December 28, 2023
Steven Mackintosh, entertainment reporter
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Naomi Campbell walked the runway for Alexander McQueen’s Spring/Summer 2024 collection in the fall.
It’s hard to look stylish in a Christmas jumper covered in mince pie crumbs and splatters of mulled wine, so we’re not here to make anyone feel awkward this festive season.
But come spring, many of us will be spending big bucks on the hottest looks in an inevitably futile attempt to look as good as the models on our Instagram feeds.
Here are the 8 biggest fashion trends predicted to be popular in 2024.
1. Polka dots
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LR: Designs by Saint Laurent, Balmain, Carolina Herrera, and Undercover
We counted every single polka dot on this year’s fashion shows and found that there were a total of 12,487,396 polka dots on the runways.
While this print is often popular in the summer, it’s actually a timeless and versatile trend that you’ll be seeing a lot of throughout next year.
“Polka dots are both sophisticated and impactful,” The Telegraph reported. “They’re playful and don’t take themselves too seriously. The name itself suggests joie de vivre.”
“This time, we’re making it ourselves. Big and bold, imperceptibly small, powerful and understated… this is a print that suits everyone. It doesn’t matter gender, class, age or era. It’s time to connect the dots.”
2. Cherry Red
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LR: Burberry, Puppet and Puppet, Gucci and Chanel
We love everything about cherries, except for those pesky seeds that you have to spit out at the end, and this season, cherries brought a unique, vibrant and confident pop of colour to the runways.
Some fashion houses offered head-to-toe cherry red looks, while others limited the color to skirts and jackets, combining them with other colors to create ensembles.
“Fashion’s obsession with bright red has been impossible to ignore over the past few seasons, appearing not just on the runway but on the red carpet as well,” said Vogue’s Alex Kessler.
“Spring/Summer 2024 [collections] It’s a noticeable shift towards deeper, more luxurious hues.”
3. Metallic
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LR: Designs by Alexander McQueen, Rabanne, Coperni, and Tom Ford
Some designers have taken inspiration from the pipes under your kitchen sink to create the next trend: a range of metallic outfits and dresses.
Our favorite Met Gala theme of the past decade was 2016’s “Man vs. Machine,” which saw A-list guests decked out in futuristic silver hues and robot-inspired accessories. In 2023, metallic colors became prominent again as fans dressed up for Beyoncé’s Renaissance Tour.
The trend is expected to continue into next year and was also mainstream at Paris Fashion Week, with Net-A-Porter noting that “shimmery metallics were ubiquitous on the SS24 runways.”
But if you choose gold, be careful not to overdo it. “Metallic gold can give off a gladiator look,” StyleCaster points out. “If you want to tone it down, pair metallic gold with another material like denim or leather.”
4. Knitwear
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LR: Designs for Sacai, Loewe, Bottega Veneta, and Erdem
In the UK, the weather is so awful that let’s be honest a nice cardigan or jumper never goes out of style.
According to Who What Wear, the SS24 collection recognised that “knitwear is a year-round staple, but it should look just as good as the other pieces you wear.”
“Erdem’s embroidered cardigan was one of the most beautiful pieces we saw,” they added.
Additionally, W magazine noted that “cardigans and Fair Isle knits were this season’s most prominent knitwear trends.”
5. Snowflake pattern
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LR: Designs by Stella McCartney, Elie Saab, Valentino, and Zimmermann
These beautiful, intricate designs are, I have to admit, a little more sophisticated than the snowflakes we made at school with paper and scissors.
“Designers got creative this season,” Drapers noted, “with Paris catwalks filled with oversized lace and British embroidery designs from the Spring/Summer ’24 collections.”
(Don’t worry, we’ve already Googled it. Broderie Anglaise is a pattern made by cutting tiny round or oval holes into fabric to give it a snowflake-like appearance.)
Some of the outfits shown during fashion week featured snowflake designs at the forefront, while others showcased the snowflake design through sheer outer layers.
6. Ribbons
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LR: Designs by Giambattista Valli, Kimhae Kim, Sixd and Akunvas
If you’re reading this article in a room surrounded by discarded gift wrapping, make sure you pick up the ribbons and bows before they end up in the trash.
The giant bow has appeared in the collections of several big-name designers during various fashion weeks, so it’s possible that we’ll see it adorning a variety of dresses next year.
“Oversized, lavish bows, seen at shows like Sixdo and Aknvas, added a playful edge to simple, stark looks,” reports InStyle.
However, not all fashion houses went for the big, bold designs, with some opting for smaller ribbons and bows to embellish, accessorise and tie outfits together.
“No matter how you wear it, this delicate accessory creates a soft and romantic look and acts as a garment detail on a variety of silhouettes,” suggests Nylon.
7. Shorts
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LR: Designs by Chloe, Tom Ford, Versace, and Gucci
If you’re already tired of the number of tabloid headlines using the phrase “leggy display,” you might want to avoid reading this article.
This summer, shorts are set to explode in popularity in a variety of colors, styles and fabrics.
“Those days of toning your legs in the gym will soon be paying off,” says Net-A-Porter, “and if recent runway shows have taught us anything, really short shorts will be the ultimate in power dressing for summer 2024.”
8. Upcycled, second-hand or sustainable materials
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LR: Stella McCartney, Who Decides War, designs by Eckhaus Latta and Andersson Bell
Perhaps the most important fashion trend we can all adopt next year is green — but it’s not a color.
Sustainability has long been a concern regarding the highly polluting fashion industry, with huge numbers of consumers buying cheap clothes, wearing them a few times and then throwing them away.
Small steps have been taken to address the industry’s carbon footprint, such as the growing popularity of websites specialising in “second-hand fashion”, but many feel more needs to be done.
We therefore applaud designers who are putting the spotlight on sustainability by changing the way they work or by incorporating used materials into their designs.
Examples highlighted by British Vogue include Stella McCartney’s use of Kelsan, a seaweed-derived fibre that is said to have a significantly lower carbon footprint than traditional fibres.
Meanwhile, Ekors Latta showed a series of trousers 3D woven from yarn, eliminating the fabric-making process and reducing the amount of excess stock by making its manufacturing process more agile.
“Discarded materials and stock are given a second life as new garments,” Fashion United says. “Materials destined for landfill are rescued and reworked – spliced, patched and layered to hide imperfections and signs of wear, rather than hiding them.”
As consumers become more conscious of their carbon footprint, the items many people choose to wear most next year may be garments that are already in their wardrobes.
