10 Trends That Defined the Fall 2024 Runways
With a prolific changing of the guard at legacy houses in Milan— Sabato de Sarno at Gucci, Matteo Tamburini at Tod's, and Simone Bellotti at Bally— and at Paris Fashion Week—Chemena Kamali at Chloé and Seán McGirr at Alexander McQueen— the fall 2024 trends included a bit of everything. There were smart wardrobe investments at Max Mara and The Row, fresh color combinations and unconventional pairing ideas at Loewe and Dries Van Noten, and fur or faux-fur coats just about everywhere you turned.
If you want quirk and kitsch, you can find them within the biggest fall 2024 trends. A great coat, a beautifully tailored suit, and a luxurious knit were equally prioritized and all within arm's reach, too. "I was interested in making a monument out of the everyday," Bottega Veneta's Matthieu Blazy told a group of journalists backstage in Milan. A lesson that seemingly ordinary pieces, like a leather skirt or a button-down shirt, can still be rather extraordinary with a bit of innovation and well-executed techniques.
With social media bans implemented at The Row and charming glimpses of the past brought forth at Altuzarra and Prada in the form of vintage-inspired tea-length dresses, cheeky hat trends, and lady coats, it's more apparent than ever that clothes don't actually need TikTok validation or party tricks up their sleeves to be valued in the modern world. Great clothes speak for themselves.
Coat of Arms
Fall 2024 coats are a testament to both design and functionality. These overachievers will provide warmth, but they contain other great qualities, too, as each designer offers their take on fall's omnipresent staples. Victoria Beckham's runway featured double-lapel peacoats, shearlings, and moto-style leather jackets. Loewe re-introduced us to Victoria-era swallowtail coats, and at Bottega Veneta, there were multiple standouts, from cocoon-shaped jackets to wooly cape outerwear.
L'AGENCE Celina Leather Trench Coat
La Vie Style House Floral Brocade Dress Coat
Prada Raincoat Silhouette Cotton Coat
Feather Weather
Once indicative of social status, feather embellishments give clothing an innate sense of drama. But for fall 2024, feathers infiltrated in unexpected ways. Feathery textured hems and necklines clung to dresses at Ferragamo and Bottega. Full-on feather coats flocked the Tory Burch runway, and feathered skirts were casually styled peeking out from beneath sweaters at Brunello Cucinelli.
Daily Sleeper + Net Sustain Boheme Feather-Trimmed Lenzing™ Ecovero™-Satin Maxi Dress
Sea Bethany Feather-Trimmed Embellished Lace Midi Skirt
Veronica Beard Pierre Feather-Trimmed Ribbed Cotton Top
Fur Frenzy
The discourse around fur and faux furs can be contentious, but with a surge in popularity, designers are innovating with novel fabrics and silhouettes that transcend the fleeting mob wife aesthetic. Prada artfully fused shearling to mimic fur on dress hems and shoulder sleeves. At Loewe, Jonathan Anderson offered an alternative to the conventional fur jacket with a cropped pullover, and at Bally, furry backs adorned sheath tops and gave an unexpected update to asymmetric mini skirts.
Proenza Schouler White Label Penelope Faux Fur Coat
Victoria Beckham Faux Fur Coat
Saint Laurent Animal-Free Fur-Trimmed Satin Bomber Jacket
Green with Envy
There's always a color or grouping of color trends that prevail over the season: red, butter yellow, Barbie pink. This season, green—a symbol of renewal—is staking its claim. A retro 1970s green enveloped suiting and jackets at Gucci, while Fforme showcased slinky emerald green dresses and suiting separates. And Saint Laurent embraced the lush hue as the show backdrop, with hints of olive and khaki green peppered throughout the collection.
Dries Van Noten Tigris Ribbed-Knit Wool-Blend Vest
Brandon Maxwell The Millie Silk Flared Midi Skirt
Carlind Cotton Corduroy Straight-Leg Pants
Wild Card
The animal print trend never went dormant, but it has become a major thread across the fall 2024 collections bringing boldness and play into neutral territory. An amalgamation of leopard print was prevalent at Marni and Versace, as well as Seán McGirr's debut season as Creative Director for Alexander McQueen. Theory's collection also offered a palatable approach to leopard care of swing dresses, smart suits, and trenches.
Leopard-Print Canvas Shirt Jacket
Philosophy Di Lorenzo Serafini Animal-Print Wide Trousers
ATM Anthony Thomas Melillo Leopard-Print Silk Midi-Skirt
Ladylike Suiting
Vintage lovers will rejoice in the runway's classic offerings from the past. Several designers, including Altuzarra and The Row, shifted toward salon-style showings this season. And notoriously offline, The Olsens enforced a no social media policy at their fall 2024 Paris show. Mimicking old-fashioned (albeit very much in fashion) mindsets, it was no coincidence the collections also revisited retro styles.
Chloé + Atelier Jolie Wool-Gabardine Blazer
Alessandra Rich Cropped Bow-Detailed Cutout Pinstriped Wool-Blend Jacket
Gucci Appliquéd Wool-Blend Mini Skirt
Layering Pro
Designers are taking a new approach to modern layering, making it foolproof to achieve a nonchalant cuffed sleeve or a perfectly rolled pant leg. Many of fall 2024's pieces have the details already styled in. At Bottega Veneta, several of the collection's doubled-up button-downs, cowl neck knits, and jackets are attached at the seams. At Gucci, shrunken-style polos come sewn into companion cardigans that drape ever-so-slightly on the cusp of the shoulder.
Bottega Veneta Layered Wool-Blend Turtleneck Sweater
A.W.A.K.E. Mode pants
Basque Layered Woven Flared Pants
Luxurious Knits
Not so long ago, there was a time when cozy clothing reigned king. But now, with places to go and people to see, we’ve pivoted away from cocooning ourselves completely. Still, getting dressed doesn’t have to undermine the importance of comfort— and designers are approaching leisure apparel with a luxury mindset. The Row offered sophisticated cashmere pants that can easily double as cocktail attire paired with a slightly oversized blazer and some pearls. Pop on a kitten heeled boot or a mule, and Jil Sander’s knit sets can easily take you into the boardroom.
Khaite Shrunken Jo Polo Cashmere Top
The Sofia Skirt
The Row Chevro Cutout Cashmere Sweater
No Pants? No Problem.
On the fall 2024 runways, there were more new pant silhouettes than ever—ballooning cargo pants at Loewe and high-waisted, long-legged "elevator" pants at Victoria Beckham— and new ways to approach the no-pants trend. Altuzarra suggested a monochromatic pop of red with a cropped jacket and tight combo, Gucci offered barely there micro short options in knit and leather fabrications, and Ferragamo designed sturdy opaque tight-legging hybrids for those on the fence.
Miu Miu Ribbed-Knit Logo Culotte Briefs
Amble Fair Isle-Inspired Mohair-Blend Cardigan
Miu Miu Striped Cotton Pyjama Boxers
On the Fringe
Fringe was one of those trends that kept popping up on the runways, but it was also a common thread amongst the dress codes and street styles of editors, buyers, and influencers attending the shows. Bottega Veneta continues to drive home its artisanal prowess with micro leather fringe atop statement jackets, on skirts, and throughout their accessories. Dries Van Noten strategically placed tinsel twinkling fringes on suiting. At Ferragamo, elongated fringe strips framed bare legs on skirts and dresses.
By Malene Birger Iggie Double-Breasted Fringe-Trim Blazer
Another Tomorrow Fringed Tie-Neck Knit Top
Bode Beaded Fringe Trousers
Sheer Force
You can't talk about Saint Laurent's fall 2024 collection without broaching the topic of sheer, but the French fashion house wasn't the only designer tackling "naked dressing" head-on. From completely translucent tunic-style dresses at Proenza Schouler to shots of sheer at Gucci, and sheer skirts at Fendi, those who buy into the trend can layer strategically or bare it all.
SIEDRÉS Elas Sheer Crinkled Midi Dress
Fine-Knit Buttoned Cardigan
Sud Sheer Maxi Dress
