With a prolific changing of the guard at legacy houses in Milan—Sabato de Sarno at Gucci, Matteo Tamburini at Tod's, Simone Bellotti at Bally—and Paris Fashion Week—Chemena Kamali at Chloé, Seán McGirr at Alexander McQueen, and Hedi Slimane just announcing his exit at Celine—the fall 2024 trends included a bit of everything for everyone. There were smart wardrobe investments at Max Mara and The Row, clothing that toked the wearing vs. styling trend debate at Fendi, unconventional pairing ideas at Loewe and Dries Van Noten, and fur or faux fur coats just about everywhere you turned.
If you want quirk and kitsch, you can find them within the biggest fall 2024 trends where the embrace of personal style and maximal accessories was a repeated theme. A great coat, a beautifully tailored suit, and a luxurious knit were equally prioritized, all within arm's reach. "I was interested in making a monument out of the everyday," Bottega Veneta's Matthieu Blazy told a group of journalists backstage in Milan. A lesson that seemingly ordinary pieces, like a leather skirt or a button-down shirt, can still be extraordinary with a bit of innovation and well-executed techniques.
With social media bans implemented at The Row and charming glimpses of the past brought forth at Altuzarra and Prada in the form of vintage-inspired tea-length dresses, cheeky hat trends, and leopard print lady coats, it's more apparent than ever that clothes don't actually need fashion TikTok validation or party tricks up their sleeves to be valued in the modern world. Great clothes speak for themselves.
Here's what to consider adding to your closet this fall.
Coat of Arms
Fall 2024's coats are a testament to both design and functionality. These overachievers will provide warmth, but they contain other great qualities, too, as each designer offers their take on fall's omnipresent staples. Victoria Beckham's runway featured double-lapel peacoats, shearlings, and '80s era leather jackets. Loewe re-introduced us to Victorian-era swallowtail coats, and at Bottega Veneta, there were multiple standouts, from cocoon-shaped jackets to wooly cape outerwear. The barn coat is also poised to be everywhere—from Prada's luxury version to more affordable off-runway options.
Feather Weather
Once indicative of social status, feather embellishments give clothing an innate sense of drama. But for the fall of 2024, feathers infiltrated in unexpected ways, even wearable daily. Feathery textured hems and necklines clung to dresses at Ferragamo and Bottega Veneta. Full-on feather coats flocked the Tory Burch runway, and feathered skirts were casually styled, peeking out from beneath sweaters at Brunello Cucinelli.
Fur Frenzy
The discourse around fur and faux furs can be contentious, but with a surge in popularity, designers are innovating with novel fabrics and silhouettes that transcend the fleeting mob wife aesthetic. Prada artfully fused shearling to mimic fur on dress hems and shoulder sleeves. At Loewe, Jonathan Anderson offered an alternative to the conventional fur jacket with a cropped pullover, and at Bally, furry backs adorned sheath tops and gave an unexpected update to asymmetric mini skirts.
Green with Envy
There's always a color or grouping of color trends that prevail over the season: red, butter yellow, Barbie pink. This season, green—a symbol of renewal—is staking its claim. A retro 1970s Brat green enveloped suiting and jackets at Gucci, while Fforme showcased slinky emerald green dresses and suiting separates. Saint Laurent embraced the lush hue as the show backdrop, with hints of olive and khaki green peppered throughout the collection.
Wild Card
The animal print trend never went dormant, but it has become a major thread across the fall 2024 collections, bringing boldness into neutral territory. An amalgamation of leopard print was prevalent at Marni and Versace and Seán McGirr's debut season as Creative Director for Alexander McQueen. Theory's collection also offered a palatable approach to leopard care of swing dresses, smart suits, and trenches.
Ladylike Suiting
Vintage lovers will rejoice in the runway's classic offerings from the past. Several designers, including Altuzarra and The Row, shifted toward salon-style showings this season. And notoriously offline, The Olsens enforced a no social media policy at their fall 2024 Paris show. Mimicking old-fashioned (albeit very much in fashion) mindsets, it was no coincidence the collections also revisited retro styles and styling techniques, like coquettish sheer knee-high stockings.
Layering Pro
Designers are taking a new approach to modern layering or "sandwich shirting," making it foolproof to achieve a nonchalant cuffed sleeve or a perfectly rolled pant leg. Many of the fall 2024 pieces have the styling details already built in. At Bottega Veneta, several of the collection's doubled-up button-downs, cowl neck knits, and jackets are attached at the seams. At Gucci, shrunken-style polos come sewn into companion cardigans that drape ever-so-slightly on the cusp of the shoulder.
Luxurious Knits
Once cozy clothing reigned king. But now, with places to go and people to see, we’ve pivoted away from cocooning ourselves completely. Still, getting dressed doesn’t have to undermine the importance of comfort—and designers are approaching leisure apparel with a luxury mindset. The Row offered sophisticated cashmere pants that can easily double as cocktail attire paired with a slightly oversized blazer and some pearls. Pop on a kitten-heeled boot or a mule, and Jil Sander’s knit sets can easily take you into the boardroom.
No Pants? No Problem.
On the fall 2024 runways, there were more new pant silhouettes than ever—ballooning cargo pants and baggy jeans at Loewe, high-waisted, long-legged "elevator" pants at Victoria Beckham— and new ways to approach the no-pants trend. Altuzarra suggested a monochromatic pop of red with a cropped jacket and tight combo, Gucci offered barely there micro short options in knit and leather fabrications, and Ferragamo designed sturdy opaque tight-legging hybrids for those on the fence. Alternatively, opt for a breezy pair of boxer shorts.
On the Fringe
Fringe was one of those trends that kept popping up on the runways, but it was also a common thread amongst the dress codes and street styles of editors, buyers, and influencers attending the shows. Bottega Veneta continues to drive home its artisanal prowess with micro leather fringe atop statement jackets, on skirts, and throughout their accessories. Dries Van Noten strategically placed tinsel twinkling fringes on suiting. At Ferragamo, elongated fringe strips framed bare legs on skirts and dresses.
Sheer Force
You can't talk about Saint Laurent's fall 2024 collection without broaching the topic of sheer, but the French fashion house wasn't the only designer tackling "naked dressing" head-on. From completely translucent tunic-style dresses at Proenza Schouler to shots of sheer at Gucci and sheer skirts at Fendi, those who buy into the trend can layer strategically or bare it all.
