In fashion: our favourite pieces from the A/W 2022 collections

From a balloon-shaped bra by Loewe to a pair of gravity-defying Alaïa heels, the best of the season ahead

 Fashion pieces by Prada.
Left, hat, price on request, by Raf Simons (left). Right, shirt, £4,500; trousers, £3,300, both by Prada. Fashion: Jason Hughes
(Image credit: Matthieu Lavanchy)

A balloon-shaped bra. A biker glove. A gravity-defying heel. Surreal and sublime, here are the 11 things Wallpaper* wants most from the AW 2022 collections.

Head on: Raf Simons (above left)

Inspired by the attire seen in Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s 1559 painting Netherlandish Proverbs, Raf Simons’ collection included a series of hats created with master milliner Stephen Jones – from fuzzy helmets to a cap that fell away into a cloak. 

New utility: Prada (above right)

Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons proposed a new menswear uniform at Prada, injecting utilitarian garments with glamour. Case in point, a shirt and trousers (reminiscent of a boiler suit) rendered in high-gloss leather, uniting function and elegance. 

Colour spectrum: Dries Van Noten

Fashion designer Dries Van Noten has channelled his mastery of colour into a new beauty collection, comprising lipsticks in 30 brazen shades of neon magenta, pumpkin orange and an ultra-saturated bruised raspberry called Latin Carmine. Mary Cleary

Model applies Dries Van Noten lipstick

Lipstick, £30, by Dries Van Noten

(Image credit: Matthieu Lavanchy)

Dye job: Celine

Celine’s Triomphe monogram has become a defining symbol of Hedi Slimane’s tenure at the Parisian house. Here, it adorns the latest iteration of the ‘Triomphe’ handbag, reimagined this season in fluffy shearling, tie-dyed to unique effect.

Model with colourful shoulder bag by Celine A/W 2022

Bag, £2,200, by Celine

(Image credit: Matthieu Lavanchy)

Tipping point: Alaïa

Feats of engineering and technical accomplishment have long defined the house of Alaïa. Creative director Pieter Mulier continues this legacy, encapsulated here in a pair of gravity-defying pumps with a slanted heel, screwed on Meccano-style.

Close-up of white shoe by Alaïa A/W 2022

Shoes, £1,100, by Alaïa

(Image credit: Matthieu Lavanchy)

Head to toe: Salvatore Ferragamo

Salvatore Ferragamo’s menswear collection offered top-to-toe dressing with lithe all-in-ones, and sweaters with hoods. Worn together, they provide a streamlined layer of protection against the elements, preparation for the change in seasons. 

Model wears red and black all-in-one by Salvatore Ferragamo A/W 2022

Sweater, £720; all-in-one, £1,085, both by Salvatore Ferragamo

(Image credit: Matthieu Lavanchy)

In season: Bottega Veneta

Matthieu Blazy’s debut as Bottega Veneta’s creative director was defined by his luxurious riffs on the quotidian, alongside playful moments, including this sequinned dress, recalling a kiwi fruit, sliced in half and ready to eat.

Model wears sequined dress by Bottega Veneta

Dress; boots, both price on request, by Bottega Veneta

(Image credit: Matthieu Lavanchy)

Below zero: Hermès

This sheepskin-lined parka by Hermès, designed to envelop its wearer through the winter months, is part of a menswear collection that saw creative director Véronique Nichanian encapsulate moments of ‘joy and softness, effervescence and elegance’.

Model wears parka by Hermes A/W 2022

Parka in Frost Blue, £18,000, by Hermès

(Image credit: Matthieu Lavanchy)

Petrol head: Dior

Dior’s creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri gave the opera glove a high-octane update this season, recalling motocross riders and video-game racers with an elbow-length motorcycle glove in vivid panels of coloured leather. 

Green, white and black Christian Dior glove, A/W 2022

Gloves, £1,790, by Dior

(Image credit: Matthieu Lavanchy)

Blow up: Loewe

‘A balloon creates tension, it will pop,’ says Jonathan Anderson of the Perspex balloons that provided a surreal flourish to his Loewe collection, whether squeezed between sandal straps or forming this bra, sitting atop a balloon-printed gown. 

Blow up: Loewe

Dress, £3,250; bra, £895, both by Loewe

(Image credit: Matthieu Lavanchy)

Call of the wild: Boucheron

Boucheron’s creative director Claire Choisne looked to the natural world for high jewellery collection Ailleurs – the ‘Feuillage Diamant’ cuff features aluminium strands woven around a green tourmaline as if they were blades of grass. Hannah Silver 

Call of the wild: Boucheron

Cuff, price on request, by Boucheron

(Image credit: Matthieu Lavanchy)

INFORMATION

A version of this article appears in the September 2022 issue of Wallpaper*, available in print, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today!

Fashion Features Editor

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. 

With contributions from