When it comes to fashion, it’s easy to think that the deciding factor on a trend’s, designer’s, or style icon’s relevance lies in the hands of editors, buyers, and stylists—but really, it all comes down to the people. As an editor, I can rant and ramble about the resurgence of micro miniskirts all day, but if people aren’t wearing them out in the world, then is it really happening? Sometimes, even editors need a little check—we do, after all, shift through so many new trends and new arrivals that it’s hard to discern what will translate well. So in that vein, I decided to reach out to 18 stylish women from around the world to have them weigh in on the biggest fashion trends. You’ll hear from them which 12 trends are worth the hype and which are a hard pass. (Plus, you’ll be able to do a little shopping, too.) Consider this your ultimate guide to the trends worth buying this spring and wearing well into the summer.
WHO: Serena Halani, Content Creator. Skip: Extreme Layering . Adopt: Cutouts . With all trends, a few always manage to stir mixed emotions—such is the case with the extreme layering trend found on spring/summer runways. This trend is a hard pass for content creator Serena Halani. She told us, “As the weather gets warmer, clothes become less!” This is why she’s more interested in adopting cutouts for spring. She elaborated, “I’m most interested in cutouts and subversive basics for spring. I think these make a statement, are so flattering and bring a daring approach to fashion, featuring layers, straps, and asymmetrical silhouettes.”
WHO: Sydney Frost, Content Creator. Skip: Y2K Reboot. Adopt: Extreme Layering. So far, the tally against extreme layering is evened out. For content creator Sydney Frost, she’s all about adopting this trend for spring. She told us, “I have been having so much fun exploring my style with layering through fall and am excited to carry this new piece of my style into spring. It adds so much opportunity for creativity when putting together an outfit. I love mixing textures and patterns and have so many incredible layered outfits saved that inspire my day-to-day looks.” In terms of the trend she’ll be passing on this season, it’s the Y2K reboot. She elaborated, “While I do love some elements of Y2K, like the funky hairstyles and baby tees, it isn’t exactly my style. I absolutely love the girls who pull it off, but overall, the style just doesn’t feel very me.”
WHO: Violet Job, Content Creator. Skip: Tea Party Florals. Adopt: Classic Sunglasses. Tea party florals for spring? It’s a no for content creator Violet Job. She shared, “I think florals are done every year (which is, of course, fine), but it can be a lot. And sometimes, if it’s not done right, it just looks chaotic—which, for a devout minimalist like myself, is just cringe-worthy.” While florals for Job are overdone, that doesn’t mean she doesn’t swear by spring staples like classic rectangular-shaped sunglasses. She elaborated, “This spring, I would like to wear more accessories, and one, in particular, is sunglasses. I find the rectangular shape to be timeless, and when I shop (especially costly items), I always make sure I’m getting an investment piece.”
WHO: Eve Manon, Content Creator . Skip: Saturated Hues. Adopt: Prep School. Saturated hues are another trend like Y2K that’s taken over. But for French content creator Eve Manon, it’s a hard pass. She shared, “I like bright colors, but I like them to appear in my outfit in little touches—either worn as a top or as a bottom, not all simultaneously! I also get tired of my clothes quite quickly (except for my timeless staples), so bold hues would be short-lived for me.” But just because saturated hues aren’t her style doesn’t mean she won’t be taking a risk this spring, as she’s super excited about the prep-inspired micro pieces. She shared, “I will be wearing the trend we saw at Miu Miu with midriff-baring knits paired with mini microskirts. I am completely obsessed, and that will be what I’m wearing all spring/summer!”
WHO: Ajaila Walker, Content Creator. Skip: Extreme Layering. Adopt: The Great Shrinkage. Content creator Ajaila Walker is also curving the extreme layering trend for spring. She divulged, “I’m forever staying away from extreme layering. I’m a quite simple gal who loves clean and minimal looks—I’m very much stuck in the ’90s era of style, so it’s not for me.” She is, however, excited about the return of micro-miniskirts and low-rise hems. She told us, “I feel like there is this stigma that these trends are only exclusive to a certain body type, but I’m excited to show my audience that curvier individuals can partake in these trends too!”
WHO: Megan Furber, Content Creator. Skip: Extreme Layering. Adopt: Y2K Reboot. Extreme layering has the fashion set in their feelings, and for Megan Furber, it’s giving off “not-for-me” energy. She explained, “I think this trend looks incredible on the right person; however, on me, it would look like I was dragged through a thrift store backward.” While she’s not about the very peak-aughts extreme-layering trend, she is a fan of general Y2K aesthetics for spring. She told us, “Nostalgia is the trend you will see me living in all spring long. I recently got hold of a pair of Chanel rimless sunglasses, and it’s looking like they may have to be surgically removed by the end of spring.”
WHO: Belinda Ingrid, Content Creator. Skip: Bermuda Shorts . Adopt: Prep School. Spring and summer mark the start of shorts season, but for London-based content creator Belinda Ingrid, she won’t be slipping into Bermuda shorts anytime soon. She quipped, “I’ll be skipping those Bermuda shorts I’ve seen all over Pinterest and Instagram. I love them on others but am not a fan of them on me.” While the viral Bermuda-shorts trend isn’t for Ingrid, the rise of the prep-school aesthetic is very up her alley. She raved, “I’m into the abstract take on preppy pieces—crazy proportions, maxi skirts, and layering. I like that there are no rules on how to pull off this trend, and I’ll be re-creating my own personalized looks.” She continued, “As cheesy as it sounds, I genuinely feel connected to this trend, as it not only matches my style, but there’s a sustainable element to this trend too. You can thrift pieces and have fun cutting up (jumpers, shirts, etc.) to create the look yourself.”
WHO: Neelam Sahota, Fashion Content Creator. Skip: The Great Shrinkage. Adopt: Dopamine Dressing. Despite the fanfare around the resurgence of micro miniskirts and low-rise pants, fashion content creator Neelam Sahota will not participate in the trend. She said, “Anything low-rise is a no for me. Especially because I am a bit curvier and on the shorter side for height, I would not be able to make them work.” However, what will work for Sahota this spring is dopamine dressing. “Dopamine dressing is a trend I’m extremely drawn to for spring. As someone who’s often wearing neutrals year-round, I love the idea of styling a neutral outfit with a pop of pink for spring. The idea of embracing a little pink as a form of dopamine dressing with my go-to staples for spring makes me happy.”
WHO: Samantha Borges, Digital Creator. Skip: Extreme Layering. Adopt: Bare Minimum. So maybe extreme layering isn’t the move for spring? Digital creator Samantha Borges thinks not. She shared, “I’ll be skipping extreme layering this season. I love a minimal outfit—think simple, quick, easy, and luxurious. So for the overthinkers like me, adopting the layering trend would require more thought and time, and I’m always perpetually late.” It only makes sense that as a devout minimalist, Borges would take a simpler approach. “I see great promise in the bare-minimum trend. Whether it’s minimal designs or coverage, I’m all here for it. I want to see earth tones paired with maxi hemlines, minimal silhouettes, and barely there dresses.”
WHO: Jordan-Risa Santos, Fashion Content Creator . Skip: Saturated Hues. Adopt: Low-Key Luxury. Like extreme layering, the saturated hues that dominated the S/S 22 runways have everyone picking a side for or against the trend. Jordan-Risa Santos falls into the latter camp. The fashion content creator told us, “I’m definitely skipping any brightly hued flock. It was a trend around 2012, and I’ve already had my fix with the trend and the photos to prove it. I don’t see super-colorful and bright pieces as items I’ll want to wear for years to come.” She does, however, love the low-key luxury trend. She explained, “Anything that can be worn repeatedly in various ways and beyond seasons is the only thing I want to wear right now. I’m all about high-quality staples, investment pieces, and a relaxed approach to dressing.”
WHO: Jullie Jeine, Content Creator. Skip: N/A. Adopt: Cutouts. While some shoppers can look at the biggest trends of the season and proclaim a hard pass, for France-based content creator Jullie Jenine, that’s not her style. She shared, “I don’t think I’ll skip on any trend, in particular, this season. As the weather gets warmer, I think it’s the perfect occasion to start experimenting with our style again!” But what exact trend is Jeine most excited to take for a test drive this spring? She divulged, “I love the cutout trend, whether on dresses, tops, or even trousers. There’s just something about revealing a bit of skin in unexpected places that just looks so interesting and chic to me.”
WHO: Esmeleder Arce, Fashion Blogger. Skip: Clog Shoes. Adopt: Saturated Hues. Some shoe trends are met with excitement, and others get eye rolls for Alaska-based fashion blogger Esmeleder Arce; the clogs trend falls into the latter category. She declared, “I am pulling a hard pass on the trending clog shoes I’ve seen all over social media. They are comfortable, but they just don’t look good on me.” But just because she’s not excited about this trend doesn’t mean there aren’t others on her radar—in fact, she loves the saturated hues that dominated S/S 22 collections. She told us, “I’m so excited for colors for the season. When you have a neutral closet, there’s no better way to spice things up than with a pop of color—plus, my heart still belongs to bubblegum pink.”
WHO: Bridget Brown, Content Creator. Skip: Y2K Reboot. Adopt: Extreme Layering . The fashion set has thoughts and feelings about these two trends because they keep bubbling up. Content creator Bridget Brown has her own feelings about the resurgence of Y2K aesthetics and extreme layering. She told us, “I’m skipping the whole Y2K trend. If anything, I’ve loved the more early 2000s mom style than the gaudy younger look.” She continued, “But I love layering. Whether you’re styling dresses over pants or long midi skirts with tall boots—I’m about it. I live in a cold climate and am used to layering in the winter months, so it’s fun to transition that into the spring and summer with lighter pieces.”
WHO: Sara Faye, Blogger. Skip: Saturated Hues. Adopt: Taste for Citrus. When it comes to color trends, there doesn’t seem to be a consensus on whether saturated hues are a must-shop for spring. Blogger Sara Faye plans to skip the trend this season. She shared, “I will have to skip out on any vibrant neon-colored trends this year. Bold colors look so fun but aren’t a fit for my style, and I know I’ll grow tired of them in my wardrobe really easily.” But just because vibrant hues aren’t Faye’s thing doesn’t mean she’s passing on color at all for the season. “I love the citrus color trend we’ve seen in S/S 22 collections. I’ve been gravitating toward more citrus-themed pieces for the spring because they remind me of a European vacation.”
WHO: Alisha Karim, Fashion Content Creator. Skip: Sporty Spice. Adopt: Extreme Layering. Not to sound like a broken record, but feelings are mixed about extreme layering. For London-based fashion content creator Alisha Karim, it’s a yes. She voiced, “I’m extremely excited to see and play with experimental layering this spring! With subversive fashion becoming more and more mainstream, it’s introduced daring micro silhouettes, cutouts, and distressed pieces, which are perfect to layer (even for warmer weather). Layering is a part of outfit styling that I love, and seeing the creative ways people construct outfits is something I’m looking forward to.” While Karim is all about getting creative with layering, she can’t bring herself to warm up to the idea of the Sporty Spice trend. She told us, “I won’t be branching into trendy sportswear, which is synonymous with the increasingly popular off-duty model or influencer aesthetic—it’s just not my style!”
WHO: Alesia Limongelli, Content Creator and Tech Professional. Skip: Extreme Layering. Adopt: Platform Shoes . If you’ve made it this far, you’ve probably realized that the extreme layering trend may be the most controversial trend of the season (surprisingly). And for Dallas-based content creator Alesia Limongelli, the trend is not something she plans on trying anytime soon. She proclaimed, “I don’t find extreme layering flattering—especially on my petite frame. When the weather gets warmer in the spring, I’m looking forward to shedding layers, so I don’t think this trend suits me.” So what trend does Limongelli actually find flattering? She said, “As a petite woman, I’m the most interested in the platform shoe trend right now. I appreciate any opportunity to wear heels, and I love that platform shoes can be extremely high while also being comfortable. Plus, they can easily give a simple outfit an extra oomph.”
WHO: Stacy Michelle, Minimalist Fashion Blogger. Skip: N/A. Adopt: Saturated Hues. With spring in full swing and summer on the horizon, there’s no better time to test-drive a few trends—which is a sentiment that Miami-based minimalist fashion blogger Stacy Michelle shared. She professed to us, “I probably won’t skip any spring trends this season, because for the first time in a while, I’m into it all and ready to take on spring fashion in my own way.” And while Michelle is excited about all the great trends right now, she has her sights set on saturated hues. She elaborated, “I’m someone who has worn neutral tones and played it safe for so long; in fact, I live by the motto ‘less is more.’ But this spring, I’ve decided to dive into wearing bright, bold hues (blues and orange mostly) styled minimally, and I love it.”
WHO: Sunny Khan, Digital Strategist and Content Creator. Skip: Prep School. Adopt: Off the Grid. When it comes to deciding which spring/summer trends to adopt, it all boils down to personal preference and if it works for your style. Some may be excited about the resurgence of the prep aesthetic, but for Florida-based content creator Sunny Khan, it’s not her favorite. She confessed, “I think I’ll skip the academia look because I don’t see myself being able to wear these pieces every day.” And while the prep aesthetic is a hard pass for Khan, she loves the vacation-inspired trend found in S/S 22 collections. She shared, “This spring, I’m embracing wearing vibrant, tropical vacation–inspired colors and pieces. I’m usually more of a neutrals lover, but I haven’t been able to resist the gorgeous green, orange and pink pieces we’ve been seeing everywhere. It is peak warm-weather energy, making it prime for adoption.”
