March 30, 2023
As we step into 2023, the fashion industry is bracing for a new year of sustainable and innovative styles. While 2022 saw trends of comfort, practicality and fast fashion, 2023 is predicted to return with much more expression, from bold color palettes to versatile silhouettes to renewed leather. Fashion in 2023 will be diverse and exciting, with a wide range of styles and trends to choose from. Even the editors at Vogue have already invested in their Western denim, maxi skirts and draped pieces for the upcoming spring; now is the time to get your head start!
1: Utility/Cargo Pants:
Pockets practically littered the 2023 runways. From Miu Miu to Louis Vuitton, numerous brands displayed all kinds of cargo pants on the Spring/Summer 2023 runways. Utility clothes are in; consumers are indicating a shift towards more economical, practical and long-lasting clothing, according to Vogue. Cargo pants are perfectly functional (with oh-so-many pockets) and bring to mind a particular 90s and 2000s nostalgia. Often worn with a tight, baby T-shirt, cargo pants come in all shapes and sizes: satin or denim, tight and cropped or big and billowing, any style works. Just as long as there are pockets.
2: Asymmetrical Goddess Dresses
The title may be confusing, but the trend is simple. Billowing, layered, ruched dresses with asymmetric hemlines and lengths that evoke dreams of Italian vacations and warm, breezy summer days. All across Spring/Summer 2023 runway shows, from Valentino to Fendi, were elegant dresses. Silk fabrics were everywhere; designers draped, layered and swathed models, exploring modern ways to highlight the body. Alongside the free-flowing dresses, the asymmetric cuts were common on recent runways. According to Vogue, half skirts (no, not midi skirts; half skirts are instead maxi-length, with a giant slit down the middle), and their counterpart asymmetrical dresses will be dominant in 2023 fashion. Together, the flowing dresses with the liquid-like effect of asymmetric cuts create a new and fashionable look.
3: Slip-on Shoes
The New York Times decreed the year of 2023 as the end of shoelaces, and the masses seem to agree. In 2022, nearly every shoe that went viral on TikTok was some sort of slip-on. From the UGG slippers to the Miu Miu ballet flats to the BIRKENSTOCK Boston Clogs, people seem to want simplicity and ease. Slip-on shoes offer a certain type of comfort and speed that shoes with laces cannot. If 2022 was the post-COVID-19 year of flashy and fierce fashion, 2023 is the year of utility, comfort and quality.
4: Wild West
You may not be a cast member on “Yellowstone” standing outside of your ranch in Wyoming, but you can still be a cowboy. According to Vogue, there was a resurgence of all-denim looks on the runway for 2023. Add to that the American West-inspired shows from Ralph Lauren and Burberry on the 2023 Spring/Summer runway, and it’s confirmed, the rugged looks are in. Alongside the cowboy boots that have landed in essentially every major American clothing store, like Free People, Urban Outfitters and Nordstrom, the wild west trend includes suede jackets, Canadian tuxedos, leather vests and fringe. Now is the time to buy that cowboy hat.
5: Maxi Skirts and Maxi Dresses
First, it was the microskirts (skirts the size of a large-sized belt) that went viral on TikTok; now, it’s the maxi skirt. The SKIMs maxi dress went viral on TikTok, and practically every TikTok influencer who tried it on insisted that it really is “the most flattering piece of clothing, like, ever.” But the maxi skirt trend is more than Kim Kardashian. Long dresses have dominated recent fashion shows, with 81% of designers including them in their collections, according to Vogue. Similar to other 2023 fashion trends, the recent popularity of maxi skirts represent a shift towards more practical clothing.
6: Aggressive Leather
Leather pants started coming back into fashion late in 2020 (Aritzia’s “The Melina Pant,” anyone?) and since then, it’s been leather everything. Fall 2022 street style consisted of leather blazers, bombers, boots and bags, according to Forbes, and supermodel Kate Moss continued the trend by wearing an all-leather outfit (which presented as a pair of regular jeans and a white tank top) on the Bottega Veneta Spring/Summer 2023 runway. Noting the all-leather looks presented on numerous Spring/Summer 2023 runways, Cosmopolitan also predicted the rise of “Biker Vibes” for 2023, meaning it’s not just the leather that’s trendy, it’s the grunge look that’s back as well.
7: Monochrome
In the spirit of easy, functional and yet also stylish clothing, monochrome will be keeping its crown throughout 2023. Dominating Spring/Summer 2022 runways, monochrome made a comeback last year; it also moved beyond previously-muted tones to bright and loud primary colors, according to Vogue. Monochrome can be simple or extravagant, flashy or simple, dressed-up or dressed-down, and the best part is, it doesn’t require buying any clothing, simply matching already-bought pieces.
Number of years in The Coat of Arms: 4
Favorite aspect of journalism: writing and editing opinion pieces; it allows me to learn new perspectives and hear interesting takes.
Interests outside of school: Mock Trial, student government, reading.
Class of 2023
