Whenever I’m interested in finding out where the future of shopping is headed and how runway trends will play out IRL, I always turn to retailers for insights about what will actually be landing in stores and on the virtual shelves. After all, while there are plenty of directional fashion looks that make it onto magazine covers and the red carpet, those items don’t always translate to what shoppers want in their carts and what hits the market.
To get a preview of spring fashion for the season ahead, I tuned into a report from Net-a-Porter’s Chief Buying and Merchandising Officer Lea Cranfield, and Market Director Libby Page, who distilled exactly which trends the retailer is betting big on. Their shortlist includes everything from the most important color of the season to the way florals will actually be groundbreaking this spring, backed up by data and their expert opinions. Ahead are the five spring 2023 trends that are about to be major, according to Net-a-Porter.
For several seasons, we saw an emphasis on everything from dopamine dressing to Valentino PP Pink that embraced the mood of joyful dressing. For spring, we’re seeing a shift as designers have moved to simpler, more restrained fashion. This rise in quiet luxury puts an emphasis on pared-back elegance—a message that rang clearly on the runways at brands such as The Row, Bottega Veneta, and Jil Sander.
While quiet luxury pieces are steeped in subtlety, there were also some eye-catching magpie moments in the S/S 23 collections. Glistening sequins pieces took the form of dresses at Nensi Dojaka, which proved to be one of the most popular collections of the season. There were also pieces that were notably simpler such as tailored trousers at Valentino and bralette tops LaQuan Smith that suggests we’ll be seeing more wearable versions of sequins this spring.
We’ve heard it before: Florals are hardly groundbreaking for spring. What makes them different this time around, however, are their three-dimensional shapes—a departure from typical floral prints. At Prada, Loewe, and Acne Studios, rosettes and anthuriums took on dramatic sculptural forms—a detail found on everything from dresses to shoes to decorative belts. Kendall Jenner recently endorsed the trend when she wore a Ludovic de Saint Sernin dress finished with an architectural flower at the neck, fueling our bets that 3D flowers will be the new “pretty” trend to take over this spring.
All-black outfits dominated the collections in a major way. By the numbers, there were over 4000 black looks walking the runways, including Valentino’s show that dedicated over half of its looks to the color. Much like the movement to “quiet luxury” in designer fashion, this speaks to an interest in the color amongst shoppers who are focused on building foundational wardrobes and making smart investment buys. Net-a-Porter has already seen this translate to shopping habits with over 30,000 black fall and winter products sold across the retailer and expects the momentum to continue into spring.
Net-a-Porter saw a +600% increase in searches for “sheer tops” during fashion month compared to previous months—a clear sign that there is an appetite for transparent clothing that goes beyond the runways. This played out in the S/S 23 collections in a variety of ways, but Net-a-Porter is investing in the trend most heavily in the eveningwear space with styles ranging from see-through dresses to translucent heels.
Next: 11 Quiet-Luxury Bags That Are Low-Key, Anti-Trend, and Peak Cool