This week, I finally noticed that the weather was starting to look a bit more like fall. I saw temperatures below 70°F for the first time in months, some fallen leaves on the ground, and the final 7 PM sunset of the year. With that, I knew my favorite holiday was approaching: the day I swap out my summer wardrobe for cozy fall clothes.
Fall is my absolute favorite season for many reasons. It has great weather, great holidays, and great food. But, in my opinion, the best part of fall is the cozy clothing and the types of clothes that I see trending every year. While I am always a fan of a classic chunky-knit sweater and baggy jeans, I also like to keep up with the latest fashion patterns and trends.
Fashion tends to follow a 20-year cycle where staple trends evolve over decades to be re-popularized. One example of this that is simple to recognize is seen with jeans – trends change from skinny to straight-baggy to ultra-baggy to flared or sculpted and then back to skinny again. This happens with every clothing trend and with that knowledge, I am going to propose my predictions for what to expect to see this upcoming fall season.
Before I get into the details of my predictions, I want to start with a broader prediction of trending colors. In 2006, Pantone’s color of the year was “Sand Dollar,” which influenced fashion to lean into neutral colors. The Pantone Fashion Color Report of Fall 2006 featured a mainly neutral palette sprinkled with a few jewel-toned colors, including “bijou blue,” which was the top color of the season. With that, I would certainly expect to see the popularization of neutral palettes with pops of color coming up this fall.
Additionally, the Fashion Color Report in Fall of 2006 included “red mahogany,” which is a deep, brown-ish red that I think is very similar to burgundy. While I think that rich colors are a staple to a fall wardrobe, there was also a rise in burgundy popularity back in 2015 when the color “marsala” was named color of the year. In my opinion, this is too recent to really see much of a resurgence of the color in fashion. However, 2006’s Fashion Color Report also featured a bright purple named “purple magic,” which is an unusual color for fall fashion. With all of that in mind, I would predict that the color for this fall will be a deep plum purple, which will gracefully replace the deep red we’ve been seeing for years.
Now, moving on to my predictions for clothing trends from 2006 I expect a resurgence of this year:
1. Cocoon Skirts: In 2006, Maison Margiela debuted cocoon clothes, which were bubbly and barreled in shape. At the time, this style was applied to dress, coats, and skirts. Now, I think we could possibly see a re-introduction of this style in midi skirts due to the short-lived popularity of mini bubble skirts seen this past spring and summer.
2. Berets and Newsboy hats: This was not a style introduced in 2006, but both were quite popular through the 2000s, particularly for young women. In the 2000s, these were often patterned with herringbone and made of corduroy or worn leather. I can absolutely see this making a comeback, particularly in worn leather. I am hoping we see the introduction of wool or cotton newsboy hats in popular fall colors.
3. Plaid: This is a bit more of a general prediction, but plaid was an incredibly popular pattern in 2006, and as a fan of the pattern myself, I am really hoping to see it popularized once again. I think we can expect to see this on the long, business-casual fabric and trench coats that have been trending in the past few years begin to adopt this pattern. I also expect to see it more and more as the “trad-wife” aesthetic increases the popularity of long, neutral-toned dresses that can easily work a plaid pattern.
4. Sweater dresses: These were huge in the fall of 2006, especially ones that were flowy rather than form fitting. It was popular to wear big, long, cozy sweaters over leggings and cinch the top at the waist with a wide belt to accentuate figure. I personally love this look, and I am excited for the chic but cozy outfits I can create with this maybe-trend!
I’m excited to see which of my predictions end up being correct! Even more so, it will be interesting to see what new trends emerge as entirely new looks or as evolved versions of historically popular items. Even if none of these predictions end up as looks I see around campus, I am beyond ready for fall fashion, whatever that may look like.