2024 is the epitome of freshness and lightheartedness: fondant pink, cyber lime, radiant red, elemental blue, and nutshell. Fall/Winter 2023-2024 was dominated by eco-friendly neutral tones — inscribed in the leading «quiet luxury» and «dark academia» trends — occasionally enlivened by a dash of the extravagance of red or yellow.
Female representative of the upcoming Fall/Winter 2023-2024 is fearless of outfits that don’t underline her feminity. She wears suits, skirt suits (mini or mid-length), or trouser suits, stylized on the verge of powerful female sex appeal and nonchalant manliness. She puts on traditionally man-originated fabrics and patterns, remaining sophisticated and chic regardless of the gender she underlines in the specific outfit.
Fall/Winter 2023-2024 welcomes a wide selection of tailored man-like pieces creatively adjusted for women, such as uniform-style wear, coats, and square jackets. One of the revisited pieces in this category is a tie, especially a black one matched with a classic white shirt (see, for instance, the entire Valentino collection). If there is one thing in the upcoming season that has to be sexy by definition, it’s cropped outfits. As it has been for the last months, you can still crop everything you find in your closet. Unlogically as it sounds, the upcoming season’s runways will present a great majority of jackets cut below the chest, furs taking the form of shoulder pads, and sweatshirts turned into crop tops.
The pandemic seems beaten, but it’s still somehow gloomy, and nothing raises spirits like a good old dressing-up session. For fashion designers, it’s an invitation to dive into surprising retro touches, such as a jacket with wide shoulders leading the way to an hourglass silhouette or thrilling innovations to the polka dots pattern, originally dating back to the 1950s, which now plays with optical and geometric effects, or even exchanges the traditional print with metallic accessories (Balmain, A.W.A.K.E. Mode, Off-White, Lanvin, Marni, Benetton). Fashion houses are also prone to experiment with skirts, whether re-proposing New Look pencil skirt models, introducing original drapery, bias cuts, or flared corolla skirts that enhance a wasp waist.
The girl of the upcoming season is a luxury-loving animal that’s not afraid to show her teeth. A sophisticated bustier that enhances the waistline and chest is another hallmark of the Fall/Winter 2023-2024. It’s crucial to notice that the feel it exudes couldn’t be further from the sexual appearance of a laced corset. This elegant apparel is part of the outerwear; it can be tightened over a shirt or worn with a jacket or trench coat.
Speaking of elegance combined with a rock rebel vibe, we’ve already seen the no-pants movement all over the place, and surprisingly, despite the Winter chill, it’s not going anywhere. As a result, some of us will keep rejecting skirts or trousers in the name of the utmost freedom. Put on an opaque pair of tights and knickers, and here you go. The same with showing your underwear—we have already forgotten about the times when it used to be taboo. Yet, as in the case of bustiers, the last thing you want to do is try to look sexy; it’s so 1990! These white panties peeping from your transparent dress aren’t supposed to be part of a seductive Lolita stylization but a manifestation of a careless, genderless, relaxed attitude.
