FALL / WINTER 2023 TRENDS
SARTORIAL PSYCHO
A season replete with toned down codes and purity of craft marked a turning point in the callisthenics of recent seasons. The contemporary man is now allowed to accept his white-collar calling. Picture Patrick Bates, but if his clothes reflect his mind, Subverted tailoring redacted an era of splendor, creating a complimentary relationship between mindfulness and minimalism that only Jordanluca, Martine Rose, and Prada could propose. The key shape focus remained on the tailored trouser. Formalities of businesswear were a reimagined reverie, notably at Nahmias, where classic tailoring was outfitted in key color Digital Lavender. Businesswear bent proportions, elegancy, and color to empower the modern man’s classic form under the guise of suitable attire. Utterly insane, certainly paradoxical, but poignantly perfect.
SHEER PERSISTANCE
A skin-baring phenomenon dominating women’s catwalk for the last 4 seasons has gracefully charmed its way into the men’s scene, a la Boudoir Man. Masculinity is propositioned by elegance and delicacy, a historic juxtaposition steadily losing its grip on the zeitgeist. Who is the modern man? He’s Robert Pattinson in a skirt—a movement that requires no explanation. Boasting a 2.5% runway share is the use of sheer, gathered, tucked, low-cut, billowing, and draped. A newfound momentum for extravagant high necks and high waists was effortlessly achieved at Saint Laurent's return to the runway. Fluidity is the new focal point, and genderlessness has cemented its year-round seat at the table.
PRECIOUS YOUTH
Demanding a small, subsequent focus of attention is the influx of the grown-down grown-up that is clawing, begging, and screaming for the freedom of youth. Or simply, some silliness. Dandy delinquents skipped about between mature waves of gender fluidity and a defining era of house DNA. They peeped their heads right on through and said, “what’s up.” For the season as a whole, innocence was a breath of fresh air, as were oversized shorts and kitschy patterns in key colors, Galactic Cobalt and Apricot Crush, which kept things light. LOEWE and Lazoscmidl showcased the best zest for the tone. Only for big boys, though, not little kids.
FUTURE REDUCTION
The awe economy has run its course in fashion, exasperating colors and attitudes to wrench out every drip of dopamine lingering in the post-pandemic world. Exhausting. AW23 chose to read the room, taking a note from Jaden Smith to talk about, like, the economic state of the world right now. The tone? Everyone should relax a bit. Pair it back. Reduce. JW Anderson, the current generational leader of social cues, fulfilled this in earnest, quoting that “we’re heading into a season of reduction.” Less, however, still had its weightiness and left room for a solemn, surrealist cue to keep things interesting, as seen best at YOOYOUNGMI and LOEWE. Tomatoes, pillows, frogs, and metallic orbs all on fresh canvases of clean, basic tailoring piggyback the progress of subversion in the fundamental.
OLD-TIMEY CHARM
Nothing says zeitgeist like a bit of retro contemplation and a lot of playful exploration. The new-season adventurer, adorned in key earth tones Sage Leaf and Astro Dust, explored the present with stolen valour from old-fashioned 1930’s archetypes. Where to next? Aviator caps and jackets—that’s where. Etro and Givenchy coined the budding Future Terrain trend that applies old-fashioned charm to a futuristic shape that’s normally off-limits. Much like you at your most recent therapy session, at first glance it’s questionable, but give it a few seconds and you can see it's grounded. Bluemarble and Dries Van Noten do it best in action. Epitomized travel classics.
BABE, WAKE UP, HOUSE CODES ARE BACK
The most anticipated moment of the AW23 superimposed the collection of fledgling creative director Daniel Lee at Burberry as a “hold your breath” moment in the industry. Reduction, subversion, and gender fluidity had adapted to a new consumer demanding resilience in the face of uncertainty. Tasked with reigning in consumer confidence, brands had to exude stability and eschew frivolity to retain relevance. All this while still creating a moment. To do so, house style codes were at the forefront of this season’s identity. It was back to roots and historic influence, as seen at Paul Smith, Kenzo, and Burberry, each of which presented shows that were, simply put, quintessential. Brand DNA transcended theme in tandem with global tension, confirming the necessity of a strong foundation for success.
RAVE NEW WORLD
Raves were out of the grave in this season’s best tongue-in-cheek trend. Clubwear riffed off the Boudoir Man and championed a 90’s subculture rooted in free party, free movement, and free will. The last natural youth culture movement and the last raw social signal of hedonism. A nostalgia for freaks and geeks on the runway restored a party-culture fantasy at the intersection of rave and romance. Eclectic styling at Acne Studios, supersized fluffy knits, Eckhaus Latta’s sheer crop top, and baggy denim at Isabel Marant reiterated a lost codependency on masculinity. Grungy, core evening wear used rave as a complimentary channel to trivialize the conversation of gender in an age of escapist therapy.