A new year. What will this fresh start hold? This coming year holds many new, and maybe even old, trends. The 2020s have shown to be the decade of micro-trends, hyperconnectivity and distinct niches. Join me, as I lead you through my 2024 fashion predictions.
Fashion Trends
#1 Hyper-Feminine Fashion
Bows, pink, frills and ruffles. With 1.2 million posts under the hashtag on TikTok, the word coquette will be at the top of the list. Defined as “a woman who flirts” in the Oxford Dictionary, coquette has become one of the most widespread fashion trends, whose chokehold on girls everywhere is predicted to continue well into 2024.
“I could see [this trend] getting to the point where we start wearing big ball gown dresses again,” said Summit senior and fashion lover Ellie Ezel. Ezel’s prediction makes a lot of sense in the context of Coquette’s origins. This type of hyper-feminine, girly fashion has evolved from the ‘Lolita’ subculture, originating in Japan, where women wear Victorian and Rococo-inspired clothing to look as child/doll-like as possible. Coquette fashion comes at a time when women all over the world are attempting to reclaim their femininity and instead of dressing for the male gaze, dress for themselves.
#2 Heavy Accessorization & Maximalism
Generation X was the generation of minimalism, with their houses, outfits and lives filled with only the most necessary details. Young Millennials and Gen Z may prove to be the opposite, valuing heavy accessorization in all domains of life.
“Our generation is on the way to maximalism,” said Summit senior Eva Hessiak. “Fashionable people are tired of fitting into social norms.” Chunky jewelry, jewelry stacking, tacky jewelry, teeth jewelry, piercings, tattoos, outfit layering, colorful home decor and multiple sources of ambient lighting will continue to become more popular as the year goes on—everything in excess, and anything to be different from our parents.
#3 Animal Prints/ Fur Coats
Fashion is cyclical, and the time has come for 80’s fashion to return to the limelight, ‘Mob Wife Core’ may be the beginning of this transition. ‘Mob Wife’ fashion is inspired by the women of ‘80s and early ‘90s gangster movies: Elvira Hancock from “Scarface” (1983), Angelina de Marco from “Married to the Mob” (1988), Karen Hill from “GoodFellas” (1990) and more. These women ride the fine line between classy and trashy, with big glam such as designer bags, animal prints, big jewelry, big fur coats and even bigger hair. Heavy accessorization and maximalist trends go hand-in-hand with mob wife core. The days of minimalist fashion will truly reach an end in 2024.
#4 Quiet Luxury
Coming off of a decade filled with social media influencers buying expensive designer items and riding the wave of trendiness to gain clout and attention, 2024 is going to be the year of quiet luxury. Quiet luxury is a movement in fashion that focuses on investing in high-quality pieces that have a timeless appeal, recurring every fashion cycle. Summit senior Andrew Schelling sees trousers and suit jackets becoming a staple in men’s fashion.
“Buying new, high-quality items will overtake the trend of buying second-hand and used items, creating a cultural value of longevity over quantity,” said Schelling. This trend may be a positive cultural reset, after decades of hyper-consumerism and ultra-fast fashion, and is the other side of the maximalist coin.
#5 Prep School
An extension of quiet luxury, prep school fashion will be all the rage this spring. Unlike the prep school trend of the 2010s, the pleated skirts, argyle vests and loafers will each be pieces of high-quality investments that will last well into the future. The goal of this trend is to look like you’re from ‘old money’, encapsulating the aura of icons such as Princess Diana, Sofia Richie and Jackie Kennedy. A recent spike in the creation of movies and TV shows such as Saltburn, The Crown and Young Royals has only cemented this trend among Gen Z and surrounding age groups.
Trending Items
#6 Capris
You may not want to believe it, but it’s been 20 years since the 2000s, and according to the cycle of fashion, Y2K fashion is officially back. Many trends from the 2000s have already been popularized in the past three years of the 2020s with the recent resurrection of low-rise jeans, but capris are due to make their comeback in 2024.
#7 XL Bags
Tote bags have been a fashion and functionality staple for the past five years, but we need something new, and XL bags may be just what the fashion world needs. 2023 showed a turn towards BAGGU bags and quilted bags, and these are only going to become more popular in 2024, but with a ‘little’ size, and quality, upgrade.
#8 A Pop of Red
Many of us have PTSD from the bright neons of the 2010s, causing us to opt for neutral color palates in our closet, but at times, there seems to be something missing. A little spice. A little pop of red. Whether it’s a red purse, shoes or a bow—a pop of red can pull together any bland fit.
These predictions may be right, or they may be wrong, but 2024 is looking to be a year full of timelessness and femininity.
