When the last few years are, one day, referenced as the distant past, there will always be, through the lens of fashion (among many others, of course) before and after 2020. The latter has, up until now, been characterized largely by two sartorial shifts: one that prioritized comfort and, contrarily, one that prioritized expression. Now, with a recession looming, designers understand consumers are shopping for pieces built, and aestheticized, to last. Enter: a handful of Fall 2023 collections to commence the shift.
On the runways, said scaling back manifested itself differently from one designer to another. Some traded color for neutrals, while others forwent another print-heavy collection. For others, it was more of a shift in attitude — A maturation, a refining of silhouettes, with some brands even dedicating an entire collection to the working woman, or taking special care to introduce its offering to that woman. Meanwhile, a subset of designers teetered the line of both worlds — fun, but versatile; safe, but intriguing; staple, but not without a hint of statement. In some way, both ends of the spectrum are accurate depictions of the zeitgeist. To pull back from the hyper maximalism of season’s past was inevitable, but if fashion is mirroring the state of a generation that’s, in such little time, endured one culture and society-shifting event after another, reverting back to the prim and polished (so to loosely speak) is a slow, non-linear process.
Ahead, more on the trends defining the Fall 2023 season.
DARK, ROMANTIC LACE
PHOTO: ALESSANDRA RICH
“Skin is in” has been the phrase seemingly on the drawing boards of a plethora of designers for a number of seasons now. Traveling from cut outs, to nostalgic mini skirts, then to sensual, sheer fabrics, see-through, lace is the latest iteration of the trend to sweep the runways. It comes mostly with hints of Victorian inspiration in dark hues such as that of the balloon-sleeve dresses at Frederick Anderson and high-neck gowns at House of Aama. Other designers, such as Anna Sui and Rodarte offered up mixed media styles that paired black lace with silk fabrics for an end result that, with nods to nightgowns, ended up as romantic as they were dark. Then, some designers subverted the idea of lingerie as outerwear entirely, with Wiederhoeft using sequins to create the look of a lace bra, underwear and garter being embroidered onto a sequined shift dress, while at Fendi, the actual front panel of a lace and satin cami gown was layered onto the front of a button-down collared dress.
TAILORING
PHOTO: GUCCI
With the general consensus that minimalism is back buzzing around the fashion community, an emphasis on tailoring at houses where such elements had recently taken a back seat is perhaps a tell-tale sign. Sharp shoulders made an unexpected appearance at Diesel (a blazer and skirt suit set with denim trompe-l’oeil extends an invite to the customer looking for experimental workwear), Prada and Miu Miu simultaneously pivoted from mini skirts, cropped tops and sheer dresses to collections focusing primarily on suits, everyday cardigans and good outerwear, and at Balenciaga’s first presentation post-controversy featured 12 looks on its front-end that focused on tailoring alone. The switch indicates that even if the luxury customer is shopping smarter on the brink of a recession, it’ll be in extremely posh taste .
FRINGE
PHOTO: MICHAEL KORS
As the Y2K rebirth nears its inevitable end, the resurgence of the 2010s on the runway introduces itself as an equally polarizing trend. Skinny jeans beg to re-enter the trend cycle, while an ongoing “will they / won’t they” discourse surrounds what looks to be the resurrection of the peplum, and on the Fall 2023 runways, fringe was the most prevalent trend of fashion’s past to reappear. Brands such as Roberto Cavalli and Jason Wu were purveyors of the most true-to-form, bohemian-in-nature variations of the style, while knit maxi dresses and skirts at with wide, flat fringes at Michael Kors and Proenza Schouler feel like modern takes on the trend that are more likely to result in a consumer hit.
LEATHER SETS
PHOTO: BRANDON MAXWELL
Fashion so often operates with a pendulum-like swing, and how designers have navigated leather and denim in recent years makes a solid example. There’s no denying that, amid the 2000s revival, innovative denim took priority on the runways over clean leather (think Diesel, Y/Project and Blumarine), but as fashion enters a period of refinement where the classics take the front seat, there’s room again for leather pants, and thus leather sets, to reign. Just ask Coach, Brandon Maxwell and Elena Velez.
NODS TO PUNK
PHOTO: BURBERRY
Even on the brink of a minimalist revolution, many aren’t ready to let go of the spirit of blissful undoneness or the current moment in fashion, brought on by way of styles inspired by the ‘90s, early aughts and the indie sleaze era. Some of the brands opting against stripping down completely this season took the moment to pile on punk references instead (in many ways, it feels like the natural progression from the niche micro trend of rockstar-girlfriend dressing). Moschino’s latest presentation was a full on ‘80s punk affair, with everything from leather moto dresses and maxi skirts, to chain belts and faux-hawks dotting the runway, while Daniel Lee’s debut at Burberry saw the brand take a (posh, but) grungey turn, subverting its classic check print (usually a palatable tan) to darker violets, greens and reds, and pairing it with baggy, graphic-printed crewnecks. There were hints of pink inspiration at others as well, such as studded leather accessories at Blumarine, and dark plaid paired with tulle or fishnets at Maison Margiela.
PERFORATED PRINTS
PHOTO: VALENTINO
A few seasons ago, and for a long while, a number of the most visible fashion trends were heavily print and color-driven. For instance, Bottega Veneta’s green, nostalgic psychedelic prints, and the list goes on. Now, in the name of more uniform options, designers are pivoting to more versatile ways to create visual elements that stand out, such as shape and silhouette. This manifested on the runways this season with “perforation print,” wherein designers created patterns in their garments using a hole punch-like technique. Already recent signatures of brands such as Off-White and Maisie Wilen, the style picked up more classic adopters as well, such as Valentino (there was a diamond-holed maxi cardigan at its Fall 2023 show) and Gucci (a black pencil skirt with crystal-rimmed, teardrop cutouts).
NECKTIES
PHOTO: DAVID KOMA
Lately, the lines drawn between womens and menswear blur further with each passing season, the biggest example across various Fall 2023 collections being the crossover of the necktie. It’s a trend spilling over into three major happenings in current fashion: The Wednesday-effect (the black and white school-girl costume design of Netflix’s hit Jenna Ortega-led Addam’s Family spin-off no doubt had a palpable effect on Gen-Z fashion, now regurgitated on the runways), returning to the basics (what’s more classic than a suit and tie?), and the industry’s ever-evolving reckoning with de-gendering clothes.
TIGHTS
PHOTO: COPERNI
Novelty pieces created with no regard for cost-per-wear may be seeing their way out of the spotlight to make room for fashion staples, but just as “in” as those staples is the idea of accessorizing them. Most especially, with tights. There was no shortage of designers making a case for the idea that the legs are the greatest real estate for upping the interest-factor of a given outfit — Coperni styled bright red tights under a brown fur coat and mini dresses; Miu Miu’s roundup of colored tights included an aqua blue, burgundy, lime green and salmon pink; Gucci’s, a true purple, a powder blue, orange, red, bubblegum pink, and a highlighter green; Meanwhile, there were fishnets from a number of designers this season, including Dilara Findikoglu and Moschino.
FLORAL APPLIQUÉ
PHOTO: YUHAN WANG
One might note that while runway collections remain seasonally labeled, styles and trends that were once reserved for fall often find their way into offerings for spring, and vice versa. Emphasis on 3D floral appliqués, for example, might be most expected in the springtime, but it turns out they’re one of the more prevalent markers of the upcoming fall season, according to the runways. A romantic, almost campy, feminine and subtly maximal trend fronted largely in recent seasons by brands such as Blumarine and Magda Butrym, this season saw it explode in a different way. There was a tulle tank, striped with 3D flowers at Tia Adeola, floral nipples at Nensi Dojaka, and David Koma, and Puppets and Puppets (all of which happened to be red), and knit briefs with giant, bulging roses at Yuhan Wang. Jil Sander’s idea of the trend was more elevated, with a sheer maxi dress covered in ivory flowers, and a rich cape coat with brilliant floral cutouts.
THE MICRO BRA
PHOTO: VAQUERA
If recent trends such as briefs, mini skirts that are actually belts, belts that are actually tops, and jeans that are actually handbags — just to name a few — are any indication, today’s fashion isn’t always rooted in practicality (and whether it’s for art’s sake or for speculation’s sake remains a different question). Case in point: Micro bras were omnipresent on the runways this season. Gucci and Kim Shui presented styles incorporating bedazzled versions of their respective logos. Midway through GCDS’s collection, a tiny, bow-nippled bra peaked out of a tweed blazer, with a leather pencil skirt on bottom. And at Vaquera, a strapless, cone-shaped silk mini bra and silk trousers opened the Vaquera show. Though little else is, how the trend will translate to mass-wear is still left to the imagination.
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