No prizes for guessing what the new black is. From grand pianos to patent pumps, fashion's most enduring trend has never lost its gloss — until now. Designers this season are shunning sheen in favour of the matt look. But whereas the latest trends usually emerge from the fashion houses of Paris and Milan, this new phenomenon has emerged from the most unlikely of sources: the auto chop-shops of America's West Coast.

“It's a trend that came from the custom houses in California. It's our most popular covering,” says Clive Sutton, whose luxury car dealership specialises in transforming the extravagant vehicles of London's elite with a matt black finish. Having your supercar decked out in matt black is the hottest trend in Hollywood, with stars like David Beckham, Justin Bieber and fresh-out-of-jail Lindsay Lohan all spotted driving them.

The result is a pared-down, stylish look that exudes quality — hence increasing sightings of Ferraris, Aston Martins and Rolls-Royces cruising through Knightsbridge draped in black.

It isn't just supercars, though — or even bikes like the fashionable Trek range. The matt look is everywhere, from make-up to iPads.

Lars Rasmussen is director of sales for Colorware (colorwarepc.com), a US company that specialises in applying custom finishes to high-end gadgets, and sales are going through the roof. “We offer a very wide variety of customised products, from iPhones to laptops to Segways,” he says. “Matt black is extraordinarily popular.” A matt black, high-end 3G iPad costs £786 or you can send in your own and have the finish applied for around £250. The service and ones like it are popular among fashion-conscious technophiles looking to add a personal touch to all-too-ubiquitous personal electronics.

If you are worried a new watch might look too shiny this season, a customised matt black Rolex Milgauss starts at £8,500 at Bamford & Son in London; they can also do matt black iPhones Pads and Pods (prices on application to info@bamfordwatchdepartment.com).

Fashion is, of course, firmly on trend: a host of this autumn's most desirable accessories, such as Alexander Wang's Rocco handbag, are matt. And when MAC released a matt black nail gloss earlier this year, eager fashionistas snapped it up.

No surprise the other leading make-up brands are following suit. “Matt is back in a big way this season with brands such as Bare Minerals, NARS and Chanel all launching matt finish products,” says director of beauty at Selfridges David Walker-Smith.

“Matt lipsticks in particular give a rich, sultry finish that works fantastically well with autumn/winter colours.”