AllSaints' latest collection has the label moving with the times

A lot has changed for the British brand since it first opened its doors 20 years ago

Model wears grey knit £188, skirt £188; AllSaints, allsaints.com

The British brand AllSaints has been a fixture on the high street for 20 years, but it was a decade ago that it really peaked. That was the era of “Jesus” belts, which variously declared, through the medium of studded leather no less, that the Biblical Messiah “loves you” or simply “rocks”. Although the brand has remained in a strong position – operating in nine countries with almost 120 stores – it isn’t quite the leader of the rebel pack that it was in its heyday.

While the aesthetic of the brand remains faintly gothic and grungy, gone are the satirical touches and there is now a more secular bent to the collections. And who could blame the London-based design team for moving on?

After all – the current fad for expensive novelties from luxury goods houses on the catwalk notwithstanding – the fashion market has changed since those more tongue-in-cheek times.

Instead, at AllSaints there is a sense of clean, androgyny in the latest additions to the autumn/winter collection. Such classicism helps to justify the brand’s premium pricing which places it at the top end of the high street sector. There are trend-led pieces aplenty however, which include boxy leather backpacks and leopard print ponyskin pumps, but grey and black are the primary shades, with oxblood and camel providing alternative neutrals.

The brand has become known for its leathers, and as well as classic biker jackets it offers plenty of separates that are just the right side of sexy – think pencil skirts or skinny trousers. And the soft textures of new season knitwear provide the perfect counterbalance to the slightly sinful nature of such pieces.

How saintly your behaviour is, however, is entirely up to you.

allsaints.com