By W Staff

By the time Paris Fashion Week fall 2023 closed in early March, the trends of the season had been fully set. Among them: riffs on French-girl style aplenty; big, bold shoulder pads à la Miami Vice; and a return to dressing up. At Dior, Maria Grazia Chiuri created her interpretation of both the former and the latter—models took to the catwalk donning New Look-inspired takes on Parisian dressing. Meanwhile, Louis Vuitton’s Nicolas Ghesquière put his answer to the question “What is French style?” (which opened his show in the vaulted salons of the Musée d’Orsay) squarely in the context of 2023. That meant glowing light therapy sunglasses and moto gloves alongside knitted vests and oversize scarves. And in Saint Laurent’s version, the 1980s ruled: teeny leather gloves were paired with slim pants and supersized blazers featuring exaggerated shoulders. Distinct trends emerged during the weeks prior in New York, London, and Milan as well. Luar’s Raul Lopez made the case for elevated, over-the-top office attire, while Tory Burch designed looks for a new kind of prep. At JW Anderson, Bottega Veneta, and Loewe, closet staples were given new life—ushering in a fresh era for trenches, peacoats, white tank tops, and much more. Here, a look at all the major (and micro) trends we saw on the fall 2023 runways.


80's Power Dressing

The 1980s are back in a big way—and designers this season honed in on the idea of the remixed power suit, taking the look to outsized proportions. Saint Laurent featured a jacket with bold shoulders on almost every look for fall 2023, while Bottega Veneta’s version had a distinctly early ’90s feel.

Main Character Energy

The secretary, the nurse, the Mod Squad member. This season, we saw plenty of recognizable characters walking down the runways—at Miu Miu, Ethel Cain played an early Mad Men Peggy Olson manning the front desk; Fendi’s girl evoked a Charles Dickens-era character.


Elevated Staples

The peacoat, the trench, the suit, the white blouse, and other closet basics were brought to new heights this season. Givenchy elongated a pussy bow all the way to ground, while Gucci made their everyday suit extra roomy—and therefore extra stylish.

The Art Collector

This isn’t the wardrobe of your high school ceramics teacher—this is a work of art transposed onto a garment that could stand as an art piece on its own. We especially loved the cherries on Jil Sander’s sleeveless set, and Rodarte’s take, which featured a lively trim of lime green feathers on a printed caftan.

Calling All Extroverts

If your fashion sense ultimately boils down to “go big or go home,” look no further than this trend—which happens to be one of our favorites from the season. Maximalism took on a restrained, chic form for fall 2023. At JW Anderson, that translated to larger-than-life lapels on a superlong jacket, while Christian Cowan decorated his floor-length blazer with rhinestones.

The Best of Barbarella

Sydney Sweeney may be taking on the role of the glamorous space adventurer in a new film based on the original, but Barbarella was also prevalent on the fall 2023 runways this season. We were totally taken with Noir Kei Ninomiya’s version, covered in menacing spikes; as well as the mini dress from Paco Rabanne, whose show celebrated its late founder’s legacy.

Grocery Run

What would someone wear for a quick trip to the corner store? Designers’ answers to this question ranged from a chic take on ath-leisure (Miu Miu) to a full-on fashionable pajama set (Bottega Veneta). Louis Vuitton slung one of its season’s signatures—an extralong scarf—over a beaded skirt worn on top of leggings, while JW Anderson’s girl simply threw a zip-up on top of her cocktail dress.

Fine Feathered Friends

Feathers are by no means a novel trend in fashion. But for fall, designers expanded their use into uncharted territory—especially at Loewe, where Jonathan Anderson turned his model into a straight-up bird.

A New Kind of Prep

There’s been plenty of talk about what preppy looks like in 2023, and we feel Tory Burch captured the overall consensus of “New Prep” quite well: it’s a little bit undone (Gucci did this bit perfectly), a touch quirky (see: Miu Miu), but chic beyond belief (à la Prada).

Cruella's Closet

Your favorite Disney villain was back in a big way on this season’s runways. Coats at Gucci, Stella McCartney, and Bottega Veneta evoked Cruella de Vil’s signature wardrobe, while Dolce & Gabbana put its own spin on the concept.

Seaside Heights

Designers’ homages to the sea were done incredibly artfully this season. Even more on-the-nose homages, like Balmain’s pearlescent seashell-inspired corsets, were paired with slouchy berets to give the look a whole new dimension. Bottega Veneta put scalloped textures all over tight turtlenecks. And at Rick Owens and Loewe, shining materials evoked the feeling of gentle, lapping waves.

Not Your Mother's Trench Coat

This trend goes hand-in-hand with the concept of elevated staples. Loewe’s trompe l’oeil version of a trench was truly inspiring, but Fendi’s trench coat—which was lined with matching sequins—took our breath away.