The good, the bland and the ugly in fashion this autumn

Confused by trends, clueless about culottes and clunky shoes? Our fashion forecaster Annmarie O’Connor is here to help.

It’s October and it’s wet. It’s also somewhat humid; not the brisk clime with which one associates late autumn. Call it an Indian summer hangover. Call it global warming. I prefer the term ‘sartorial limbo’.

Just when you thought it was safe to leave the house in a wool coat and boots, the sun arrives unannounced, like loud in-laws on a Sunday morning, prompting much in the way of perspiration, discomfort and general confusion. Not to be bested by the crafty harridan that is Mother Nature, fashion forecasters have responded to our purgatorial cries with a redux of trends that are experiencing a popular revival.