As another fashion week comes to a close, it welcomes a new cycle of trends leading the fashion race for Spring/Summer 2024.
Summary:
- Perhaps fashion is overly favoring black?
- The season of transparent dresses
- Beating the summer heat with delicate cutouts
- Designs challenging AI intelligence
- Unimaginable revival of the classic polo shirt
- Blooming rose gardens
From New York, London, Milan to Paris Fashion Week, Spring/Summer 2024 remains as vibrant as ever with unique fashion shows. After the stage lights dim, the runway is no longer the center of attention; instead, it’s the buzz of the departing audience. This is when fashion designs are endlessly discussed to identify the trends that will dominate the new season. Unlike before when trends were not a significant issue in fashion, today, fashion is operated and led by trends. Fashion has become more accessible and open to a wider audience through trends. Now, viewers at prestigious fashion shows can easily recognize the familiar dressing styles of famous It-Girls, a trending challenge on TikTok, or a beloved style from a movie. Fashion not only serves as clothing for essential needs but also reflects culture, society, and what’s happening in the fashion community. And in Spring/Summer 2024, this is clearly evident in the design language of numerous fashion houses, creating new trends in the fashion race.
Perhaps fashion is overly favoring black?
In these difficult times of economic downturn, it seems that designers have responded with a palette of grays, particularly a cold black. Safe? Yes, this may not be an entirely novel choice, but it meets the practical needs of today’s fashion users. While red dominated the runways in Fall/Winter 2023, black has taken over in Spring/Summer 2024. However, black this season doesn’t mean boring; instead, it’s depicted with creative stitches and imaginative interpretations by designers. From Issey Miyake, Rick Owens, Saint Laurent to Dolce & Gabbana, black appears on the runway with various spirits: elegant, mysterious, edgy, seductive, powerful, and even melancholic like at Undercover.
The season of transparent dresses
Besides the deep black, white is also a dominant color trend in the Spring/Summer season. The rise of quiet-luxury trends has made neutral tones, especially classic black and white, more appealing than ever. White appears in recent fashion weeks with a seductive, hot, and “bare” appearance. It’s repeatedly depicted in sheer, lightweight layers that gently wrap around the wearer’s body. At Prada, the fashion world was captivated by the thin, flowing dresses, as if made from flowing slime on glass doors erected during the show. But in reality, Prada’s sheer dresses are made from layers of delicate fabric. Other brands like Y/Project, Coperni, and Missoni continue to portray white with the purest sense of tradition.
Beating the summer heat with delicate cutouts
Alongside the multi-functional bag craze, Spring/Summer 2024 sees designers incorporating bold and unique cutout details. Intricately cut-out patterns seem to serve the dual purpose of keeping the wearer cool and enhancing their appearance. Bottega Veneta adorns its mesh dress with fluffy pompoms, while Valentino turns cutouts into artistic masterpieces. Proenza Schouler, Huishan Zhang, and Versace offer more refined and luxurious versions. The complex and perilous mesh designs found at ASAI and Noir Kei Ninomiya serve as sufficient evidence of the special allure of mesh details in the fashion trend of Spring/Summer 2024.
Designs challenging AI intelligence
As technology gradually infiltrates human life, fashion and other fields are facing the invasion of AI. The materials of clothing and unimaginable structures will become increasingly important for brands to survive. To assert the importance and difference between designers and AI technology, the leaders of a myriad of brands have relentlessly crushed, twisted, and molded all kinds of materials to create complex architectural structures, magnificent sculptures. Glenn Martens’ unique denim surgery at Y/Project or sharp pyramids at Junya Watanabe are perhaps new challenges for AI. The rolled fabric blocks at Rick Owens, Comme des Garçons, Loewe, and Maison Margiela testify that the creative minds and craftsmanship of designers and creative directors remain irreplaceable values.
Unimaginable revival of the classic polo shirt
In previous fashion seasons, the familiar white shirt dominated many famous runways. Now is the time for the “bland” polo shirts to shine. At various fashion week shows for Spring/Summer 2024, polo shirts unexpectedly became the darlings that many famous brands are infatuated with. The icon of elegant preppy style has been revived strongly. In the bustling campaign, Miu Miu’s polo shirt probably caused the most resonance. Bold and rebellious laboratories like Y/Project and Vaquera also bring unique versions of this familiar shirt.
Blooming rose gardens
In the Spring/Summer season, fashion houses diligently cultivate their “gardens” more than ever. The appearance of colorful floral prints in recent fashion weeks is not entirely new. But most of the blossoming gardens feature a single flower – the rose. The rose reigns as the king of flowers. Beautiful, seductive, feminine yet authoritative and powerful. When Sarah Burton incorporated this flower into the final show at McQueen, it was called the Tudor rose, a symbol of the British royal family. At Balmain, it symbolizes a new era in Olivier Roustering’s creative dynasty. Spring/Summer 2024 also brings a plethora of exciting versions of the rose. They are printed on fabric at Erdem, appearing in vivid 3D shapes at Simone Rocha, Sandy Liang, and Rolf Ekroth.
