Leather jackets, white boots and silk scarves are the top trends for autumn/winter

March 12, 2026 — 9:24

Australians hold a special place in the international fashion calendar. The autumn/winter 2026 ready-to-wear season has ended with the final fashion show at Paris Fashion Week, but while citizens in the northern hemisphere have to wait months to keep up with the trends, we can now choose the best looks at will, thanks to the autumn conditions.

Here are the pieces that will make you stand out in the international clothing trend.

Jacket: Easy rider

Dog poop, cigarette butts, body odor mixed with Diptyque’s Tam Dao perfume, and trench coats are generally guaranteed victories on the bingo card of Paris Fashion Week street style. While the military chic of classic trench coats has finally given way to the quiet rebellion of leather jackets, only three quarters of them are guaranteed this season.

Love Story actress Sarah Pidgeon outside the Loewe show at Paris Fashion Week. Getty Images

Mytheresa’s chief buyer Tiffany Hsu outside the Miu Miu show at Paris Fashion Week.Getty Images

Content creator Grece Ghanem in her oversized leather jacket from Saint Laurent.Getty Images

Leather coats worn over lace dresses and micro motorcycle jackets worn with dominatrix confidence over fitted leather skirts got the engines of the regulars in the front row running but missed the pole position. The undisputed leader of the pack were oversized jackets with manicured fingertips sticking out from the sleeves.

The top-heavy look was highlighted by: Love Story Breakout star Sarah Pidgeon wore straight-leg trousers, while Tiffany Hsu, chief buyer for luxury e-retailer Mytheresa, took the low-waist approach to cover her camisole and barely-there skirt.

You can follow Hsu and balance the masculine appeal of leather with feminine lace, or go the tonal route like microbiologist-turned-content creator Grece Ghanem and wear a simple black skirt to give your business a fierce look.

Boots: White stuff

In Paris, fashion editors were fighting over black heels with white trim or mint green toes in Chanel boutiques, but I’m not promoting violence or economic inflation on Australian shores.

Naomi Watts outside the Celine show at Paris Fashion Week.Corbis via Getty Images

Content creator Nicole Warne front row at the Gabriela Hearst fashion show during Paris Fashion Week.Getty Images for Gabriela Hearst

Bergdorf Goodman women’s fashion director Linda Fargo outside the Schiaparelli show at Paris Fashion Week.Getty Images

The white boots made an equally strong statement on the cobblestones of the City of Light, suggesting they could be just as durable dodging e-bikes on the streets of Melbourne or Sydney.

Normally worn as a retro nod to the glamor of the 60s, white boots are becoming an acceptable alternative to black boots. Australian actress Naomi Watts, who walked around Zimmermann, Jean Paul Gaultier, Mugler and Balmain at the Celine show, showed how it’s done by pairing her white shirt with boots and wearing a black jacket for contrast.

One of the few cool ambassadors of Australian style in Paris, Nicole Warne towered above a handful of creators clowning for photographers with a bag full of borrowed clothes. Authentically chic, Warne showed that white boots can be sophisticated when worn with the simplest of black dresses.

Linda Fargo, womenswear empress of US department store Bergdorf Goodman, has taken the head-to-toe winter white approach, but I guess she doesn’t have to pay for dry cleaning.

Accessory: Make it square

Many women, attracted to silk accessories by incorporating men’s ties into their wardrobe (still a trend), decided to go bigger by pulling scarves out of mothballs. What’s the best way to wear them well? Think of how Queen Elizabeth or a flight attendant in the 70s fumbled with a silk scarf and vice versa.

Hong Kong actress Elva Ni outside the Miu Miu show at Paris Fashion Week.Getty Images

Ukrainian model Viky Rader outside the Celine fashion show at Paris Fashion Week.Getty Images

Fashion editor Anna Dello Russo outside the Celine show at Paris Fashion Week.Getty Images

Instead of overthinking complicated knots, follow Hong Kong actress Elva Ni’s lead and wear a loose scarf around your neck, under a tailored shirt, with the knot at the nape of your neck, creating a dramatic tail above your collar. The key is to make the accessory look like a casual, last-minute addition to your wardrobe, even if you’ve spent hours practicing in front of the mirror.

Ukrainian model Viky Rader took an extra approach by tucking her scarf into her belt and trying to wave it like a flag for photographers. In real life, to avoid getting caught in revolving doors or getting your accessory caught in an Uber exit, strap it to your bag like ’60s style icon Babe Paley or use it in place of a belt.

The easiest approach to scarf styling is to wrap it loosely around your neck, under a jacket, to achieve a sophisticated silk look without needing to wear a blouse. Italian fashion editor Anna Dello Russo keeps hers in place with a chunky necklace, but a scarf loop offers a similar sense of security without straining the neck.

Above: Capture

“Turtlenecks for fall” isn’t exactly groundbreaking advice, but it’s all about how you wear them. The trick to staying on trend is to layer them as a base layer under work shirts and aprons.