What is the main trend for the fall/winter 2023 season? Not clothing, but rather a pose—more specifically, a clutch. The models held powder compacts at Giorgio Armani and their breasts at Ann Demeulemeester. The meaningful gesture could be seen everywhere, from the model holding her reddish from edge to edge coat at The Row to the girls illuminating by the bright light of the iPhones gripped in their hands at Courrèges to the woman holding her ivory that he had liquid-silk dress around her hips like she had just stepped out of the shower at Loewe. Everyone worked together to give the autumn catwalks a slightly more human vibe.
These practical actions complemented the season’s most popular style, which consists of simple, every-day clothing made from top-notch fabrics. There were many costumes that one could easily picture putting on before facing the day on the runways of Bottega Veneta, Miu Miu, and Loewe. The difference, if you’re spinning your eyes at an article extolling the virtues of clothing you can actually wear, was in the little details that turned them from unremarkable to magazine-worthy: a pair of socks made of peachy-soft the leather at Bottega Veneta, for example, or a chain connecting the hem of an an oversized white shirt to a shoulders at Loewe, giving its silhouette an artistic ripple.
If we had assumed that the post-Covid 2020s would be like the Roaring Twenties, complete with wine for brunch and sequins for the grocery run, we would have been mistaken. One year after the start of the civil war in Ukraine, fashion wrung its hands a bit less fervently during the autumn collections. It was commerce as usual, and it was a big, brazen, 1,000-capacity fashion show. But there was still a feeling of unease.
Maybe that’s why formal black coats and classic white shirts were styled in so many imaginative ways (good news if you already have one in your collection).
There were lighthearted moments. Metallics with a sheen predominated, and draping liquid lamé was a lovely addition to sequins. Then there was the rebellious, punkish vibe, which, whether intentionally or not, paid homage to the late, great Dame Vivienne Westwood, who died away in December. Make the Wednesday Addams link if you’d like, but it’s apparent that the Netflix series remains on many designers’ watch lists. Meanwhile, florals took on a subtly gothic hue, while sheer, lingerie-style materials and underwear paired with tights lent a “woke up like this” nonchalance.
There has never been a better moment to look for investment buys, sparkle aside. Timelessness has been the buzzword in fashion for quite some time now as we’ve all changed to a more deliberate approach to getting dressed.
When the temperature begins to fall, a great way to transition into autumn without being insouciant is to put on a striking scarf. Invest in a brooch in the form of a tiny trumpets, like that at Louis Vuitton, to accessorize the long woolen scarf you already own. Drape a plaid blanket across your jacket and fasten it using a gold pin, à la Saint Laurent. If you’d like, you’re able to knit one yourself. We ought to all be living by Westwood’s adage, “Buy less, select well, make it last.”
The season’s most wearable designs have a straightforward chicness to them that initially seems predictable. Pair your slouchy blue jeans with a stripes shirt and a trench similar to the Gucci woman and her clones buying coffee in Brooklyn; take one grey hooded sweat and combination that with a strong-shouldered camels coat and leggings such as the Miu Miu girl and her. This is duplicates on the way to spinning class in Notting Hill. However, such casual luxury has exquisite details: the trench coat from Fendi is laced with beige sequins, and the blue trousers from Bottega Veneta are made of paper-thin leather.