Without sounding too premature, it’s become increasingly apparent that the chicest pieces this season aren’t in any way new. Instead, the tasteful pieces adorning the best dressers in fashion’s capitals are taking cues from the past, looking to the autumn trends that have made a comeback to build their stylish wardrobes upon. The easiest way to gauge? If your mum wore it before you were born, it’s probably chic now.
If spring was an exercise in serotonin-boosting, mood-enhancing silhouettes that made getting dressed fun, autumn is about distilling these qualities into wearable and chic pieces that make getting dressed easy.
As it turns out, the secret to striking this balance doesn’t stem from finding a new way to wear a tassel scarf, trying out a pillbox hat or wearing a skirt with a face on it. (Although these are certainly incredibly chic and well worth doing if you haven’t tried your hand at them already.)
Instead, it’s about investing in styles that have already proven their longevity, looking at forgotten pieces that were once regarded as the acme of taste and style, but have now fallen into the annals of sartorial history.
This doesn’t even include the trends that have fallen out of fashion’s favour over the past few years, with the chicest autumn comeback trends to crop up thus far making their return from the last century. Think: 1920s robes worn by Josephine Baker backstage after a cabaret at Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, 1970s kaftans adorned by Truman Capote’s “Swans” for lunch at La Côte Basque in the Upper East Side, ‘90s jewellery trends that you would’ve bought from Claire’s as a teenager.
To quote Justin Timberlake, another relic from the past that’s attempting a revival, what goes around comes around. And just because these pieces were popular once, it doesn’t necessitate that we exclude them in spite of this fact. Without further ado, uncover the key autumn trends that have made a comeback below.
5 Fashion Trends Making a Comeback for Autumn 2026
1. Arm Cuffs
Style Notes: As the cooling weather prompts us to start covering up our limbs with soft cashmere knits and structured cotton poplin shirts, arm cuffs offer a way to add dimension to your ensemble without feeling bulking yourself out with accessories. From the bicep bangles that dominated the ‘90s to the structural cuffs that defined the ‘70s jet set, slip this over a long-sleeved silk dress or use it to prop up the sleeve of your blouse.
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Adding depth and poise in a single piece.
This piece is made special with a screw-nut clasp adorned with sparkling white sapphires.
There is no arm cuff more chic than the Tiffany & Co. Bone cuff.
Chunky styles that are worn on the wrist are a great alternative to the slim styles worn just above the elbow.
2. Fur Stoles
Style Notes: After making an appearance on the Miu Miu autumn/winter 2025 runways, ‘20s-inspired faux fur stoles and collars are certainly going to be all the rage this autumn. Made from textured shearling, these are styles you can lie over the top of a blazer or coat to make any tried-and-tested piece of outerwear feel new. Plus, with an innate elegance, the simple act of wearing one will have you emulating your inner Daisy Buchanan.
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Cream is such a delicious colour for cool weather moments.
This will make anything you pair it with look far more luxurious, from funnel-neck track jackets to waisted leather coats.
The ribbon tie-up is simply too sweet for words.
You’ll own this piece for decades.
3. Kaftans
Style Notes: If spring was for channelling Carolyn Bessette Kennedy’s inimitable minimal wardrobe, then autumn will be about embracing the effortless glamour of Lee Radziwill’s socialite uniform. The most crucial shortcut to achieving this undone effortlessness is by switching out your autumn trousers for a wafty kaftan. Synonymous with the Halstonettes—an iconic cohort of women, including Elsa Peretti and Pat Cleveland, who wore and worshipped Ray Halston’s designs—these loose-fitting and fluid creations provide that one-and-done ease that only a dress can. This season, however, they’re being rendered in thicker fabrics and cool-weather-appropriate prints, particularly the covetable canary yellow style from Celine.
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Perfect for a slow summer day and cosy autumn evenings alike.
This is the type of piece you’ll wear to dinner, only to be the most complimented person at the table.
A very rich-looking autumn colour palette.
Coral is one of those shades that you can easily transition into autumn by rebranding it as pumpkin coloured.
4. Antique Robes
Style Notes: Evoking a sense of John Galliano’s spring/summer 1998 collection for Dior and Conner Ives’s autumn/winter 2026 show, antique-inspired robes are certainly back on fashion’s agenda for autumn. Whether embossed with delicate chinoiserie or accented by fur trims, these longline jackets instantly elevate a simple pair of jeans and a white T-shirt.
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Combine with other elevated basics like satin slippers and a scoop neck cami.
Because who wouldn’t want to swan around town in this?
The item on everyone’s wish list.
Channel Penny Lane in Almost Famous with this piece.
5. Camo Trousers
Style Notes: If dressing like a member of Destiny’s Child in the music video for “Survivor” takes your fancy, then allow the camo trouser trend to make its way into your autumn wardrobe. Endorsed by the likes of Gigi Hadid and Alexa Chung, this style offers a more trendy way to embrace khaki tones, whilst also emulating the Y2K aesthetic that’s dominated recent years.
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Kelly Rowland-core.
Trust East London favourite Peachy Den to offer their own version of the trend.
Pair with a raglan top and red-and-black flip-flops.
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