While it is never possible to fully anticipate what styles will blow up in any given year, especially with TikTok influencing many popular trends, we can make some assumptions based on this year’s catwalks. Inspired by designers like Sabato de Sarno, Peter Hawkings, Peter Do, Louis Trotter, Sarah Burton and Gabriela Hearst, here are some of the trends we can anticipate for the new year!
- All-Black
Black has always been in style. Unless you’re Anna Wintour, an all-black outfit is often considered stylish, sophisticated and classy. Little black dresses have tested the course of time and made it out alive. However, the 2024 spring and summer shows of Rich Owens, Jun Takahashi and Issey Miyake suggest that all black dresses fits will be more popular than ever come spring and summer.
- Slashes in Clothing
Slashes in clothes, such as sleeves being in tatters, originated in Early Modern Europe. 16th-Century artists like Bernardino Licino exhibited wealthy ladies in slashed fashions. Even Henry VIII was partial to such fashions! They were initially designed this way for ventilation and for military purposes. Later in history, slashes have been used by more punkish designers like Vivienne Westwood as means of defying fashion and feminine norms. We are expected to see more of this “undone-ness” as found in Peter Do’s spring runway. Many of these include slashes of the shoulders or the thighs.
- Gold, gold, gold!
Metallic gold is set to become one of the main trends of 2024. With designers like Rabanne and Miu Miu popularising this shade, metallic gold will be worn as both the centrepiece of outfits and as small details. A huge reason for the boost in metallic gold’s popularity is the Parisian 2024 Olympics where gold statuettes meet one of the fashion capitals of the world!
- Bows, as if we haven’t been loving them enough this year!
Bows and hair ribbons are set to remain popular accessories in 2024. Bows have been popularised on TikTok, particularly with the coquette trend of people amusingly placing beautiful bows on less beautiful things, such as TV remotes, pasta and phones revealing texts from exes, often alongside a Lana Del Ray audio. This trend hints towards women’s desire to feminise the mundane. Celebrities like Sarah Jessica Parker at the NYC Ballet Gala and Sydney Sweeney at the 2023 Met Gala have contributed to this Cottage Core trend. This trend will carry on, most likely seeing colours like pink and white being popular in spring and summer. Bow accents added to clips; blouses; ballet flats and jewellery will also be popular.
- Polo Shirts!
In my opinion, Polo shirts will run out of style! However, designers like Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Miu Miu and The Row are continuing to popularise the sporty yet academic look!
- Low-Rise Jeans
The ‘90s and early aughts have been back for a while, and it looks like low-rise jeans (think Destiny’s Child and Sex and the City) will be majorly in style in 2024.
- The Ornate White Dress
Feathery; densely-worked; sheer; decorative; lacy and floral white dresses have been shown on runways by designers like Balenciaga, Valentino, Stella McCartney, and Michael Kors, proving that white isn’t just for weddings!
- Drop-Waist Skirts
Instead of belts and high-waisted skirts that emphasise your waistline, high-waisted silhouettes appear to be taking over. Look to designers like Prabal Gurung and Philip Lim who have been presenting such designs!
Of course, we will never be able to accurately anticipate fashion trends year-by-year but we cannot wait to see more exciting trends like this occurring in high fashion and high-street fashion!