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Aug 22, 2023

Denim Skirts, Tanks and ‘Trophy’ Dresses Leads Women’s Spring Trends

Women’s apparel and footwear brands will unveil their Spring/Summer 2024 collections at Magic Las Vegas next week, Aug. 7-9. To help guide buyers, Melissa Moylan, Fashion Snoops’ VP, creative

Women’s apparel and footwear brands will unveil their Spring/Summer 2024 collections at Magic Las Vegas next week, Aug. 7-9. To help guide buyers, Melissa Moylan, Fashion Snoops’ VP, creative director, shared four new trend narratives to watch.

From a growing appreciation for crafts to the desire to escape reality, women’s fashion is pulling inspiration from several and sometimes unexpected sources.

Here’s a closer look at the themes and their cultural drivers.

Consumers are opening themselves up to new ideas and cultures. “People are seeking guidance from spiritual teachers more as well as healers. We’re also seeing science applied to consciousness studies that kind of open the pathway to discovery,” Moylan said.

All of this, she added, connects to the boom in wellness and mental health awareness as well as forgotten heritages and traditions.

Divine absorbs these diverse influences, resulting in garments made with crochet knits, everyday denim essentials and subtly deconstructed tailored pieces. Key pieces include knit maxi dresses, denim maxi skirts, cargo jeans, tonal matching sets, open-front blouses and field jackets in either indigo or an earthy twill.

Botanical prints and patchwork add to the theme’s “nouveau boheme” vibe, Moylan added. Colors spanning warm hues like maple rock, tiger eye and toast are used alongside inky options like undercurrent and indigo.

Discourse surrounding identity politics and the right to self-expression, coupled with interest in surreal artwork and child-like design, is resulting in imaginative “made-you-look” fashion. In Curiosity, fashion breaks down the barrier between fantasy and whimsy and invites consumers to dress in boldly individual displays.

“We want to create this off-kilter reality for ourselves,” Moylan said.

Key items include column dresses, denim bustier tops, printed vacation pants, cutouts tops and “trophy” dresses—or styles that are designed to stand out in color and/or texture. Ruched dresses with side slits, low-rise mini skirts and strappy tops appeal to the younger market.

Playful hearts, psychedelic repeats and retro island motifs are amplified by an intense color palette spanning searing red and pulse pink to sumo citrus.

Fluid takes a softer approach to fashion trends, mirroring consumers’ more relaxed and uncomplicated lifestyles. “They’re looking for meaningful simplicity, they’re wanting to declutter,” Moylan said. The theme also finds inspiration from the “vibrant side of environmentalism,” which is evident in colors like hyper mint, float, apricot and sea salt.

Denim column skirts, essential tanks and occasion sets, which Moylan described as having more luxurious materials or embellishments than ordinary coordinates, make up the trend. The theme’s softness comes through transparent layers, mermaid-inspired shimmer, hazy pastel dye effects and exposed bra straps.

Consumers are seeking a middle ground between integrating technology into their lives and maintaining goodness and values. “They need more smart offline solutions, as well as tech solutions that have a humane approach,” Moylan said. This shift is reflected in Evolve, a trend story that attempts to reinterpret tradition in a way that feels “comfortable, soulful and infused with necessary novelty.”

Key items include camp shirts, elevated cargo pants, cropped tank tops, bomber jackets and low-rise baggy jeans.

Embroidery, worn-looking crochet, drawstrings, patchwork motifs and dirty finishes speak to the theme’s underlying utility focus. Abstract camouflage and animal prints nod to the Great Outdoors.

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