Nostalgia, experimentation, luxury. This would be the fastest way to sum up the mix which the fashion industry had to offer in 2024. The fashion industry consisted of trends reflecting an urge for individuality, but also a desire for timeless and versatile styles.
Polished preppy and quiet luxury
A major trend in this year’s fashion was the return to preppy aesthetics, added a modern twist. What marks this style is sharp tailoring, statement colours, and a revival of the polo shirt. ‘Quiet luxury’ also found a stride, which became an embodiment of understated elegance combined with high-quality materials. Tailoring was also at the core, bringing back the ‘old money’ look.
This trend has been widely embraced by fashion enthusiasts who appreciated subtle and long-lasting investment pieces. The main brands offering this style has been Prada and Bottega Veneta.
The sheer revolution
Sheer fabrics became omnipresent in 2024, bringing in a more daring and sensual vein to the fashion body. Both Valentino and Gucci embraced the see-through styles, giving the high-fashion runways a create layering, with bold displays of undergarments. The concept of sheer is not entirely new, but it gained a fresh edge in 2024 due to innovative textures and silhouettes.
Despite the high-fashion appeal, sheer fashion was received with mixed responses. The main issue found by the general public is that it is a challenging trend to incorporate into everyday wear, especially during colder seasons.
Volume and oversized shapes
One element which reigned supreme in 2024 was oversized silhouettes. This style included long-line coats, voluminous dresses, and wide-leg trousers. Especially Stella McCartney and Alexander McQueen have been using these exaggerated shapes to challenge conventional notions of form-fitting fashion.
The trend embraced comfort while allowing wearers to make statements through the shapes and large proportions. The trend has been popular and well-received, which indicates a swap from tight garments to more relaxed wears.
Casino glamour: A nod to retro luxury
The influence of ‘casino glamour’, which is a nod to traditional casino styles and the popular online casino landscape, made its way into the fashion hearts of people. The glitzy and opulent aesthetic of vintage casinos has inspired the style, bringing glamour to evening wear with sequins, metallics, and luxurious fabrics.
Both Versace and Dior have embraced this style, and has crafted pieces with breathtaking details. These pieces gave a nod to an era when fashion and nightlife was intertwined and has landed well in a population where online casinos are becoming more and more popular.
The hyperfeminine styles of Coquette core and Barbiecore
Another style that gained a moment in 2024 was the hyperfeminine aesthetic, which included styles leaning into ultra-girly detail including bows, lace, and pastels. With Coquette core and Barbiecore, both driven by cultural phenomena like the ‘Barbie’ movie, lead to a domination of pink and floral.
The reason these styles resonated well with audiences was due to the invoked sense of nostalgia, bringing people back to youthful, dreamy, and soft fashion. Although many was drawn toward these playful looks, some found these styles too kitschy and impractical for everyday life.
Leather everything
A defining trend of 2024 was leather. Both faux and real leather have been showcased by various designers, in a variety of silhouettes, including full-length coats, trousers, dresses, and head-to-toe ensembles. Especially Mugler, Prada, and Hermès created collections placing leather at the forefront.
Leather has a versatile appeal, working in both casual and formal wardrobes. Due to the durability and timelessness of leather, it became a trend which consumers quickly started investing in.
Denim, denim, and more denim
Denim played a big role in this years’ fashion trends. And here, we are not just talking about the traditional jeans. Designers have been mixing and matching different shades and textures of denim, creating visually compelling ‘Canadian tuxedos’.
For fashion enthusiasts, this trend enabled people to elevate their casual wear into something more chich and sophisticated. This was enabled due to the laid-back vibe of denim together with the more polished and structured accessories such as heels or leather bags.
The pant-less trend
A polarizing trend in 2024 was the ‘pant-less’ look. At the core of this look was oversized shirts, tunics, and jackets, which was then worn without trousers. This trend was seen at high-fashion runways like No. 21 and Chloé. However, the trend also sparked debate both among consumers and fashion critics.
The look offered a liberating and avant-garde aesthetic in theory. However, practicality-wise, the trend did not hit the target. The trend seemed out of place for everyday settings, but it has since attracted attention from both street-style and editorial photoshoots. It has also been pointed out that the oversized clothing items can be matched with various bottoms to remove the ‘pant-less’ look.
Eco-friendly and sustainable fashion
As has been the trend for some years now, sustainability was a driver of fashion in 2024. More and more brands are focusing on eco-friendly materials and ethical production processes, to ensure sustainable products. From a consumer side, there is a growing demand for transparency and environmentally conscious designs, which is placing a greater responsibility on big fashion houses and designers.
The focus has been on anything from the use of recycled fabrics to sustainable dyes, which has created the buzzword ‘green fashion’. This movement is expected to define the future of fashion, as focus continues to be on how fashion can become a sustainable practice. As more brands are committing to reduce their environmental impact, the future looks green for fashion.
A year of hits and misses
As it is evident in this run-down of fashion trends of 2024, it is clear that the year both contained some hits and some misses. The year offered contrasts from bold and experimental, to nostalgic and refined. Where some trends, such as the quiet luxury and oversized shapes, was met with enthusiasm by consumers, other trends like sheer clothing and the pant-less look faced more resistance.
Sustainability continued to be at the core of the industry, and it continues to shape the structures and content for fashion. Playful and hyperfeminine aesthetics offered fun and nostalgic clothing items. What one can conclude from this years’ fashion trends is that the fashion industry continues to be a dynamic and unpredictable industry, offering new opportunities for fashion enthusiasts.
