The fashion pendulum swings back to a dressier mood. The ladylike aesthetic stages its return—but not as you know it—and along the way revives pearls, gloves, brooches and stockings as accessories du jour. Elsewhere, power suits and soft, sensuous dresses round out the season’s exploration of modern femininity.
Related article: Take Note: These Are the Only Fall Fashion Trends That Matter
Ladylike Behaviour
A certain flavour of femininity is making a full-throated comeback in fashion this season. Think 1940s-inspired prim pencil skirts and demure twinsets worn with low-heeled pumps and sheer hosiery. Could the industry finally be catering to its core customer after years of chasing the youth vote? Whatever the reason, the result is a dressed-up elegance that feels right for now. And rather than reverting to dated trad-wife ideals, these new iterations subvert that trope with unexpected colours, textures, and proportions. Leading the charge are Prada and Miu Miu, with fresh takes on Miuccia Prada’s signature ugly-chic aesthetic. Other notable highlights include Gucci’s kooky ladies who lunch and Fendi’s irreverent vision of Roman grandeur.
Related article: From Tom Ford's Gucci To Galliano's Dior: Here's Where Cool Girls Buy Their Best Vintage Pieces
Period Drama
The crinoline might have fallen out of favour more than a century ago, but for fall/winter 2025, designers are bringing it back to life. With the stuffing knocked out of them, these new-season updates will never be mistaken for fancy-dress costume. The long dresses with poufed-up skirts at Erdem, Carolina Herrera and Emporio Armani offer a more classical kind of elegance, while Blumarine and Cecile Bahnsen skew young with their mini crinis.
Related article: Boilersuits! Suspender Skirts! Prada Goes Back To Basics
Bling It On
Quiet luxury? You don’t know it. Dive into a “more is more” mindset with glitzy sequins, lavish beading, and jangling jewels. Givenchy does a chandelier-inspired top, Dolce & Gabanna gives us disco fever, and Fendi presents matching bags and dresses set with chunky crystals.
Tread Softly
Athleisure might have peaked and waned, but our penchant for comfy footwear is here to stay. Balmain and Erdem give us heels that are as plush as a rug, while Casablanca put bedroom slippers on cleats. But the most delightful version has to be the hot-pink bunny slides at Kenzo.
Ruffling It
The romantic, ruffled Pierrot collar is having a resurgence this season. Chanel gives us delicate frills that evoke flower petals, while Dior’s pleated jacquard version is more structured. At McQueen, the collar conceals the neck entirely to serve as a face-framing device.
Lucky Charm
The fortune cookie inspires the season’s most adorable bags. Emporio Armani’s version is soft and slouchy, while Fendi’s is structured and double-sided. Etro, meanwhile, throws fierceness into the mix with an all-over leopard print.
Business Class
The office siren isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. The fall/winter 2025 runways were awash with compelling top-to-toe takes on corporate attire. At Gucci, there were sleek wired frames attached to gold chains, while Victoria Beckham showed thick-rimmed opticals. Chic, sensible loafers grounded the looks at Miu Miu, Dior, and Calvin Klein. At Hermès and Acne Studios, the bag of choice was a sleek briefcase.
Check Mate
Proposed head-to-toe, in cartoonish colours or amplified proportions, grungy plaids, sweet ginghams, and traditional tartans entice you anew. Burberry falls back on the classic red and black Scottish tartan. Diesel does trompe l’oeil tweed—crafted from its signature denim. Thom Browne puts a fantastical twist on school-uniform staples. Comme Des Garçons and Duran Lantink distort plaids with unconventional silhouettes. Dries Van Noten softens the pattern with an ombré effect, while Kenzo pairs it with whimsical accessories. Sinead Gorey and Luisa Spagnoli present checks in bright pink, proving that classics need not be conservative.
Hat Trick
The beanie used to be nothing more than a winter necessity. This season, it has turned into a fashion statement. Fendi added a netted veil to its rib-knit beanie while Louis Vuitton does a cosy mint-green trapper style. Duran Lantink goes big with an oversized, padded trapper version, and Christopher Esber put a grungy, distressed spin on things. Rabanne embellished the beanies with unconventional metal studs, making them surprisingly edgy.
Pin-Up Style
Much in the same way that bag charms have taken off, brooches are an easy shortcut to add personality and pizzazz to your look. There is no style too outrageous, and this season, the options are aplenty—from a gem-encrusted crocodile at Lacoste to Kent & Curwen's spoon.
Higher Ground
Put your best foot forward in the season’s most statement thigh-high boots. They come high-shine at Patou and Stella McCartney; slouchy and cool at Sportmax; and richly textured at Acne Studios.
Bright Ideas
Consider a blast of colour your antidote to winter gloom. From saturated primary colours such as electric blue and red to the vibrant shades of sunshine yellow and hot pink, dopamine dressing is not going anywhere. At Pierre Cardin and Gabriela Hearst, saturated tones are contrasted with smart tailoring, while Gucci goes bold with colour blocking. Balenciaga and Givenchy give us bright pinks and yellows on body-hugging dresses. Issey Miyake couples vibrant shades with pleats and architectural silhouettes. Stella McCartney and Tom Ford do reds and greens in lustrous, silky finishes.
Connect the Dots
From sprinkles of delicate spots to big, bold polka dots that would make Yayoi Kusama proud, the charming print is having its moment in the spotlight once again. Moschino layered dots on dots on the runway, while Valentino plays with asymmetry.
Hand in Hand
Gloves make the perfect finishing touch to your ensemble this season. Our top picks include the tweed versions at Chanel, styled with matching tweed looks on the runway; the delicate and embellished pieces at Valentino; and Issey Miyake’s, which are opera-length but made of soft ribbed knit.
Soft Power
Sensuously draped, gathered, and pleated looks deliver fluidity, create movement, and tease the female form. Alaïa's jersey accordion pleats swaddle and amplify curves, while Calvin Klein Collection uses all-over gathers to envelop the body. Chloé continues its boho-chic streak with cascading ruffles that billow with every step, and Valentino serves up pure glamour with tiered, pleated gold. The effect? Grecian goddess energy.
Wide Release
Power dressing is back and bigger than ever—literally. Inspired by 1980s suiting, designers are proposing shoulders so wide they would put a quarterback to shame. The bold shoulder pops up at collections as varied as Stella McCartney and Saint Laurent. Tailoring is a cornerstone of Sarah Burton’s debut Givenchy collection, and it is defined by distinctive shoulders—oversized but not overwhelming, strong yet soft.
Haute Hoisery
A truly great accessory is one that is able to refresh any look. Enter lace tights, the styling hack that elevates even the most pared-back ensembles. On the Stella McCartney runway, they peeked out from beneath an army-green coat, while McQueen’s blood-red pair is positively dripping with sensuality. Valentino, on the other hand, has angelic white stockings that are sweet without being too saccharine.
Warm Fuzzy Feelings
This was not on our 2025 bingo card, but somehow, this season, designers have collectively decided that the fur look is back in a big way. Its appeal lies in the way a giant “fur” coat instantly telegraphs a particular kind of old-money opulence—a counterpoint to last year’s “quiet luxury” aesthetic. The difference this time around is that the pieces are being crafted out of faux furs and shearlings. Of course, Stella McCartney has been at the forefront of the fur-free movement for decades, and it continues to demonstrate how luxe and ethical need not be mutually exclusive. At Prada and Nina Ricci, the faux furs have a raw, primal quality to them that add a new fierceness to the look.
Pearl Harbour
No longer associated with buttoned-up ladies who lunch, pearls have become fashion’s most coveted adornment. Chanel inflated them to gobstopper proportions and made a sling bag out of oversized pearls, while DSquared2 and Ermanno Scervino worked them into chunky metallic necklaces. Vivetta layered pearls under ruffled collars, and Prada strung them onto T-shirts–proof that these heirloom pieces just got a whole lot hotter.
Walk on the Wild Side
The most eye-catching prints of the season come from the animal world—be it leopard, snake, zebra, or tiger. Instead of their usual sexy connotations, the animal prints that designers offer up for fall/winter 2025 have an air of sophistication about them. See the lacquered and structured blouses at Saint Laurent, Fendi's eel-skin skirt suits, and the voluptuous hourglass coats at Givenchy and Dries Van Noten.