skirts.
Peplum tops were prevalent on the Tolu Coker runway (Aaron Chown/PA)
Edeline Lee offered a more architectural take, integrating structured waist details and controlled volume into tailored daywear. At Annie’s Ibiza, corseted bodices and exaggerated hips reinforced the return of hyper-feminine shaping.
Architectural peplums were evident on the Edeline Lee runway (Jeff Moore/PA)
There were also more wearable examples of this silhouette. Burberry’s runway showcased a tighter trench coat – departing from the currently popular oversized trench and harking back to the more tailored and hourglass silhouette of 2007.
Burberry also showcased more wearable cinched silhouettes (Lucy North/PA)
After years of oversized tailoring and relaxed proportions, AW26 marks a decisive pivot towards definition. Peplums – once synonymous with the early 2010s ‘business casual’ – have been re-engineered for a new generation.
5. Pink in every form
While many collections leaned into black, ivory and cold cobalt blue, jolts of hot pink cut through this soberness at fashion week.
Richard Quinn paired fuchsia with black (Jeff Moore/PA)
Richard Quinn paired saturated fuchsia skirts with black bodices, creating high-contrast eveningwear. Masha Popova embraced the shade in playful, all-baring silhouettes, while Erdem wove vibrant pink through romantic dresses and statement pieces.
Masha Popova presented a series of hot pink and baby pink looks (Ian West/PA)
Unlike the softer pastel pinks of previous seasons, this was bold, almost neon in tone – attention-grabbing, obnoxious and unapologetically loud.
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It seems the Noughties is undoubtedly back, thanks to pin-straight hair, low-slung jeans, hot pants and hot pink being some of the key trends to arise from London Fashion Week.
The energetic and youthful Y2K revival was impossible to ignore.
