Apples ripe for picking, a glut of Netflix greatness and offspring now someone else's responsibility all day... September is excellent for many reasons. For a fashion lover like me, its biggest appeal is that it ushers in a new season, offering the chance for a sartorial refresh. Shops finally ship out the jumble of sale items (they've been looking low-key ransacked for weeks) and replace them with tantalising fresh stock. Thick issues of style magazines hit the shelves, promising the possibility of a chicer new you. It's a chance to reinvent and rejuvenate. After a summer of being undone and relaxed, who doesn't relish feeling glossy and groomed?
But this autumn, there's a threat to the delight. Many of the trends are challenging. Either deliberately frumpy or the exact opposite – dauntingly outré. Easier to wear if you are sub-30 with modelesque proportions. Not so if you are a few decades older than that, with areas you might be less than keen to expose. Plus, let's face it, it's harder to look "ironically middle-aged" if you are actually middle-aged.
How to wear 2025's autumn trends in midlife
Fear not, here are three of the hottest, but trickiest, new trends, and how to style them as a midlifer/mere mortal.
1. Nighties as dresses
Silk/satin slips with lace detailing are in every A-lister's wardrobe right now. These slinky dresses are most covetable in jewel tones or pastels and are a) undeniably sexy, and b) undeniably unforgiving of lumps or bumps.
If you are bothered by such things, wearing a body-smoothing suit under them (I like the M&S or Skims offerings) will keep your silhouette sleek. Then make the look modern by dialling down the overt femininity of lingerie-as-daywear with chunky accessories. Think block-heeled shoes and a sizable slouchy leather bag. Pair your slip with a faux-fur coat (another major trend) or a cardigan.
2. Frumpy
The look we should all be aiming for this season, according to Vogue? "High fashion frump." According to them, "dowdy" and "drab" are adjectives to which we should aspire. The clothes to invest in are tweed A-line skirts, granny cardigans, pointelle or Argyle sweaters, baggy dresses and librarian blouses. But how to wear it without looking like an actual frump? A ladylike top-handle bag provides an easy entrance into the trend for the nervous.
If you are tempted by unflattering skirt shapes, pair them with something sleek on top (a sheer blouse, fitted body suit or a tight knit cardigan). And belt baggy dresses and coats. Then up the overall sexiness by accessorising with statement jewels and sassy kitten-heeled courts.
3. Leopard print
For anyone over 40, leopard print still has a lingering association with the Coronation Street barmaid Bet Lynch and Rod Stewart's spray-on trousers – think cheap, brassy, showy. Well, exorcise those thoughts from your mind. In 2025, leopard is chic and on trend.
At the AW25 shows, it was everywhere from Saint Laurent to Versace, featuring on pencil skirts, shoes, coats and bags. Many of the designers went head to toe with looks (Fendi), but if you are sceptical, start with accessories, then progress to clothes.