At the spring 2025 shows in New York, London, Milan, and Paris, fashion’s most famous luxury houses set the tone for what you can expect to be wearing once you’ve made it through the darkest days of winter. While each brand presented a distinct vision for the fairer season, as always, there were certain themes and throughlines that connected the collections. Several designers nodded to decades past—see Chemena Kamali’s ’70s bohemian glamour at Chloé and Anthony Vaccarello’s ’80s power suiting at Saint Laurent. Others like Dior’s Maria Grazia Chiuri and Tory Burch drew inspiration from a sporty spirit recently ignited by the summer 2024 Olympics. Elsewhere, twisted classics like those of Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons proved their staying power. Below, our 10 favorite trends for spring 2025 and how to get the look now.
Alien Invasion
Courtesy of Tory Burch, Louis Vuitton, Junya Watanabe and Acne Studios.
Imagine this: The world is ending, Earth is on fire, and aliens are raining down from space. What are you wearing? It may not seem like an obvious question, but it’s one that designers contended with on the runways this season. The apocalypse got a fashionable makeover as distressing techniques popped up everywhere—on a fur coat at Prada and an ’80s-era leather jacket at Acne Studios that invoked Harrison Ford in Blade Runner. Sci-fi silver found its way onto exaggerated shapes at Balenciaga and Junya Watanabe, invoking a more mod-alternative to this doomsday narrative, while Louis Vuitton and Rabanne had their models in shreds, walking through the aftermath of the wreckage.
Candy-Coated
From left: Bally, Chloe, Miu Miu and Zankov. Courtesy of the designers.
The best way to cheer up a sad, cold day? Brightly colored outerwear that brings to mind a candy store filled with sugary treats. From nylon trenches, leather wrap coats, and canvas rain jackets, the spring runways were drenched in colorful toppers. Miu Miu perked up a black and gray ensemble with a magenta jacket while Bally’s green car coat was made for good luck come St. Patrick’s Day in March. Different variations of blue popped up at Chloe and Zankov. Styled with complementary pastel pieces the looks had the effect of a jawbreaker—peel off the layers to unveil a new hue.
School Ties
From left: Akris, Prada, Hodakova and Miu Miu.
It seems that prep school is the bottomless well from which designers continuously pull inspiration. Last season, it was a more poised student who walked the runways—the valedictorian or the class president in sweater vests and collared shirts. For spring, a mix of pleated skirts and varsity jackets at Akris, Hodakova, Miu Miu, and more spoke to those for whom both academics and athletics were a priority. Maybe next season it will be the theater kids’ turn to get the high fashion treatment.
’80s Redux
From left: Louis Vuitton, All-In, Valentino and Bottega Veneta.
The decade of decadence is officially back for spring 2025. Big shoulders, lots of tulle, polka dots—all the hallmarks of the Dynasty costume department—made their way onto the runway. Still, designers found ways to bring these design elements into the 21st century. At Bottega Veneta, Matthieu Blazy paired power shoulders with chic, simple separates, while Saint Laurent combined them with the brand’s classic Le Smoking suit. Others, like Valentino, Duran Lantink, and Acne Studios, went full ’80s party girl, with sleek styling that confirmed that teased hair is one aspect of the ’80s that should very much stay in the past.
Lost At Sea
Courtesy of Alaïa, Chanel, No 21 and Prada.
This season the sea was calling to many designers who looked to the life of a sailor for inspiration in their collections. Some houses took the reference more literally, like Chanel, Moschino, and Marni, outfitting models in sailor collars or hats. A fully netted look from Alaïa’s Pieter Mulier recalled the tools of the trade for a fisherman while Miuccia Prada put her own spin on classic Breton stripes.
Post-Olympics Blues
Courtesy of Conner Ives, Tory Burch, Balenciaga and Miu Miu.
Following on the heels of the triumphant 2024 Olympics, sportswear took over the spring runways, as many designers seemed to make their cases to dress their respective national teams for the next Summer Games. At Willy Chavarria, the designer debuted his collaboration with Adidas, fittingly modeled by none other than Olympian Noah Lyles. Miu Miu and Tory Burch showed new ways to dress up a one-piece swimsuit, while Conner Ives and Balenciaga considered how athletes may dress off-duty for the next two years, turning their sportswear into daywear with the help of some good styling.
Boho Riche
Courtesy of Georgio Armani, Valentino, Hermès, and Saint Laurent.
Chemena Kamali at Chloé can be thanked for the return of the bohemian aesthetic, though many brands have quickly followed suit in bringing the styles of the ’70s back into the fashion consciousness. Alessandro Michele’s debut show for Valentino resembled an expedition through your glamorous mother’s long-untouched closet—one that unearths beautiful beaded vests, tops of ruffled collars, and feather-adorned hats. At Hermès, suede fuchsia jumpsuits invoked a similar era, while Anthony Vaccarello sent loose pajama-like sets in a luxurious damask silk down the runway, styled with layers of oversized, beaded jewelry.
The Real Housewives of Boca Raton
From left: Bally, Loewe, Chloé, and Vetements.
Someone get Andy Cohen on the phone because we have a new series to pitch. Or, rather, the fashion industry has a new series to pitch, as it seems to be enamored with a print reminiscent of floral couches and curtains found in a retirement community. That’s not to malign them, the designers have an uncanny ability to modernize the variations of this print and make it look covetable. Jonathan Anderson has been doing so at Loewe for a decade now, and spring 2025 found another iteration of grandma’s florals making its way onto a dress. It seems the trick is using the print on unique silhouettes like at Bally, or showing some skin a la Chloé. Sometimes, though, you just have to embrace the source of an idea, like Guram Gvasalia, who sent a dress down the runway at Vetements that literally looked like it was made from your great aunt’s decades-old bedspread.
Twisted Lady
From left: Prada, Louis Vuitton, Miu Miu, and Acne Studios.
Designers are always iterating on ladylike tropes, taking classic, feminine silhouettes and subverting them. Demna reportedly said backstage at Balenciaga in September that fashion needs to get “fucked up,” and he stuck to his word, sending a chic, butter-yellow silk dress down the runway, only for the model to turn around and reveal that it was slit down the back and laced up with a thick black ribbon. At Prada and Miu Miu, Mrs. Prada proved once again to be a leader of the trend, throwing an Edie Sedgwick-style leopard coat over a swimsuit at the former and presenting half-dressed models who looked almost put together at the other. The Acne show, meanwhile, saw a model that had it all—the leather gloves, statement necklace, and draped shirt. In keeping with the ongoing pantless trend, she left her bottoms at home.
Stripes Aplenty
From left: Balenciaga, Max Mara, Louis Vuitton, and Charles Jeffrey Loverboy.
Stripes might feel like a simple and obvious trend to forecast for the upcoming season, but these aren’t ordinary lines we’re talking about here. The stripes on the spring 2025 runways were bold, colorful, and sometimes kooky. At Zankov and Charles Jeffrey, they clashed, yet were somehow cohesive. The beauty of stripes is they can be combined with other trends from the season. Max Mara and Prada took the pattern to the sea on swimwear, while Louis Vuitton brought them back in time to the ’80s on a puff-sleeve jacket. The variety of the stripes from the presentations was truly impressive, as was the volume, so expect to see a similar striped takeover come springtime.
