It was a curious season, fall 2025. Against an unstable, precarious world, designers forged ahead making clothes for future versions of us—six months into the future, but into the future nonetheless. On the runways two themes emerged: a return to a classical femininity and a call for individuality and the end of cookie-cutter, formula dressing. Are these two ideas on opposite ends of the spectrum? Almost certainly. And, yet, this season they easily became one. See, for example, the return of the eccentric little hat spotted everywhere from the stalwarts of elegance and luxury like Giorgio Armani and Loro Piana to the madcap visions of Anna Sui and Moschino’s Adrian Appiolaza. Nothing says “we used to live in a society” like watching a classic Hollywood film or coming across vintage photos of women out in the world wearing their hats, a most important sign of propriety. Now, chapeaux communicate a certain artiness—the opposite of falling back, fitting in, and living your life the way the powers that be might tell you that you should.
As my colleague Laird Borrelli-Persson explained in her ready-to-wear trend report, the hourglass silhouette—whether god-given, man-made, or sartorially enhanced—was another way in which the classical view of womanhood took center stage this season. It’s no surprise, then, that belts played such a pivotal role in the styling of collections: Some were extra-extra long, buckled once (and sometimes twice) around the body, then left to float limply down the legs, while others resembled a corset, wound tightly at the waist over coats or dresses. At Bally, Simone Bellotti left corsets half-open so they sat closer to the hips, taking a break from enforcing their strict beauty standards. Shoes with sickly sweet bows and lace tights were other ways in which designers toyed with their new feminine visions. Of course, the more symbolic something feels, the more tempting it becomes to appropriate and reclaim it, changing its meaning to suit our real view of ourselves.
And so the exploration of femininity dovetails nicely into a desire to express a total vision of personal style. You can see it with the aforementioned hats, and also in handbags shaped like objets—a turtle, a bottle of CK One, an apple (Eve’s?), or even… spaghetti—and the not-insignificant amount of shoes designed as if they were the picture of Dorian Gray. Up top, clothes remain sensible and spotless, and down below, toes grow extra long and pointy, pumps sprout tongues that flop forward, and feet are strapped into tactical heels with belts and buckles. Elsewhere, classic pumps in a neutral non-color akin to cement were trending. Unobtrusive, they go with everything (the fact that you may need to wear them with sheer stockings that come in a plastic egg goes without saying, of course). And just because every action must have an equal but opposite reaction, see the strange emergence of very ’80s flat boots (better if they slouch), a Reagan-era revival for girls who just want to have fun.
Put Your Thinking Cap On
Wearing an eccentric chapeau might just be the biggest accessory trend come fall. If you don’t have something that “used to be your grandmother’s” then consider Altuzarra’s chain cap, Luisa Beccaria’s pillbox, or even Paolo Carzana’s millinery poetry. Just remember, as Vogue explained in a 1941 issue that “the sole aim in life of a hat is to pay you a compliment.”
A Bag Shaped Like… Something! Anything!
Your party clutches should have as much fun as you do: consider Simone Rocha’s turtle bag, Rabanne’s tiny chainmail bag covered in pills, or Moschino’s “throw spaghetti at the bag and see what sticks.” You really can’t go wrong.
This Is the Belt That Doesn’t End, Yes It Goes on and on, My Friends
The premise is simple. Buy the longest belt you can find, wear as normal, and let the extra leather vibe out into the wind. It works whether your look is punk or minimal, but there are some alternatives if you want to dial the look up or down. Try Hodakova’s dress entirely covered in belts in the place of fringe, or Sacai’s subtle extra-long belt tied at the back of a coat.
Neutral Pump Hotel
A sensible no-nonsense pump, in the ultimate non-color that goes with everything: a cement-ish greige. Tailor-made for your Working Girl-inspired looks, or your nouveau dowdy tendencies.
Put On a Leggy Display
There was nary a bare leg on the runways this season, with designers pushing the boundaries of tights and hosiery as far as they could—there was lace, and lace embellishment (a totally different thing, see McQueen), argyle, animal prints, slogans, and even…. cargo pockets courtesy of the Coperni boys, who definitely know the power of an It-item.
Keep It Movin’
It’s not exactly the death of quiet luxury, but these fuzzy, furry, fringed, and otherwise totally out-there bags, are certainly making a case for it.
“I Myself Am Strange and Unusual”—Lydia Deetz, and Also These Shoes!
At The Row, Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen sent their models out wearing tights and no shoes, but every other runway was overflowing with the most wondrous and wild shoes we’ve seen in a minute. Consider the platform wedges at Louis Vuitton which oh-so-perfectly cradle the foot on a puffy wedge like a Tempur-Pedic mattress, the intricately embellished formal space-age boots at Collina Strada, or the extra-extra-long and extra-extra-pointy toes at Marc Jacobs and McQueen.
Hot Under the Collar
All the faux fur and shearling on the runways has certainly made us wonder what exactly was in the air that made almost every single designer zero-in on the material this season. There were big coats, little coats, fluffy tails on dresses, and almost anything else you can imagine. The beginner way to get in the trend is the faux-fur detachable collar, slung around your shoulders for a little bit of warmth and glamour—what more could you ask for?
Brown (and Burgundy) But Never Boring
A black bag is the standard goes-with-everything style, but for fall, designers want you to welcome warm tones of brown into your life: chocolate, mahogany, burnt sienna, caramel, sepia… yes these are all the Crayola colors I can remember off the top of my head, but they are also some of the glorious shades you can enjoy this season. Patch-worked at Fendi and Burberry, smooth and sleek at Abra and Hermès, or even embellished with gold à la Lanvin.
It’s a Cinch
Tight corset-like belts made a real power statement this season, but some designers brought an artsier take to the look, like Kiko Kostadinov’s Laura and Deanna Fanning with their Memphis-inspired style, or at Dries Van Noten’s Julian Klausner who achieved a pottery-esque look with his multi-texture design.
Just Girly Things!
The popular saying may be to seal it with a kiss, but for fall 2025, designers opted for a bow instead. On mary janes, mules, and pumps, the bow looked like an anxious punctuation mark on a furtive note passed in class. (Do you like me? Yes!) The prize for the most out-there take goes to Lucie and Luke Meier who for their final show at Jil Sander put little bows on pointy oxfords which were also embellished with pearls.
Chain Reaction
Consider it an accessory for your accessory—bags draped in chains are the next logical (grown-up?) step up from bags embellished with stuffed animals and trinkets. If you want a classic chain bag, Chanel has always been the place, but there was a lot of cool experimentation on other runways, too. At Chloé, Chemena Kamali’s bags were covered in a groovy mix of chains and charms, while at Tory Burch the vibe was akin to those alternative chains that connected cool girls’ ear piercings to their nose piercings back in the ’90s. Even Thom Browne’s Hector got in on the action (and doesn’t he look so fabulous?)
Flat-Out Boots
You gotta love a totally flat boot. The look? Always aced. The comfort? Unparalleled. And for fall the options seem totally unlimited. Way cool.
The Future’s So Bright You Have to Wear Shades
Well, maybe not so bright, but you should wear sunglasses nonetheless. For fall there is no overarching style; we saw mask-like, zany, teeny-tiny, mirrored; and made for Peggy Guggenheim, a cyborg, an alien—and regular humans too. It’s a great season to find your new signature style.
