Autumn Style & Beauty Trends For Hong Kong

Fall is a somewhat fictitious season in Hong Kong, but these wearable autumn trends will walk you through 30 degrees in style

There’s nothing like the sigh of relief the city exhales at the first hint of a breeze. Despite our subdued seasons (you’ll still break a sweat walking to the MTR in January), the slight temperature shift offers style a bit more breathing room. Though new fashion collections traditionally fall under the Spring/Summer or Fall/Winter umbrellas, Hong Kong’s climate calls for more of a Hot/Humid option. Pair that with our relentless rain and enthusiastic air-cons, and it’s no surprise that we’re constantly fluctuating between too hot and too cold. Air-cons aside, we’re not letting the 30 degrees stop us from working a few autumn trends into our ensemble. From velvet camis and comfy colourblock culottes, to beaded bucket bags, metallic boots and our favourite autumnal beauty products, here are some easy ways to adopt a fall feel through Hong Kong’s heat.

Read more: Activewear: Affordable, Stylish And Humidity Tested Sports Gear For Women

A change in season is a great excuse to bring some new life into your wardrobe, and there’s no quicker way to upgrade than by adding colour. This autumn, shy away from the cliché of going grey by working bursts of colour into your look.

Shades to wear:

Peacock Teal: For silk dresses, oversized jumpers, and eyeliner.
Olive Green: For flowy skirts, hunter boots and complementing jade jewellery.
Mustard Yellow: For colourblock culottes, cable knit cardigans, bucket bags and modern gowns.
Pastels on Pastels: For a day-to-night modern, classic look.

Add an autumn feel without breaking a sweat in velvet or faux suede textures. One we are loving is the delicate Dion Lee camisole featuring a bare-it-all back and strappy crisscross shoulder straps to keep you cocktail-ready. Its plush texture adds a bit of an indulgent tone. For autumn shades, check out the midnight blue and wine red. As we head into winter, sport the look by pairing velvet camis with distressed skinny jeans and leather jackets. For comfy trousers, these velvet Juno Pants by Hong Kong designer Sarah Lai can be worn as loungewear or paired with heels and a silk cami to rock that pyjama-chic look.

When Hong Kong’s weather is fluctuating, statement jewellery is a fool-proof way to spark up any outfit. Bright colours, beads and tassels have added bursts of joy through summer, but we’re ready for a sophisticated upgrade. Structured accessories are bold statement pieces that tend to give a more polished appearance. Play around with warm copper (the understated bridge between gold and rose gold), ideal for chunky necklaces, statement earrings and modern watches. These mixed metal earrings from J.Crew merge a quirky architectural look with an easy-to-match colour variety.

Jewellery is also a great place to start exploring the benefits of investment pieces. With the clothing industry being the second largest polluter in the world, spending more money, less frequently, will make a positive difference to more than your bank balance. If you’re looking to find the right balance between investment and fair pricing, a watch from TRIWA is the place to start. The Ivory Svalan in Mint and Rose are two of our absolute favourites. Wear it with a candy pink coat and neutral shades to reinforce the pastels-on-pastels look this winter. Plus, the quality of TRIWA’s Stockholm-made watches and premium leather means it’ll continue to wear well through 2019’s seasons and beyond. 

Handbags are an everyday staple, so it can be tempting to prioritise practicality over play. This season is all about out-of-the-box bags that will help you carry a bit of fun into your day. If you’ve had your eye on STAUD’s now-iconic see-through bags, you’ll be pleased to know the transparent trend will be sticking around as long as you’ll have it. And whilst you’re experimenting with your chief carrier, beaded bucket bags, dimensional bags, dusty hued velvet bags and micro top handle bags are cute, quirky additions. For a more Hong Kong specific look, we are loving Meraki’s hand painted wooden clutches. The Hong Kong brand works with traditional Indian artists to create hand painted artisanal bags whilst upcycling customers bags with new life through stunning personalised art. As a social enterprise, it also works with a number of non-profits to help raise funds through fashion. Our all-time favourite designs are the White Flowers Wood Clutch and the White birds Wooden Clutch.

For the epitome of fashion-meets-function, this modern mini backpack from STATE won’t disappoint. The best bit? For every bag purchased, STATE hand-delivers a backpack full of essential tools to children in need.

From navigating puddles in rainy-day-approved footwear, to chasing Sai Kung waterfalls in our favourite eco-trainers, footwear can make or break a day. Up your shoe game, and have fun with styles you’d normally walk away from. Whether you’re after two-toned suede ankle boots  or crimson velvet slides, shoes can pull together an entire outfit. These stunning Sigerson Morrison open boots are a sure way to take a step in the right direction. With an amber gold shade and quirky cut-outs, these heels dance down the line between summer and autumn.

Hats, headwear, hair accessories, sunglasses? We’ll take the range. From confident coloured sunnies to bold (but dainty) body chains worn over clothes, there are plenty of eccentric Autumn looks worth talking about in the lead up to cooler weather. Whether you’re inclined to wear a seasonal coloured headband, pair an intricate summer-looking hair clip with an easy leather jacket, or stick to more minimalist clips and bands this season, Autumn is the time to start experimenting with headwear, hair and eye accessories.

Face:

In Hong Kong’s heat, do your skin a favour and invest in a quality primer to set the scene. Follow it with a lightweight SPF foundation (Benefit’s Hello Happy range caters to every skin tone) and top it off with Charlotte Tilbury’s new Magic Away Liquid Concealer – a “miracle stick” with concealing super powers in 16 shades. With Charlotte’s HK launch earlier this year, we got the chance to chat to Charlotte herself about getting the perfect glow. Get the bronze look even after the sun starts to fade with her new compact bronzing/blush sticks, perfect for a quick buildable colour pick-me-up that can be used on both your cheeks and lips. The subtle shimmer pigments form a light-diffusing formula that leaves a dewy, moisturised appearance, even as the weather gets dryer. Fenty Beauty’s creamy Match Stix Trio set is a slightly more cream-to-powder approach and lets you effortlessly conceal, contour, and highlight. If creams aren’t right for your complexion, Huda Beauty’s 3D Highlighter palette, based on Huda Kattan’s hack of layering oil with powder highlighter is worth checking out (you’re in luck, the brand just launched in Sephora Hong Kong).

Eyes:

Pair that with the Fenty Moroccan Spice Eyeshadow Palette, and your dusty fall hues are sorted. The range works with all skin tones and skin types, offering day and night variations ideal for fall. Working warm golds, matte taupe and a touch of cream shimmer is a subtle take that will always prove well for fall, but to make it a bit more 2018, opt for a colour pop. If you’re not readyto experiment with bold toned eyeshadow, eyeliner is an easy way in. Check out Shiseido’s new high-tech liners, inspired by Japanese calligraphy and made to stay put. The Hunter Green Kajal InkArtist is a fall favourite. Complete the look with Hourglass’s just-launched Caution™ Extreme Lash Mascara and your eyes are sorted. We can completely vouch for it’s smudge-proof rating.

Lips:

For your lips, you can’t go wrong with the NARS Full Vinyl Lip Lacquers. These pigment-rich creamy formulas will leave you drenched with intense colour, whilst Vitamin E leaves you hydrated and crack-free. For a matte alternative, the Powermatte Lip Pigment offers a fluid pigment that lasts all day, with colours like UNDER MY THUMB (Burgundy) and JUST WHAT I NEEDED (Burnished rose) as season staples. The quality pigmentation and wide range of colours available at NARS means that the new collections are pretty unbeatable.