Vogue Shops
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Looking at the season’s key runway trends is an easy starting point when searching for the perfect dress for cooler climes. In Vogue’s autumn/winter 2026 dress trend round-up, Alice Cary noted that “Matthieu Blazy made a case for the return of the drop waist with V-neck, relaxed silhouette dresses at Chanel’s autumn/winter 2026 show. Miu Miu featured several looks built around slimline trousers during the first chapter of its show, and closed with ’20s-esque, lingerie shift dresses with embroidered, gossamer-thin chiffon overlays, offering a varied set of outfit ideas for its customers to take into the new season.”
Other notable trends included layered dresses à la Prada, which feel particularly well suited to colder weather, and autumn/winter florals, which return to the fashion conversation year after year. Sheer fabrics, delicate lace and gauzy silk offered a more romantic counterpoint, while a host of scoop-neck, body-con styles delivered the same throw-on-and-go appeal as summer’s slip dress, reimagined in more substantial fabrics.
If longevity is the priority, fabric deserves as much consideration as silhouette. Wool, sturdy cotton, denim and leather are all worth looking out for, offering texture and structure alongside a little extra insulation. A long-sleeved knitted maxi, a collared shirt dress or a minidress cut from structured, lined wool can all earn their place in a hardworking autumn wardrobe. Lighter styles needn’t be ruled out, either: a sheer or silk dress can work just as well in the colder months when layered over a fine-knit top or beneath a tailored blazer.
Alongside transseasonal neutrals such as black, white and chocolate brown, the autumn/winter 2026 collections embrace richer seasonal shades, including burgundy, jewel-toned emerald, sapphire and amethyst. Scroll on to discover our edit of the best dresses to invest in for autumn 2026 and beyond.
The winter maxi
Marks & Spencer
Animal Print Lace Insert Maxi Dress
Me + Em
2-in-1 Maxi Dress
COS
Pleated Jacquard Sleeveless Maxi Dress
H&M
Halterneck Maxi Dress
The collared dress
Boden
Una Collared Denim Midi-Dress
Veronica Beard
Evren Corduroy Minidress
Allsaints
Noora Silk-Viscose Minidress
Barbour
Carville Midi-Dress
The knitted midi
A.W.A.K.E. Mode
Merino Wool Argyle Midi-Dress
H&M
Draped Knit Midi-Dress
WHISTLES
Knit Hybrid Lace Trim Midi-Dress
Allsaints
Kayla Merino Wool Midi-Dress
The structured mini
Burberry
Check Wool Linen Blend Dress
& Other Stories
Pleat-Detail Layering Dress
COS
Double-Faced Wool Blend Minidress
Veronica Beard
Haworth Floral Minidress
Winter florals
Dries Van Noten
Crinkled Satin-Trimmed Floral-Jacquard Crepe Midi-Dress
WHISTLES
Shadow Floral Midi-Dress
J.Crew
Natasha Floral-Jacquard Viscose Slip Dress
Marks & Spencer
Floral Scarf Detail Midi-Dress
Jewel-tones
COS
Draped High-Neck Maxi Dress
Marks & Spencer
Satin Pleat Detail Midaxi Waisted Dress
Miguelina
Embellished Crochet-Trimmed Silk-Blend Satin Maxi Dress
WHISTLES
Avery Satin Twist Dress
The LBD
Marks & Spencer
Satin Scarf Detail Mini Shift Dress
Reiss
Draped Sleeveless Minidress
Vivienne Westwood
Sunday Floral Jacquard Minidress
COS
Leather A-Line Minidress
The silky slip
L'Agence
Akiya Satin Maxi Dress
Simone Rocha
Lace-Trimed Satin Midi-Dress
Nili Lotan
Cami Silk-Charmeuse Gown
Massimo Dutti
Flowing Satin Finish Midi-Dress
FAQs
What are the autumn/winter dress trends of 2026?
This season’s runways encourage you to wear not one dress but two, so there’s never been a better time to stock up. Directional dress styles we spotted included body-contouring scoop-necks, warm-toned winter florals and vibrant jewel-shades, but if you’re looking for true investment pieces, there are some classics that never let you down, namely the LBD and the Carolyn Bessette-coded slip dress. The type of dresses that you buy once and wear indefinitely, whatever the season.
What are the best dress brands to shop?
When it comes to dress shopping, there are a select few designers that strike the fine balance between design, quality and price – the kind of insider brands that make collections with a unique design language, but without the luxury RRP.
What unites them all is a certain ease: Dôen for romantic styles, Dries Van Noten for unexpected prints, Staud for clean silhouettes, Réalisation Par for the only slip dress you’ll ever need and Whistles for silhouettes that feel dressed-up with no effort required.
Then there’s the ubiquitous brands which you can rely on for a wedding guest dress – Rixo, Reformation – as well as high-street stores which deliver a couple of Vogue-approved silhouettes every season – M&S, Cos and H&M.