It’s such a cliché to talk about the weather, but when you’re covering a month of fashion shows—widely considered plush, leisurely events, but ones that actually require a lot of time outdoors and on your feet—temperatures and precipitation make a big difference. In Paris, the air was crisp, the sun was shining, and we saw some of the week’s best looks. Some women we know packed entire suitcases of romantic, voluminous floral dresses, which make an easy, effortless impact; others showed up in retina-searing neons, the direct result of a single Fall 2018 show; and many women seemed to reject the idea of trends altogether, sticking to a mix of elegant, everyday button-downs, jackets, and trousers. Below, we’ve distilled the month of street style photos—828, to be precise—down to the seven most important trends.
Hemlines Keep Rising (and Rising . . .)
Back in the ’60s, miniskirts were a symbol of rebellion, of sexual freedom, and of youth in general. They’re creeping back into the zeitgeist—both on the runway and on the streets—partially in response to the modest midi and maxi lengths we’ve been wearing for years, but perhaps also because women of 2018 are embracing the bold, antiestablishment spirit of ’60s women. On the runway, hemlines rose at Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and Stella McCartney; on the street, we saw minis in all manner of prints, patent leather, denim, and suede.
Back to Black
There are no real “rules” of street style, but over the past few years, it’s been a commonly held belief that wearing black won’t get you noticed. The competition for a photographer’s attention is fierce—you need color! Glitter! Prints! Things changed drastically this season: Not only did we see droves of women (and men) in head-to-toe black, but they wore it in uniquely interesting, un-minimal ways. Tulle frocks, leather harnesses, asymmetrical LBDs, and furry accessories were plenty eye-catching in stark black, perhaps even more so than if they’d been in a predictably bright color.
Groovy, Baby
Some are calling it escapism, others say it’s all a numbers game, but the groovy prints and hippieish chill of the late ’60s and ’70s were all over the Spring 2019 runways (Etro, Paco Rabanne, and even Dior), a trend we saw immediately reflected on the streets. It doesn’t get easier than a breezy, billowy caftan and leather sandals—but if you’re really leaning in, you’ll layer on a tangle of beaded necklaces, too. There’s a sense of naivety to that “Summer of Love” look, which turned 50 last year; maybe that’s why it’s coming back around. Vogue’s Sarah Mower drew a brilliant line between these boho-chic vibes and our current obsession with wellness and self-care in her Etro review: “The modern ideal of a sound mind in a superhot athletic body, clad in an accidentally pretty print dress.”
The Prada Effect
The retina-searing neon dresses, vests, and handbags filling Prada’s shop windows have become something of a beacon. Passersby are scratching their heads, and they aren’t alone; anyone remotely familiar with Miuccia Prada’s work might be struck by the futuristic, embellishment-free unnaturalness of it all. Fashion obsessives, of course, took Prada’s blinding Fall 2018 show as a cue to dive headfirst into the neon trend: Kelela and Sasha Lane both turned up in supercharged lime knits, Aleali May wore a cobalt fur with acid-green boots, and we saw dozens of guys and girls pledging allegiance to Prada in head-to-toe Fall looks in highlighter pink and traffic cone orange. Prada has always played a part in influencing trends, but a word to the wise: Spring 2019 only had a few touches of citron, lime, and bright peach, so if you’re into supercharged, nearly glowing neon, now’s the time to wear it.
A New Kind of Everyday Elegance
Is the most radical trend to resist trends altogether? By the looks of these photos, a sleek blazer, a button-down, and a pair of great trousers can do as much heavy lifting as a glittering dress or kaleidoscopic print. This season found many editors and models sticking to a simple mix of elegant, everyday clothes. “Realistic” fashion was a big trend for Fall 2018, but it also comes down to practicality: When you’ve got back-to-back fashion shows, appointments, meetings, and parties for 28 days in a row, how can you abide wearing anything complicated?
Fairy-Tale Dresses for Down-to-Earth Women
Rodarte and Simone Rocha both made it onto Vogue’s list of the top 14 collections of Spring 2019, a testament to the relevance and timelessness of their unabashedly pretty dresses. A pretty dress never really goes out of style, of course, but in 2018, it’s taken on new connotations. The dresses we saw this month were bedecked with OTT ruffles, puffed sleeves, and flowery prints, to the point where many of us started calling them “princess dresses.” They certainly feel plucked from a fairy tale, but the women wearing them are hyperaware of the realities of 2018 and have their feet firmly planted on the ground. They’re wearing flat shoes, not stilettos, and certainly don’t dream of being saved by a prince!
When All Else Fails, Go With an Animal Print
Leopard never slinks out of fashion, but it’s been enjoying a major revival of late; here in New York, every girl seems to own a leopard-print slip dress or skirt, and once the temperatures drop, they’ll switch them out for spotted faux furs. The Spring 2019 scene found women experimenting with other animal motifs, too: tiger stripes, python, zebra, you name it. The biggest surprise were the found-in-nature prints in wholly unnatural colors, like sky blue or neon yellow—a one-two punch of Spring trends, if you will.
