Absolutely London

AW17 Micro Trend: 6 Rainbow Buys for September

Taste the rainbow and inject some fun into your autumn wardrobe with this season’s most colourful fashion trend

Words Joy Montgomery

They had a moment back in 2016, colour-washing both Chanel and Sonia Rykiel’s Resort shows in a spectrum of stripes; meanwhile a love for all things unicorn has transformed everything from bagels to braids into a riot of swirling colour. Thought the rainbow stripe was old news? Well, it’s time to gird your loins, because they’re back for AW17.

With ’70s style set to become this season’s hottest trend, for 2017 rainbow stripes come with a generous serving of nostalgia. Madeleine Thomas’ retro-cool Bebe jumper – spotted on Poppy Delevgine and Pandora Sykes – sold out almost instantly after it appeared on the Selfridges website earlier this month. Meanwhile Alessandro Michele (a real champion of the rainbow effect) embellished a pleated midi with iridescent stripes, offering the perfect quirky companion to this year’s statement tee. Lesser-known designer Sara Battaglia, meanwhile, applied the trend to accessories, with rainbow hues taking her bucket and cross-body bags to a whole new vibrant level.

They ain’t subtle and they ain’t refined, but one thing’s for sure, a rainbow stripe will certainly brighten up a cold autumn’s morning. What better way to welcome in the new season?