Alongside all the ravishing red, fuzzy fur and fairy-tale gowns, a decidedly more intellectual trend emerged from the autumn/winter collections, with a gallery's worth of artistic references on show.

Backstage, designers like Miuccia Prada and Burberry's Christopher Bailey chatted at length about the movements and modern artists who had inspired them - but that's where the similarities ended.

From stark architectural lines to soft, painterly florals and novel pop art accessories, this is a truly diverse trend, with something to suit, whether you favour feminine shapes or a minimalist aesthetic.

So, before we start thinking about party season, get ready for arty season...

BAUHAUS ROCKS

To balance out all the jolly sheepskin coats, at Prada, angular patterns were distinctly reminiscent of the Bauhaus, a movement founded in post-World War One Germany.

Traditionally rendered in black, white and primary colours, Miuccia Prada gave her geometric designs a multi-coloured makeover and the high street has faithfully followed suit, with dresses, skirts and trousers in similarly graphic fabrics.

With such busy tessellating textiles, it makes sense to keep the rest of your outfit on the minimal side, so pick one muted tone from your Bauhaus print - cream, maroon or khaki, say - and match block colour separates accordingly. A cashmere roll-neck is the perfect soft-luxe accompaniment to this art-meets-architecture look.

:: Red Herring Geo Print Dress, £35, Debenhams (www.debenhams.com, in store December)

:: Topshop Glitter Jacquard Pelmet Skirt, £36 (www.topshop.com)

BLOOMING LARGE

Called 'The Bloomsbury Girls', Christopher Bailey's collection for Burberry was influenced by painter Vanessa Bell, a member of the arty London set active in the first half of the 20th Century.

Flowing Forties-style dresses and the brand's ever-popular trenches became catwalk canvases, daubed with big, watercolour blooms and abstract, arty flourishes.

Take inspiration by day with a loose shirt dress in a blurred floral print, or a sporty flower-strewn sweater, lifting the look for evening with an eye-catching necklace.

Steal another styling tip from the Burberry girls: drape a large square silk scarf round your neck, cinch under a skinny belt at the waist and let the ends billow artfully around you.

:: Wallis Floral Print Shirt Dress, £65 (www.wallis.co.uk)

:: Burberry Brit Sweater, £350, Net-a-Porter (www.net-a-porter.com)

FAIR AND SQUARE

Founded by Pablo Picasso, Cubism was the forerunner to Bauhaus, an avant-garde movement that this season inspired the likes of Helmut Lang and British up-and-comer David Koma.

On the high street, Cubist touches are married nicely with the sport luxe look. Reach for irregular check shirts and printed trousers in black, white or navy, to pair with a dark slim-cut blazer and gold accessories for the office.

Introduce winter pastels into your wardrobe with a midi or asymmetrical skirt, and pair with a long powder pink or blue coat.

As with Bauhaus, don't mix your motifs - stick to a narrow colour palette and let the prints do the talking.

:: Next Swing Shirt, £28 (www.next.co.uk)

:: TK Maxx Asymmetric Skirt, £39.99 (www.tkmaxx.com)

POP CHARTS

It started with Chanel's supermarket chic - everything from milk cartons to grocery baskets, transformed into high-end arm-candy - then Anya Hindmarch got in on the action with her sell-out Larder Collection of cereal boxes and biscuit packets reimagined in leather.

The autumn/winter pop art invasion continues apace, with everything from lipsticks to donuts and champagne bottles to chocolate bars flying off the shelves - in clutch bag form, of course.

They may not be the most practical of accessories, but these poppy pieces are a fun finishing touch for a party ensemble, and give any all-black outfit a cool, arty edge.

:: New Look Black Chocolate Bar Clutch, £12.99 (www.newlook.com)

:: Lulu Guinness Red Lipstick Clutch, £350 (www.luluguinness.com)

GET THE LOOK

The Christian Dior AW14 collection was full of snug black dresses strewn with clusters of caviar beading and slashes in all the right places - and you could say the same of Next's new Premium Occasion range. The Sequin Detail Maxi Dress, £95 (www.next.co.uk), is the perfect balance of sophisticated and sexy.

BUY IT NOW

Luxury accessories site The Collective Boutique has teamed up with bag brand Zatchels to create a beautifully decorative design. Illustrated with Collective's magpie mascot, the Classic Leather Satchel, £89, is available exclusively from www.collectiveboutique.co.uk.

FASHION FLASH

:: ROLL UP, ROLL UP

Thirty years since its style zenith, the roll-neck is having a resurgence, with retailer JD Williams reporting sales of 3,000 per week. Touted as the top of the season, polo necks have recently been spotted on fashion's premier sales-drivers, Kate Moss and the Duchess of Cambridge.

RECESSIONISTA ALERT

Many a khaki jumpsuit can be found in the upmarket high street autumn collections (and once the new jumpsuit-filled Hunger Games movie comes out, you'll want one even more). Thing is, a piece this voguish doesn't have such great cost-per-wear potential, so H&M's khaki green Jumpsuit, £14.99 (www.hm.com), is a risk-free way to try the trend.