Exactly 377 days ago, I wrote the 2024 version of this exact story and started by discussing the ever-changing fashion environment throughout the year prior. Back then, I was excited about the possibilities surrounding some of the industry’s more recent creative-director hires—including designers Matthieu Blazy at Bottega Veneta (Blazy started in 2020) and Louise Trotter at Carven. (Trotter started in 2023.) Changes were happening at major houses, new legacies were being built, and excitement was in the air. Little did I know then that 2024 would bring about even more variation. Just last week, Trotter announced her departure from Carven, followed by Blazy at Bottega Veneta. The Italian leather goods brand then named Trotter as Blazy’s successor. A few hours later, Chanel answered every fashion person’s most burning question: Who will take over from Virginie Viard? The answer was Blazy. That’s only two of the industry’s many swapped seats this year.
Suffice it to say, 2025 is on track to blow 2024’s chaotic and unpredictable energy out of the water, but that doesn’t mean we must go into the year completely blind. After studying the spring/summer 2025 runway collections and end-of-year culture shifts, I feel confident about my predictions about what’s to come in the next 365 days or so. Below, read up on 2025 fashion before the year even begins, from 180-degree aesthetic changes to fresh color trends.
Though this trend has been slowly creeping up for a few seasons now, Saint Laurent’s S/S 25 collection really put it on the map. We’re calling it a few different things, including soft power and power play, but generally speaking, it’s fashion’s move toward a softer version of workwear that isn’t as sharp and tailored as it’s been in the past. Suits are slightly more relaxed and oversize and styled personally with cuff bracelets, oversize sunglasses, and interesting outerwear. The trend extended to Bottega Veneta, Stella McCartney, and Christopher Esber. In a press release following Louis Vuitton’s show during Paris Fashion Week, the house’s creative director Nicolas Ghesquière called soft power the ultimate oxymoron given that softness and power are often seen as opposites. However, where they meet is really where successful women reside. They’re multifaceted beings who are able to balance the two contrasting concepts naturally.
Going into 2025, expect this new corporate aesthetic to hit the streets more and more. We’ve already seen Saint Laurent’s versions on Hailey Bieber and Rosé, but there will, no doubt, be unique takes hitting our social media feeds everywhere very soon. To help you out, here’s a tutorial on how to tie a tie. You’ll need it.
I recently attended the Shark Beauty Women’s Champions Classic, a two-game NCAA basketball event at Barclays Center, and the turnout for the second game of the night between the University of Connecticut (UConn) Huskies and the University of Louisville Cardinals was unlike anything I’ve ever seen. The place was packed, especially with women and girls, many of whom wore one specific T-shirt (unless they were wearing merch for UConn star player and Nike athlete Paige Bueckers) by the brand Togethxr. The tee is simple with four words printed on the front in all caps: Everyone watches women’s sports.
That T-shirt says it all. According to a report published this month by Morning Consult, an American intelligence company, the WNBA was 2024’s fastest-growing brand among all U.S. adults. It was the first time since the company was founded in 2014 that a sports league ranked first on this list. According to StubHub, ticket sales were up nearly 10 times in 2024 compared to 2023 before the season even began. “This year’s NCAA Women’s Final Four and the WNBA Finals were the best-selling in StubHub history,” the company published in a recent report. But it’s not just women’s basketball that’s on an upward trajectory.
Following the Paris Olympics, which saw 28 out of 32 sports be fully gender equal, female medalists like Suni Lee, Tara Davis-Woodhall, and Ilona Maher were ubiquitous, particularly at fashion events. At the tail end of 2024, female athletes were spotted front row at New York Fashion Week; on the red carpet at the CFDA Awards, GQ Men of the Year event, and Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show; and courtside at sporting events decked out in stylish designer garb. Clearly, fashion has noticed the impact women are having on sports and those who view them, and brands, from Prada to Tory Burch, are getting involved in the action.
Remember when quiet luxury swept the fashion world and had everyone parting ways with anything in their wardrobe resembling bright colors and vibrant patterns? Same. Well, if you were one of the smart few who put those items in storage instead of sending them away to be donated or sold, give yourself a pat on the back. Come 2025, those are the exact pieces you’ll want to grab.
On the spring/summer 2025 runways, a far louder and more extravagant aesthetic made the rounds, appearing most prominently at Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen, Dolce & Gabbana, and Schiaparelli. Chanel’s recent Pre-Fall 25 collection took a similar approach, showcasing metallic gold from head to toe, feathers, supple satin, and lots of jewelry. All in all, the runways proved that excess, glamour, and opulence will reign in the year ahead. According to the Instagram account @databutmakeitfashion, Google Search data agrees, showing that the popularity of quiet luxury fashion steadily decreased by 25% in November 2024. Ready your animal prints and lobe-drooping earrings—it’s time for your outfits to scream wealth, not whisper it.
Another change I’m expecting to see in 2025 following the decline in popularity of quiet luxury is an uptick in weight put on personal style. This was very much apparent on the spring/summer 2025 runways, with Miuccia Prada (and Raf Simons) leading the way at Miu Miu and Prada. At the shows in Paris and Milan respectively, models walked in vastly different looks from the person prior, and no one aesthetic or trend stood out. “Humanity can be defined by its unpredictability, a rejection of the derivative and expected,” a press release for Prada’s show stated. “A sequence of concurrent realities are here dedications to the individual, every look a unique reflection of their present.”
This shift away from uniformity wasn’t only seen on the runways. In terms of street style, fashion people who’ve become known for their unique tastes and abilities to put together ensembles that are identifiable and precisely their own are being spotlighted and rewarded more and more. Think Jenny Walton, Vogue senior fashion editor Naomi Elizée, Neiman Marcus’s fashion market and editorial director Chloe King, and stylist and editor Michelle Li. In other words, it’s worth it to do some self-exploration and figure out what you like to wear and what feels like you ahead of the New Year.
If I’ve learned anything from fashion this year, it’s the importance of investing in long-lasting, timeless pieces—a lesson I’m planning to put into effect throughout 2025. No more purchasing items on a whim. Everything I buy next year, or at least most things, need to fulfill my goal of building a collection of future heirlooms. I want things that I can pass down to loved ones that, no matter what, will never go out of style. When I look around the fashion world, it’s easy to see that others are shopping with a similar mindset. Luxury watches like Bulgari’s Serpenti and Cartier’s Baignoire are on the rise, both of which will likely go up in value over time and continue to be standout accessories for decades to come. Newer pieces like the not-yet-named Derby-like Hermès bag, Alaïa’s Le Teckel clutch, Chanel’s patent-leather moccasins, and Balenciaga’s Rodeo bag also come to mind when I think of this anti-trend shift. Sure, they’ll be everywhere in 2025, but when the year ends, you’ll still very much want and wear them, making them worth spending on.
Blazy and Trotter were far from the only designers to say goodbye to their previous fashion roles and hello to new ones in the last year. In March, Dries Van Noten announced he would be stepping down from the helm of his namesake brand. His successor, Julian Klausner, was announced in early December. In July, less than a year after he took the job, Peter Hawkings exited his role as creative director at Tom Ford. Two months later, Haider Ackermann was appointed to the position. “He is an incredible colorist, his tailoring is sharp, and above all, he is modern,” said Ford of the appointment in a press release. On September 29, we saw Alessandro Michele present his first runway collection for Valentino. (The French house announced his hiring in March 2024.) Of course, we have the confirmed news of Blazy’s and Trotter’s new positions too, but that’s not all. There are also rumors swirling around fashion circles and the internet about Jonathan Anderson, Loewe’s creative director since 2013 and the founder of London brand JW Anderson. Will he leave Loewe? Is he headed to Dior? Unlike all of the other aforementioned shifts, this is one piece of information with zero confirmation. I guess we’ll have to wait until 2025 to see.
If 2024 was all about red, from traditional to burgundy, 2025 will be centered on pale pink, and it’s not just because it’s Glinda Upland’s favorite color. (Though, Ariana Grande’s insistence on wearing the soft shade throughout Wicked‘s press tour certainly didn’t hurt its cause.) Pink’s return to fashion fame after a brief hiatus following Barbie came about thanks to brands like Alaïa, Brandon Maxwell, and Khaite, all of which heavily featured it in their spring/summer 2025 collections. Alaïa’s F/W 24 collection actually showcased pale pink even earlier, readying the world for its new favorite color. Now that 2025 is almost here, it’s time to prepare your wardrobe by adding as many cashmere sweaters, satin skirts, shoes, and handbags in the delicate hue as possible. Don’t worry. The picks below will help you get started.
Source: WhoWhatWear
