Here at Who What Wear, we focus a lot of our energy on the biggest trends of the season, and while we’ll never stop covering the heavy hitters, there are several micro-trends worthy of honorary mentions. While these aren’t causing major style moves yet, we firmly believe that it’s only a matter of time until they graduate from micro to macro or, in other words, from niche to mainstream.
After hours of online shopping (all in the name of research!), I’m sharing the micro-trends on my radar at the moment. I’ve spotted these pieces on the feeds of the most influential women I know and stocked at several key retailers, which tells me that each is on the brink of becoming huge. From the floral embellishments that were all over the 2023 runways to the striped sweaters that everyone in Paris is wearing right now, keep reading to for fashion’s most exciting micro trends of fall 2022.
While leather jackets are a fall fixture that refursace every year, this season’s trend landscape is bringing a range of cool updates. Among them are sleek jackets with minimal hardware and front-zip closures that are reminiscent of the ’90s. The beauty of these toppers is in their simplicity—style one with other basics like jeans and a white tank for an easy but of-the-moment feel.
From New York to Paris, the spring/summer 2023 runways were flooded with one pretty little detail: rosettes. We spotted these 3D floral embellishments across plenty of collections, from Prada’s rose-adorned totes to the floral chokers that featured in Mirror Palais’ debut runway and the satin floral update Sandy Liang made to her ballet flats. It may be a small detail, but I’m certain it will make a big impact—and with rosette pieces already hitting the market there’s no need to wait until 2023 to wear it.
Once deemed a “tacky” finish, metallics are back and even better. From patent handbags to silver slingbacks, it’s all about metallic accessories right now that make any outfit really pop.
I was predicting that denim midi skirts would make a resurgence this fall, and Bella Hadid’s recent outfit in Paris confirmed it. I’ve since been spotting the piece on the Instagram feeds of my favorite stylish women and cool versions stocked at Mango and Reformation, which tells me it’s on the rise.
I had a feeling that striped sweaters would be having a moment this fall but this viral TikTok only confirmed that the knit is already proliferating on the streets of Paris. Here in New York, I can confirm it’s getting just as popular as the weather cools. The simple item lends a preppy, polished feel and even the affordable versions look luxurious, so it’s not hard to understand its mass appeal.
Nobody has an influence on our wardrobes quite like Bella Hadid does and while plenty of her outfits have singlehandedly sparked widespread trends, some of her more experimental styling choices fall into micro-trend territory. Enter leg warmers. Hadid styled the unexpected accessory with a mini skirt and kitten heels and while we don’t anticipate this one to reach a fever pitch, it’s definitely resonated with a subset of edgier fashion girls.
