Runway items from New York Fashion Week that you may see next year
By Aymen Sherwani, September 29 2022—
When Miranda Priestley from The Devil Wears Prada (2006) said “that blue [sweater] represents millions of dollars of countless jobs, and it’s sort of comical how you think that you’ve made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry, when in fact, you’re wearing a sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room” — she highlighted the manufactured trickle-down effect within the fashion industry and the subconscious influence it has over mass consumer markets like H&M and Zara. What usually happens is that designers display their creations on the runway a season prior and allow social media and magazines to generate hype and an overall “aesthetic” of the season which fast-fashion brands respond to accordingly. Now that the Spring/Summer 2022-23 New York Fashion Week is behind us, here’s a list of overlapping colours and items that I think will be everywhere next season.
Bubble-hems and 3-dimensional florals
Florals? For spring? Groundbreaking — except this time it’s not sarcasm. Dress and skirt wearers next year will not be wearing florals — they will be the flowers themselves. Bubble-hemmed dresses, that make the wearer look like their dress or skirt is a downturned flower, quite literally blossomed on the runway this season. The puffed and pleated skirt was huge in the early 2000’s-era, frequented by glitzy socialites like Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie, but is now making a high-fashion return that evokes images of vintage Christian Dior and Yves Saint Laurent dresses.
The late designer, Dior, was the one who famously said that “after women, flowers are the most divine creations” — his first collection in 1947, Corolle, being the botanical term for a circlet of flower petals. His assistant, Saint Laurent, was the one who designed the first Bubble Dress which has now returned to runway shows for Ulla Johnson, Christian Siriano and Dauphinette — probably retail stores next year too.
Three-dimensional floral accents on tops, bottoms and dresses follow suit — with brands like Carolina Herrera, Oscar de la Renta and Prabal Gurung adding bold, statement florets to their collection. I think that it’s a nice step away from the smaller, muted, cottagecore floral prints of yesteryear and a more lively step into spring that evokes images of the avant-garde.
Equestrian-chic meets street style
Across the board, we are seeing the — perhaps Hermes-inspired — emergence of equestrian accents that evoke images of horseback riding and the English countryside made modern with metallic tones and varsity wear. I personally couldn’t visualize it until I saw a pair of metallic lilac riding boots on the Tom Ford runway show and a monogrammed, tartan varsity jacket for Tommy Hilfiger. Other accents include leather gloves, statement blazers and statement polo sweaters that one would see in sitcoms during the late ‘90s in tones of green, yellow, charcoal gray, navy blue and beige. If Seinfeld and Fresh Prince of Bel Air had horses, this would be the vibe. Don’t be hesitant to thrift a pair of riding boots and leather gloves from your local Goodwill — chances are, they’ll actually be from the ‘90s. The good thing about this trend is that it’s actually not a trend and has a lot more timeless wearability than other featured items during this week.
Greens are the new neutrals
My intrusive thoughts will tell me that She-Hulk is inspiring the plethora of lime green runway looks we’ve seen this time around — but what I really love is how designers have used shades of green to create multi-tonal monochromatic outfits, meaning multiple shades of a single colour. Look to Tory Burch and Fendi for more of an idea. While I’ve never been a lime green person, the looks off of the Fendi runway show pair the colour with a lilac purple and make me reminiscent of the Scooby Doo gang’s Mystery Inc. van. Final verdict? It’s groovy, and the ‘60s are officially making a comeback with colours like these in textures like patent leather. While you probably won’t see the sheer audacity of some clothing options seen on the runway at your local Zara, it’s more than likely you may see a lime green satin dress or Bottega Veneta-knockoff cushion bag.
These are ultimately predictions and social media is a powerful tool that can shape, persuade and guide markets into directions that even designers can’t fully anticipate. Only time will tell, but these runway trends are a pretty close estimate until then. With Milan Fashion Week currently in full swing and Paris Fashion Week rapidly approaching, there’s a lot more to look forward to in the world of clothing when speculating what will be the latest and greatest trends, so make sure to keep an eye out.