Paris yet again stunned with a packed roster of runway shows and presentations as the final stop of fashion month’s tour across the globe. After a season of talked-about collections in New York, London, and Milan, designers debuted their latest runway shows with some seriously show-stopping moments; a spray-on dress was made on Bella Hadid in real time on the Coperni runway; The Row yet again showed us the true meaning of minimal luxury; Saint Laurent brought out an A-list celebs including Hailey Bieber and Zoë Kravitz for a show set in front of the Eiffel Tower.
In between the viral moments were stunning runway looks—so impactful that we will continue to think about them at length. With fashion insider favorites including Miu Miu, Loewe, and Chanel on the fashion week calendar, it guarantees some of the buzziest trends of fashion month. After studying the runways, we’ve zeroed in on the 7 trends that have the biggest impact for spring 2023. Including everything from the new take on grunge to updates on suiting, and more, pencil these down because they are set to be huge next year.
On the street style scene throughout fashion month, we saw a return to pared-back looks reminiscent of the ’90s—a signal that women are interested in simplifying their looks and returning to streamlined staples. Fashion designers are aligned, showcasing sleek takes on basics including black mini dresses and sunglasses that are a nod to the minimal style of the decade. It’s especially noteworthy because we’ve seen a rise in ’90s fashion over the last year, but it’s full steam ahead into 2023.
Low-waisted silhouettes have been gaining traction over the last several seasons, but predominantly in the categories of pants and jeans. For S/S 23, however, skirts are the piece that will see their waistlines lowered. At Valentino, long low-waisted skirts were paired with second-skin tank tops for a cool take on eveningwear, while Chanel put a twist on their classic tweed skirt suits, this time with a low skirt to show a bare midriff.
Grunge fashion is one of the defining trends for fall 2022 and that will continue into spring 2023 in a major way. This time around, however, the looks feel less overtly angsty. At Chanel, choker necklaces and black lipstick are offset by bow earrings and a pearl-embellished maxi slip dress, and at Givenchy, ripped denim shorts are paired with a delicate ruffled chiffon top and a tweed jacket—the ultimate counterbalance of grunge pieces with “pretty”, dressier items. While this trend may be gaining traction on the runways for S/S 23, we’ve already seen this play out on the red carpets including the 2022 Met Gala where goth glam emerged as a micro-trend to know.
It comes as no surprise that Paris is the place where we see some of the big fashion houses experiment with couture-level craftsmanship and conceptual designs that push the limits. Loewe was an ode to the anthurium, showcasing dresses with larger than life flowers affixed to the torso—yet another take on proportion play from Jonathan Anderson. At Thom Browne, we witnessed equally enthralling levels of experimentation with mixed printed and intricate draping. This is an area to have fun and ignore fashion rules.
Designers in Paris made pared-back silhouettes beautiful, especially when it comes to dresses. Standout styles include tube silhouettes and dramatic gowns with delicate floss straps—simplicity at its best. The Row always shines in this department, but continues to prove their mastery of textiles and details that make their uncomplicated designs stand apart.
We named “pretty things” one of the noteworthy trends for F/W 22 and it appears that the trend is just getting started. Shimmering pink satin, bow-adorned socks, lace bralettes, and ruffled piping are just a few ways we’ll be seeing this play out for spring 2023. The standout detail to know, however, are the rosettes that emerged as a micro-trend this season.
Tailoring continues to get tweaked each season. While in seasons past, we’ve seen the major influence of menswear come into play with oversize silhouettes and boxy blazers, the S/S 23 collections included pieces with rounded shoulders, creamy beige colors, and soft to the touch fabrics that will usher in an updated take on suiting for 2023.
