A model walks the runway for Badgley Mischka during New York Fashion Week: The Shows at Spring Studios on February 08, 2020 in New York City (Photo by Angela Weiss / AFP)
Cover A model walks the runway for Badgley Mischka during New York Fashion Week: The Shows at Spring Studios on February 08, 2020 in New York City (Photo by Angela Weiss / AFP)

Fashion weeks over the past month have made red a key colour for the 2020-2021 fall-winter season. Ubiquitous on the catwalks of the world's fashion capitals, red has been presented in vibrant shades, like raspberry, garnet, poppy and cherry, in monochrome outfits and mixed with other colours, to breathe life into winter wardrobes.

Prepare to see red next winter, a season that will likely set aside muted colours that do not stand out from the crowd. The trend comes as no surprise when you consider that major fashion houses and designers have focused on strong, powerful and confident images of womanhood for the 2020-2021 fall-winter season.

From New York to Paris via London and Milan, red was on all, or virtually all the catwalks: occasionally only emerging in one or two silhouettes in a collection, or dominating in a series of looks. Passion, power, strength, rebellion, provocation, and brashness... Regardless of the significance attributed to it by designers, red will be bringing energy and flamboyance to end-of-year looks.

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A model presents a creation for Lanvin during the Women's Fall-Winter 2020-2021 Ready-to-Wear collection fashion show in Paris, on February 26, 2020. (Photo by FRANCOIS GUILLOT / AFP)
Above A model presents a creation for Balmain during the Women's Fall-Winter 2020-2021 Ready-to-Wear collection fashion show in Paris, on February 28, 2020. (Photo by Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP)
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A model presents a creation for Bottega Veneta's' Women Fall - Winter 2020 fashion collection on February 22, 2020 in Milan. (Photo by Miguel MEDINA / AFP)
Above A model presents a creation for Bottega Veneta's' Women Fall - Winter 2020 fashion collection on February 22, 2020 in Milan. (Photo by Miguel MEDINA / AFP)
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A model presents a creation for Alberta Ferretti's Women  Fall - Winter 2020 fashion collection on February 19, 2020 in Milan. (Photo by Andreas SOLARO / AFP)
Above A model presents a creation for Yves Saint Laurent during the Women's Fall-Winter 2020-2021 Ready-to-Wear collection fashion show at the Trocadero in Paris, on February 25, 2020. (Photo by Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP)
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A model presents a creation by Giambattista Valli during the Women's Fall-Winter 2020-2021 Ready-to-Wear collection fashion show in Paris, on March 2, 2020. (Photo by Christophe ARCHAMBAULT / AFP)
Above A model presents a creation by Giambattista Valli during the Women's Fall-Winter 2020-2021 Ready-to-Wear collection fashion show in Paris, on March 2, 2020. (Photo by Christophe ARCHAMBAULT / AFP)
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A model presents a creation for Gucci's Women Fall - Winter 2020 collection on February 19, 2020 in Milan. (Photo by Miguel MEDINA / AFP)
Above A model presents a creation by Rick Owens during the Women's Fall-Winter 2020-2021 Ready-to-Wear collection fashion show in Paris, on February 27, 2020. (Photo by FRANCOIS GUILLOT / AFP)

Vibrant red pieces were a feature of collections by Brandon Maxwell, Carolina Herrera, TOGA, Bottega Veneta, Chalayan, Giambattista Valli and Badgley Mischka, and even the most temperate designers added it to their looks in the form of accessories. A case in point was Victoria Beckham, who combined bright red boots with neutral coloured outfits in her collection. Saint Laurent presented a femme fatale dressed from head to toe in red, while Alberta Ferretti mixed it with other vibrant hues like purple and pink.

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A model presents a creation for Maison Margiela during the Women's Fall-Winter 2020-2021 Ready-to-Wear collection fashion show in Paris, on February 26, 2020. (Photo by FRANCOIS GUILLOT / AFP)
Above A model presents a creation for Maison Margiela during the Women's Fall-Winter 2020-2021 Ready-to-Wear collection fashion show in Paris, on February 26, 2020. (Photo by FRANCOIS GUILLOT / AFP)
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Model Kaia Gerber presents a creation for Versace' Women Fall - Winter 2020 fashion collection on February 21, 2020 in Milan. (Photo by Miguel MEDINA / AFP)
Above A model presents a creation by Dior during the Women's Fall-Winter 2020-2021 Ready-to-Wear collection fashion show in Paris, on February 25, 2020. (Photo by FRANCOIS GUILLOT / AFP)

In red and black

If there was one colour duo that figured large on the runways in the world's four fashion capitals, it has to be red and black. An inescapable combination that will likely be adopted by many converts next winter, which designers included in their collections in a variety of ways. Some opted to superimpose and combine red and black pieces, others added black edging, collars, and stripes to red garments, and still others combined the two hues in tartan, check, and houndstooth prints, most notably Dior, Balmain, Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, Proenza Schouler, Zadig & Voltaire, Elie Saab and On/Off.

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A model presents a creation by Dior during the Women's Fall-Winter 2020-2021 Ready-to-Wear collection fashion show in Paris, on February 25, 2020. (Photo by FRANCOIS GUILLOT / AFP)
Above Models present creations by Cypriot-born Turkish designer Hussein Chalayan during his 2020 Autumn / Winter collection catwalk show at London Fashion Week in London on February 16, 2020. (Photo by DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS / AFP)
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Model Gigi Hadid walks the runway for the Proenza Schouler fashion show during February 2020 - New York Fashion Week: The Shows at the Spring Studios on February 10, 2020 in New York City (Photo by Kena Betancur / AFP)
Above Model Gigi Hadid walks the runway for the Proenza Schouler fashion show during February 2020 - New York Fashion Week: The Shows at the Spring Studios on February 10, 2020 in New York City (Photo by Kena Betancur / AFP)
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A model presents a creation for Balmain during the Women's Fall-Winter 2020-2021 Ready-to-Wear collection fashion show in Paris, on February 28, 2020. (Photo by Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP)
Above A model presents a creation for Balmain during the Women's Fall-Winter 2020-2021 Ready-to-Wear collection fashion show in Paris, on February 28, 2020. (Photo by Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP)

Red tights

Red tights will be another major trend for the final months of this year. Offering a return to childhood for some and a daring new adventure for others, a host of labels, most notably Gucci, Tod's and Saint Laurent, made red tights a feature in their 2020 fall-winter shows.

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Model Kaia Gerber presents a creation for Tod's Women Fall - Winter 2020 fashion collection on February 21, 2020 in Milan. (Photo by Miguel MEDINA / AFP)
Above A model presents a creation for Alberta Ferretti's Women Fall - Winter 2020 fashion collection on February 19, 2020 in Milan. (Photo by Andreas SOLARO / AFP)
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A model presents a creation for Yves Saint Laurent during the Women's Fall-Winter 2020-2021 Ready-to-Wear collection fashion show at the Trocadero in Paris, on February 25, 2020. (Photo by Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP)
Above Model Kaia Gerber presents a creation for Versace' Women Fall - Winter 2020 fashion collection on February 21, 2020 in Milan. (Photo by Miguel MEDINA / AFP)

Finally, the new colour of choice is also making an impact in the world of makeup, which has been marked by an explosion of red in the latest collections. Red nails and scarlet lips are a contributing factor, but the colour is also emerging elsewhere. On/Off underlined the eyebrows of some of the models in its show in red, while red hair was a feature of some silhouettes in presentations by rag & bone and Rick Owens.