The fall 2024 shows may have ended earlier this month, but the trends that emerged from the runways in New York, London, Milan, and Paris are still fresh on our minds. This season, designers focused on—and recast the idea of—womanly dressing. There were plenty of takes on ladylike fashion (prim house dresses at Miu Miu, fur-trimmed ones at Prada that were straight out of the 1960s) and feminine workwear. Some brands took the idea even further: Jonathan Anderson at Loewe turned the concept of everyday wearability on its head, while Bottega Veneta creative director Matthieu Blazy deconstructed a woman’s day through clothes, taking her from morning through the evening. Of course, there is not just one way to wear a femme style—leaving designers with unlimited options to create worlds of their own for the season. Below, we’ve listed our favorite 10 trends from fall 2024—which will be everywhere well before the leaves start to turn.
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
This season saw an incredible array of fur coats—what we loved most were the variations on beautiful brown furs. Loewe reimagined a sporty track jacket with a bit of softness in the form of a fun, large pouch on the front. Like Miu Miu, Celine made a ’60s-inspired coat with an exaggerated collar—both pieces you’d dream of nabbing from your grandmother’s closet. LaQuan Smith and Saint Laurent, meanwhile, created their own over-the-top versions.
Make Way for Woman!
This trend was inspired by Blazy at Bottega, who said for fall 2024 he was interested in making clothes for every part of a woman’s day: work, commute, lunch, an outing with friends, a walk. This idea of elevated daywear felt sophisticated, comfortable, and easy in many of the collections. The trench coat from Burberry, jeans and a travel jacket at Chloé, and the classic barber jacket from Hermès are a few examples.
Ladies Who Lunch
If you’re knee deep in (or have already binged) Feud: Truman Capote vs. The Swans, consider yourself more than familiar with this aesthetic. It’s easy to picture Babe Paley wearing any and all of these ladylike looks to lunch at La Côte Basque: like the flowing coatdresses at Chanel or the ’60s-inflected frocks at Prada, Miu Miu, and Celine.
Poised Prep
It feels like practically every season, we’ll see some kind of take on preppy style. But fall 2024’s version may be the best one we’ve encountered yet. The “Poised Prep” as we’re calling this character—whom we saw on the runways at Dries Van Noten, Prada, and Loewe— felt effortless, cool, and put-together. Upcycling master Hodakova reworked a knit polo, paired it with a pair of pants made into a skirt, and then flipped the whole thing upside down. Dries Van Noten, whose motto this season was about “style and not so much about fashion,” took your typical after-hours sweatsuit and made it sleek with a pink button-down peeking through the sleeves.
Plaid Girls Club
The ’90s grunge era may have been the last time that plaid took hold of the fashion public’s consciousness, but this fall could mark a serious comeback. Chemena Kamali’s debut collection for Chloé included the print in a long boho-esque coat, while Willy Chavarria put plaid on a Chicano maxi skirt.
Leopard Gone Wild
Leopard print has been making a slow and steady comeback over the past few seasons. And with fall 2024, we can officially say it’s running wild (sorry) on the runway. It certainly wasn’t difficult to spot! (We will stop, seriously.) Alaïa showcased leopard on a luxe knit top, while Marni put the print on a fabulous A-line dress. Michael Kors and Dior channeled leopard in elegant coats, and Celine, McQueen, Balenciaga, and Rabanne kept it furry and warm across the board.
A Hill of Greens
After multiple seasons of loud, bright red dominating the runways, the surprising color of fall 2024 was green—a hue known to symbolize new beginning and growth. This symbolism felt in tune with the running themes of “realness” and examinations of everyday wear, which we saw across the shows and presentations. Some brands like Loewe and Jil Sander went all out with the color, enveloping their guests in green-painted sets; others kept it subdued, like the Row and Saint Laurent. Miu Miu and McQueen made it quite apparent that this is the new color of the year—showing flashy neon hues that fashion fans won’t soon forget.
Princess & the Pea
While there were no actual peacoats in Hans Christian Andersen’s classic fairytale, both the coat and the book did originate in the 1800s. Of course, this silhouette has been around for quite some time—and in 2024, it could be seen all over the runways. There were structured leather versions at Prada and Saint Laurent, a long and modern twist from emerging designer Aaron Esh, and a Mod silhouette at Gucci.
Puff, Puff, Pass
Sprinkled throughout the fur coat supremacy of fall 2024 was a range of puff coats and jackets that shined. We loved Jil Sander’s waxed burgundy version, Duran Lantink’s and Balenciaga’s red sets, and Miu Miu’s simple cropped jacket.
The New Moto
The moto jacket has been evolving since it was first created in 1913. Flash-forward to present day and it was all about moto this fall 2024, with each piece bearing its own twist. Prada made an elegant version that was the perfect combination of tough and delicate. Junya Watanabe deconstructed a jacket and made it into a work of art, while J.W. Anderson played with shape and color. At Coperni, one piece became an entire outfit—in the shape of a bodysuit.