The must-have accessories for autumn/winter 2022

"Give a woman nice shoes and she will conquer the world." Marilyn Monroe once said. The importance of the right shoe or handbag is a mystique that many people have been exploring for ages. The search is complex and full of possibilities that legions of stylists renew every season: with sculptural heels, low to the ground, patent leather, suede, coloured, with whimsical patterns, maxi, mini, cross-body, to be held in the hands like precious treasures or to be worn on the feet to chase our dreams with style and a light step. For autumn/winter 2022, Prada, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Burberry and other brands have decided to focus on statement accessories, spectacular details that can give a special twist to even the most anonymous and banal outfit: bowling bags, pointed shoes, sculptural heels, hoods, socks and tights, kinky boots and jewel items. Here are the must-have accessories for FW22.

Bowling bags

Louis Vuitton

Louis Vuitton

Louis Vuitton

Louis Vuitton

Lanvin

Dior

Bottega Veneta

Valentino

Prada

Prada

Sportmax

Sportmax

Miu Miu

Miu Miu

Givenchy

Burberry

Kenzo

Bowling bags are back as protagonists of our outfits, perfect for storing lipstick, keys, telephone, hand sanitizer and any other item we always carry with us. Pretty, comfortable, roomy and with a slightly retro charm, designers have come up with many different versions for next autumn/winter. The colors, sizes and textures change, but the coolness remains the same. Kenzo presented them in a floral version, while Burberry showed them in a maxi version and in its signature check. Prada introduced a minimalist version in candy shades of pink and green that fade to black around the edges; at Miu Miu, they are a pretty matelassé rectangle; at Dior, they are based on the silhouette of the typical bowling bag. Louis Vuitton plays with shapes and patterns, from the classic duffel bag covered with Maison's logo to precious mix'n match boxes. The most sophisticated bowling bags? Perhaps those with an old-fashioned allure from Sportmax.

Hoodie

Coperni

Coperni

Coperni

Dolce & Gabbana

Dolce & Gabbana

Dion Lee

Richard Quinn

Richard Quinn

Richard Quinn

If this winter has been dominated by the blaclava (a trend that according to Max Mara, Trussardi and Simone Rocha will remain for a long time), next year we will all cover our heads with a series of super chic hoods. This is confirmed by the latest fashion shows, where a mix of a desire for protection, mystery and vintage charm prevails, which in terms of accessories is translated into clothes that wrap around the upper part of the body, taking on an almost oval shape, a sort of fabric cocoon from which the face of Bella Hadid and the other models appearing on the FW22 Fashion Month catwalks emerges. Among the brands, the most interesting examples came from Coperni, Dolce & Gabbana, Dion Lee and Richard Quinn. Each of them proposed these theatrical headpieces that highly recall Cristóbal Balenciaga's cocoon effect creations. Less structured, more like religious veils were the hoods presented by Rick Owens, while Tom Ford's ones were a mix of 70s glam and athleisure.

Pointed shoes

Chanel

Chanel

Ferrari

Ferrari

Prabal Gurung

Saint Laurent

Saint Laurent

Coperni

Versace

Simone Rocha

Simone Rocha

Bottega Veneta

Pointed shoes are not for everyone. There are those who used to hate them back in the 90s and those who can't wait to start shopping and wear them from morning to night, filling every corner of the house and displaying them as pieces of art. If you belong to this second group, you will love the sharp silhouettes that have populated the catwalks of Saint Laurent, Ferrari, Prabal Gurung, Versace, Chanel and many other brands.  It doesn't matter if it's a boot, a sling-back, a pair of platforms, ballerinas or pumps, what matters is that the toe is narrow and tapered, like a sharp triangle with an irresistible charm for legions of shoes addicted.

Sculpture heels

Loewe

Off-White

Off-White

Prada

Fendi

Fendi

Bottega Veneta

Giambattista Valli

Giambattista Valli

Givenchy

Givenchy

Balmain

Balmain

Rick Owens

Valentino

Moschino

Just a few months ago, JW Anderson was inspired by surrealism to create a series of sandals with artistic heels in the shape of soap, eggs and rosebuds. For next autumn/winter, Loewe's creative director also played with details, bringing to the catwalk pointed suede pumps that, instead of the usual heels, reproduced balloons. The talented designer was not the only one to reinvent heels, turning them into contemporary sculptures that are cool not only worn on our feet, but also displayed on shelves at home, between a Joan Didion book and a Nick Drake LP, as if they were a precious piece of art to be loved, admired and preserved. The offerings for the coming cold season range from capital heels with a four-leaf clover at the base by Off-White to Giambattista Valli's crystal-covered ones, from Moschino's golden squiggles to Valentino and Bottega Veneta's sculptural platforms to the engraved double "F" on Fendi's heels.

Kinky boots

Emporio Armani

Emporio Armani

Dion Lee

Givenchy

Rick Owens

Ambush

Courreges

Coperni

Balmain

Philip Plein

Del Core

Act N°1

Isabel Marant

BDSM has influenced fashion for decades, but currently the trend is stronger than ever. Leather, vinyl and corsets are among the highlights of the FW22 collections, as are the kinky boots. The dominatrix in all of us will fall in love with the thigh-high boots by Ambush, Del Core and Emporio Armani, that with their particular cut-outs recall those proposed for SS17 by Marc Jacobs and currently part of his Heaven line. If you're looking for an original model, you should go for these cut-out boots which, according to G-club, are destined to fill our Instagram feeds and our winter 2022 wishlists. Equally perfect for awakening our Dita Von Teese side are the boots proposed by Givenchy, Courrèges, Act N°1, Balenciaga and Isabel Marant.

Socks and tights

Giambattista Valli

Giambattista Valli

Blumarine

David Koma

Miu Miu

Miu Miu

Kim Shui

Valentino

Simone Rocha

Dior

Blumarine

Coperni

Lanvin

Chanel

Chanel

Tom Ford

the Row

Victoria Beckham

Marine Serre

Are the years when our legs became bruised by the cold because fashion dictated that they had to be worn even in the middle of winter and with a meter and a half of snow, over? Well, maybe, because from the next FW season all the major brands are allowing us to wear all sorts of stockings. At Chanel the models wore them in wool, ribbed and brightly colored; Kim Shui opts for fishnet ones; Marine Serre makes them in tartan patterns and Lanvin in polka dots; while Dolce and Gabbana and Blumarine prefer sheer hold-ups. The return of the preppy trend and schoolgirl style coincided with a wide range of over-the-knee and knee-highs. We saw some cool ones at Dior, Miu Miu, Coperni and David Koma. The must-have, however, is to go for a total look in which every item, including accessories and socks, is a single color, a bit like we saw at Valentino, Victoria Beckham and Giambattista Valli fashion shows. The most daring model? The classic and so far ugly nude tights by The Row.

Jewellery items

Philosophy by Lorenzo Serafini

Philosophy by Lorenzo Serafini

Philosophy by Lorenzo Serafini

Philosophy by Lorenzo Serafini

Isabel Marant

Isabel Marant

N°21

Miu Miu

Miu Miu

Givenchy

MSGM

MSGM

AC9

AC9

AC9

Ludovic de Saint Sernin

They are not actually clothes or necklaces or body chains. They are beautiful, shimmering knits of crystals or woven pearls, which can be worn on bare skin like the top by Ludovic de Saint Sernin and Isabel Marant or the bra by Philosophy by Lorenzo Serafini. If the nude look isn't for you, but you want to try the bling-bling effect, you can take inspiration from the Miu Miu, MSGM, N°21 and Ac9 collections and wear these jeweled pieces over the clothes like ultra-chic armor. The more daring ones can take a leaf out of Burberry's book and wear them on the face as a very special jewel make-up.

Image courtesy of IMAXtree