While the fashion trends for the autumn/winter 23 season were very much focused on quiet luxury, elevated wardrobe essentials and wearable trends, the message coming from the spring/summer 24 runway was clear: grandeur and dopamine-dressing are back.
As ever, designers turned the sartorial into the theatrical. At Dior, a digital installation compounded the feminist message of the collection, while Erdem showcased a regal—and upcycled—collection in the grandeur of the British Museum. JW Anderson put the fun back in fashion with a collection of plasticine clay hoodies, Richard Quinn took over the the Grade II-listed 1901 Ballroom at the Andaz Hotel to pay homage to his late father in a show that left the audience in tears, while Louis Vuitton transformed its new store into the inside of a hot air balloon.
When it comes to trends, where red and grey dominated the catwalk last season, spring sees some divisive colours take centre stage: orange and purple. Not for the faint-hearted, they painted the runway at Fendi, Missoni, Etro, Givenchy and Loewe to name just a few. Other big trends you'll want to know about: geometric shapes, fringing and embellishments.
From New York to London, Milan and Paris, keep scrolling for our analysis of the runway trends you need to know from the Spring/Summer 2024 season.
THE SPRING/SUMMER 2024 FASHION TRENDS
1. Orange-you Nice
There's no doubt about it, orange is going to be THE hue of the SS24 season. From New York to Paris models wore the zesty shade head-to-toe—quite literally, with orange shoes spotted at Missoni, David Koma and Tove. Designers played with proportions and textures to give the trend some depth, with David Koma going for mini skirts with giant ruffled trains, Emilia Wickstead re-imagining the simple maxi dress with tassels. Missoni and Tove added geometric prints to the mix, while at Zimmermann it was all about orange ombre. See our full orange fashion trend guide here.
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2. The Colour Purple
Love it or hate it (I usually hate it), you won't be able to ignore purple when the spring collections start hitting stores. At Loewe, it was just a hint here and there with neon purple knitwear, while at Givenchy, black maxi dresses were subtly adorned with purple flowers. Carolina Herrera and Issey Miyake took a soft approach to the trend, sending models down the runway in draped lilac maxi dresses, while Masha Popova created purple denim separates.
3. The Cold Shoulder
The appetite for cut-out details is still strong, and this season designers are highlighting shoulders and collarbones. Subtlety is the name of the here with designers opting for delicate cuts, taking the shape of a knitted maxi dress with an exaggerated trim around the shoulder at Fendi and a simple black tunic with two cut-out gold-trimmed discs at Jil Sander. Whilst over at McQueen, power shoulders were ripped at the seam and at Rokh an off-the-shoulder shirt provided a laissez-faire attitude.
4. A Lesson In Geometry
While usually dominated by florals (I won't bore you with the Devil Wears Prada quote again), spring's choice of print is a celebration of all things geometric.
Fendi's iconic block geometry logo took centre stage on everything from coats to tops, while Vuitton's 3D take on it gave the mini skirt a new spin. There were also checks at Versace and blurred lines at Missoni and Bottega Veneta.
5. Seeing Things in Black and White
The fashion week shows are always a lesson in counter-trends, and the SS24 runways were no exception. As the antidote to the orange and purple trends, monochrome looks are back with a vengeance, from the wearable (shirts and waistcoats at Dior, tanks and leggings at Supriya Lele), to the maximalist (capes and bows at Richard Quinn and intricate dresses at Huishan Zhang and Bora Aksu).
6. Extra-Extra!
Those extravagant finishing touches take centre stage for SS24. We spotted plenty of beads and tassels in Paris, especially at Christopher Esber's very first fashion show, which featured embellished tops and dresses, as well as Lanvin, with a see-through beaded dress that drew gasps from the audience. In Milan, we couldn't stop thinking about Prada's metallic fringed skirts. We also spotted the trend at Tom Ford and The Attico, the latter of which added some feather trims for good measure.
7. To The Max
For Autumn/Winter 2023, we saw a return to wearable trends, and while this is carrying on for Spring/Summer 2024, we're also seeing plenty of hints to the maximalist trend. At Bottega Veneta and Molly Goddard, parts that aren't normally highlighted took centre stage: the seams, hardware and undergarments. At Rokh, Sacai and JW Anderson, silhouettes took on an exaggerated form, with garments literally bursting at the themes (I still can't stop thinking about those feathers at JW).
8. Arts and Crafts
Every season, there is always a trend to satisfy the boho-lovers, and this one is no exception. Two fabrics particularly stood out: crochet and lace. But far from falling into the romantic pitfalls of the boho trend of yonder, they were given a modern twist by adoring corsets, futuristic dresses and glamourous gowns.
THE SHOPPING LIST
Consider this your sartorial hit list for the Spring/Summer 24 season, the eight pieces that we kept seeing pop-up in ever fashion capital this past September.
1. The Trench Revisited
A trench coat is the basic outerwear item that everyone should own, but basic it isn't for Spring/Summer 24. Far from it even. We didn't see two of the same styles as every house re-imagined the staple. If we had to pick stand-outs under duress they would be JW Anderson's deconstructed mac, Dolce & Gabbana and Simone Rocha's see-through styles, Saint Laurent's power shoulders and Roberto Cavalli and Ferragamo's two-tone trenches.
2. The statement skirt
Designers in all cities paid homage to the skirt in all its iteration during fashion month. Micro, midi, maxi, tailored, relaxed, minimal, embellished, opaque or see-through, take your pic. Champions of this trend included Erdem Moralıoğlu, Sabato De Sarno for his first Gucci collection, Alessandro dell'Acqua at N21 and Ian Griffiths to name just a few.
3. The cool jacket
Bombers and biker jackets have been outerwear staples for countless seasons, but they are far from predictable this season. Case in point: a sleeveless oversized bomber pared with a brocade maxi skirt at Etro, a silver deconstructed biker at Simone Rocha, a bomber with feathers bursting out of its seams at JW Anderson and a relaxed blue leather jacket with giant hardware at Feben.
4. The amped-up party dress
The party dress is no longer relegated to party season. Designers everywhere dusted off their glad rags for SS24, from colourful slinky slip dresses at Chet Lo to metallic minis at Miu Miu and Vuitton, and THAT red tube dress Kendall Jenner wore at Schiaparelli.
5. The power shirt
In a nod to the wearable trend of last season, the humble white shirt was elevated to new heights at the shows. We spotted it in New York, London, Milan and Paris but particular favourites included a knee-length style paired with tailored trousers at Fendi, an oversized buttonless blouse at Max Mara, a sleek tie-front at MM6 Maison Margiela and panelled see-through number at Alberta Ferretti.
6. Big belt energy
Last season was all about Big Bag Energy, but for Spring/Summer 24, be prepared for Big Belt Energy. Slung high to highlight the waist or low to emphasise the hips, it doesn't matter how you wear yours as long as you have one, as demonstrated at Louis Vuitton and Miu Miu (oversized leather styles paired with floaty maxi skirts and tailored Bermuda shorts) and Giambattista Valli and Michael Kors (gold hoops and bejewelled clasps perfect for party season).
7. Top hat
While generally relegated to special occasions, hats were given a fresh, everyday spin by designers this season. At Issey Miyake, it was all about shade-inducing mega hats, while Nicolas Ghesquière had fun with printed floppy hats at Vuitton and Andreas Kronthaler took a similar approach at Vivienne Westwood. Sans creative director for SS24, Moschino called upon stylists Katie Grand, Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele and Lucia Liu to re-imaging the cowboy hat with the house's signature tongue-in-cheek code. I am not a hat person, but even I'm tempted by this trend.
8. Silver lining
First spotted on the Autumn/Winter runway, the silver shoe is still taking centre stage this season, in all its forms. Be that an ankle boot at Akris, platform sandals at Emporio Armani, Mary Janes at Versace or embellished sling-backs at Erdem.
The Stand Out Shows
1. Chanel
Chanel is one of the shows I always look forward to the most, and the perfect way to end fashion month. The SS24 collection, of course, did not disappoint. Virginie Viard took her cue from Villa Noailles, a 1920s mantion in Hyeres, which has close ties with the house, to present a collection that was a breath of Provencal fresh air. I loved the tank tops adorned with strawberries, candy-hued checks and stripes, as well as the plethora of Breton tops, playfully nuanced with some colourful floral prints and sheer monochrome pieces. Andrea Thompson, Editor-In-Chief
2. JW Anderson
If one thing is clear for SS24, it’s that you need to seriously up your trench game. And, no one did it better than Jonathan Anderson at JW Anderson. Belted trench coats received an update with exquisite waist detailing and layers which felt noticeably fresh. Apart from the aforementioned trench, stand out pieces moments for me included the white summer dress gathered at the waist, the head-to-toe red open front top and artfully folded loose-fitting trousers and the most divine party skirt: a plaited and embellished sparkly pencil skirt that came in both black and silver. A collection full of covetable hits. Sunil Makan, Editor.
3. Dior
In contrast to last seasons undulating gigantic installation the staging for Maria Grazia Chiuri’s SS24 collection was noticeably paired back. Instead, bold stripes in neon pink and yellow, emblazoned with feminist statements were plastered on a digital screens running across the entire space. Feminism runs through Grazia-Chiuri’s work and in this guise was employed as a reminder to encourage women to celebrate and express their differences. As for the clothes, monochrome was the order of the day. The sun print which covered both bags and coats was beautifully detailed. The leather biker jacket with stars running up the arms was a sand out piece for me—it’ll fit seamlessly in any modern woman’s wardrobe. And, the gladiator-esque Mary-Janes were perfection. Sunil Makan, Editor.
4. Tove
I missed Tove's debut show at London Fashion Week last February as I was on maternity leave, so I was very much looking forward to seeing their show this season. Founders and designers Camille Perry and Holly Wright excite me in the way that Gabriella Hearst for Chloé and Phoebe Philo for Céline did. They just get what women want to wear. Oversized but flattering, fluid and feminine, everyday pieces that are timeless and that you feel amazing in.
The SS24 collection was no exception, and there were too many stand-out pieces to mention, but if I had to pick I would choose the white kimono short paired with baggy jeans, the printed trench coat and the slinky silk and lace dress. Penny Goldstone, Contributing Fashion Editor.
5. Molly Goddard
I’ve never seen a Molly Goddard collection I didn’t love and SS24 was no exception. As a vintage enthusiast, I was pleased to see elements inspired by the bygone eras, from ‘30s-tingeds sheath dresses to the ‘50s-style crinolines that were layered beneath the designer’s signature frothy skirts—purposefully visible.
The show was inspired by a visit to the National Theatre archives, but the result was anything but costume-y, thanks to the overall simplicity of the silhouettes, and the fact even the most frivolous of pastel shades were grounded by a black tube top, tights or shoe. The satin-trimmed cardigans are high on my new-season wish list. Natalie Hughes, Fashion Editor.
