It seems fashion month is getting stranger by the season. From fetish gear to yeti-ready threads to duvet outfits, it seemed this season of shows had it all. Sound insane? Perfect! We’re here to break it all down. Ready, steady, go.

New York

Duvet Days

Clearly, comfort is the key to success. AW22 began all about cushy clothes that can pass as bedding. Marc Jacobs took on puffer coats and scarves so big they swallow the body’s silhouette completely, No Sesso piled on the sleeves and added a bit of stuffing, making the perfect pillowy piece to rest your head on and Christian Siriano places bulging headgear with billowing ball gowns. We’re ready for duvet days all the way.

Show Some Skin

New York has never been a stranger to themes of sex, seduction and showing skin – and the autumn/winter 2022 shows were no different. Both Dion Lee and Eckhaus Latta made a case for careful cutouts, while Puppets and Puppets took a more in-your-face approach to saucy get-ups with mesh bralettes and dresses revealing the breasts and other erogenous zones. LaQuan Smith followed suit, sending little itty-bitty, sexy silhouettes down the catwalk, Julia Fox leading the charge. Micro-mini skirts that barely covered the bum, naughty corsetry and low-slung trousers took dressing up to get undressed to a whole new level. Take it from the New York designers, sex sells.

London

The New It Girl Order

If London did one thing right this season, it was redefining the It girl – and damn, did the city do it well. Cult favourite newcomer Nensi Dojaka celebrated body-confident women with sexy, skin-tight silhouettes. Meanwhile at 16 Arlington’s tribute to the late Federica Cavenati, a true superstar when it came to peerless glamour, models walked in sky-high platform clogs, razor-sharp tailoring and dresses dripping with fluid glitter detailing. Then there was Supriya Lele’s stunning show where it was about channelling the mood of a free-spirited motorbike girl, with a tough, confident femininity, and Conner Ives, who had his hot-girl clothes define different feminine archetypes from The Cowgirl to The Groupie to America’s Next Top Model. It was a feverishly high-jinx bid for drop dead gorgeous in every sense of the phrase, because gorgeous, gorgeous girls wear clothes by the London clique.

Fetish Fashion

Getting into the nitty gritty, Christopher Kane employed leather harnesses, naughty bodices and rope to tie it all together this season. Edward Crutchley came through with upcycled leather platforms and nipple clamp earrings on nearly nude men. The star of the season was Richard Quinn’s hedonistic display where RuPaul’s Drag Race winner, Violet Chachki, walked a human pup on a literal lead, both in full latex, studded and harnessed get-ups. It’s not surprising that these carnalities would pop up in London in particular – this is a city known for its rising curiosity for sex parties and fetish festivals. It might not be Berlin but oh, what a buzz.

Milan

Leather Weather

Though this season was technically for sweater weather, the material that made the shows as stimulating as it was this time around was actually leather. The fabric, at some points vegan, worked its way into slick tailoring, slinky minis and buffed bags and coats. Prepped and primed for the cold season, Dsquared2 offered an edgy leather skirt over pants look in addition to its brown aviator bombers, while Sportmax took a more sensual approach with halter-neck tops and shifts or form-fitted frocks to bring the heat. At Versace it was short dresses, thick corseted coats and wide-leg trousers galore. Plus, Prada updated its outerwear with lux leather, oversized coats.

Sporty Corsetry

No longer reserved for the playing field, sportswear has finally infiltrated corsets. Versace offered updated underbust options with second-skin knits underlaid for full flexibility. Trussardi followed suit with foundational bodices working their way into coats and stretchy knits to take you from the gym to the gallery. At Balmain, sporty turned a little more sci-fi with padded corsets fit for either an American football player or a stormtrooper and at Gucci, Adidas corsets came bound the bust.

Neo Suiting

Of course, we couldn’t forget about the titillating tailoring that made waves on the runway this season. We love a good, tailored suit. For AW22, Gucci’s suits were anything but typical with one-arm blazers and glittering double-breasted tuxedos with studded leather cuffs. Meanwhile, Fendi took on slick mock-necks and cool crops and No. 21 swapped stuffy tailoring for shape accentuating blazers and overcoats with an edge.

Paris

A New Look at Layering

Over in Paris, luxury labels took a new look at layering with uniquely spliced threads and innovative styling decisions. At Louis Vuitton, scarves became skirts while boxy frocks sat on sweaters and double-layered jumpers (one worn and one tied around the waist) fell over chiffon ball gowns. Sacai took the road less travelled by putting pinstripe bustiers or camisoles on top of chunky wool jumpers and using classic white button ups as the base of belted, double-breasted blazers (sans-sleeves) on display. At Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood, clashing patterns cut together and overlaid made a big bang. There were skirts and jackets over dresses, eccentric chiffon veils and feathers on feathers on feathers.

Yeti Ready

With fashion bringing the legends to life, the latest or folklore was the abominable snowman – or in other words, the Yeti. In true snow-monster style, brands took faux fur and made it colossal with full-body bushy snowsuits to occasional fluffy accents. For Off-White, this monstrous aesthetic appeared as pimpy oversized fur coats and a baggy, shaggy, hooded unitard. Elsewhere, Ottolinger integrated furry flats and kitten-heels into its collection and Marine Serre sent an avalanche of fluffy headwear down the runway, keeping the snowman a little more subtle. Then at Rick Owens, woolly trimmings adorned the sleeves of bulbous coats and Fashion East alumni Goom Heo proposed a long-haired belt, balaclava and ball gown. With what the internet has dubbed Yeti boots dominating street style since the start of 2022, it’s no wonder these shaggy furs have wandered up the body to form full fledged monster snowsuits. Could this winter weather, scruffy style be the au courant apres-ski?

Monochrome Madness

At one of this season’s most iconic shows, the A-list models were pretty in pink, from head to toe. With every shirt, jacket or dress, Valentino made a case for monochrome. But this wasn’t the only brand that opted for such an eye-catching, one-colour style. Balenciaga showcased a load of all black alongside a yellow Canadian tuxedo and orange catsuits, while Saint Laurent and Dior matched their threads to their footwear. Over at Courrèges, Nicolas Di Felice opted for crimson on the catwalk.