5 Womenswear trends for AW23 spotted at Just Around the Corner Manchester

Over the course of January 19 and 20, a variety of brands descended upon the trade show Just Around the Corner to display their autumn/winter 2023 collections. Clothing ranges reflected the frosty weather of Manchester, where the event was held in the city’s Central Convention Centre, a new, larger location for this edition. In the womenswear section, FashionUnited brought together some defining trends that look to be making a mark on the upcoming season.

Flashy zebra print

While collections were initially created for the colder months, that didn’t stop brands incorporating tropical prints and bold colours into their lines, offering up a cheery take on winter attire. A particularly prominent iteration of this trend was the use of colourful zebra print, for which brands presented a colourful twist on the staple animal pattern. This saw the utilisation of neon or bright hues that were merged into the print, switching up this monochrome design with a modernised take.

Sparkles and sequins

The autumn/winter season is typically the ideal time for partywear, with holidays providing shoppers with the perfect opportunity to dress up and go all out. This sentiment was mirrored in a wide number of collections at the trade show, where brands opted for either heavy embellishments or subtle sparkles for parts of their offering. Colour palettes ranged from pastel pinks and blues to earthier tones, like forest green or rust brown.

Quilted padding

While quilted jackets rarely lose traction during the winter period, for the upcoming season the technique was very much present in almost all collections. Brands offered up various methods for their coat lines, some with larger quilting, while others presented more intricate diamond shapes. Additionally, the style could also be spotted in sweaters and waistcoats, bringing an alternative take to quilting. Other iterations included the use of velvet materials and faux fur.

Lime green

Lime green was a tone that could be spotted throughout designer catwalks and collections for AW23. Its presence in JATC collections only further cemented that it is set to be one of the ‘it’ shades of the season. The colour itself merges yellow and green hues to create a vivid citrus tone. Its use could be seen in everything from partywear dresses to chunky knitwear to long-line coats, making it relevant for any garment type.

Block coloured knits

For knitwear this season, a defining style was the use of blocked off colours, typically seen with bright tones that contrasted one or more other contradicting shades. While patterns like checkerboard and argyle were fairly popular, it was striped block colours that really had a hold on collections, which were formulated using bright primary colours or a mix of pastels and vivid tones. The style also differed between chunky sweaters and button up cardigans, further expanding the range of the trend.