This season is a fascinating mix of bold statements, surprising revivals, and a refined approach to everyday dressing. Let’s dive into your guide to what’s hot right off the runway, featuring key designers and the overarching themes you need to know.
The Big Picture: Key Themes and Moods for F/W 2025
Before we look at specific designers, it’s important to grasp the broader mood of the season. After a period of “quiet luxury” and minimalism, there’s a definite shift towards:
- Maximalism and Expressiveness: Color is back, bold textures are in, and silhouettes are more dramatic.
- Reimagined Femininity: Not just about traditional beauty, but about personal style, comfort, and confidence.
- Elevated Practicality: Basics are refined, and workwear blends with comfort.
- Nostalgia with a Modern Twist: Elements from the 70s, 80s, and 90s are reinterpreted.
- Tactile and Textural Play: Fur, faux fur, shearling, and intricate knits are prominent.
Now, let’s explore some of the collections and trends that are making waves.
Designer Spotlights: Collections You Can’t Miss
1. Prada and Miu Miu: The New Femininity
Miuccia Prada continues to be a driving force in defining contemporary fashion. For Fall/Winter 2025, both her namesake label, Prada, and Miu Miu, explored a nuanced and personal take on femininity. At Miu Miu, we saw a collection embracing “youthful honesty and simplicity,” with pieces like “awkward-fitting” wool dresses and pillowy proportions that are designed for the wearer’s comfort and self-expression, rather than conventional notions of attractiveness. This reflects a trend where dressing is deeply personal.
Prada itself leaned into “elegance with nothing,” using everyday pieces to create complexity through subtle manipulations. The focus was on “bold gestures of the feminine” through jewels and furs, giving “importance and value and complexity to every look.” This approach to quiet but powerful statements is a signature of Prada.
2. Alaïa: Sculptural Forms and the Human Topography
Pieter Mulier at Alaïa continues to impress with his artful and sculptural approach to clothing. For Fall 2025, the collection featured tubular hooded dresses and undulating skirts, directly inspired by sculptors. This isn’t just about clothes; it’s about garments that “reflect the topography of the female form through curves and padding.” Alaïa’s commitment to creating clothing that acts as “kinetic sculpture” makes its collection a must-see for those who appreciate fashion as an art form.
3. Fendi: Centennial Celebration with Fur and Lace
As Fendi celebrated its 100th anniversary, its Fall/Winter 2025 collection was a masterclass in luxury and heritage. The brand opened with a bold shearling power coat, signaling a key trend for the season. We also saw beautiful sheer lace blouses, showcasing a blend of sensuality and refinement. Fendi’s mastery of tactile materials like shearling and its reinterpretation of classic fur looks (now also mimicked with dyed shearling) ensure its collection is a highlight.
4. Saint Laurent: Sleek Silhouettes and Bold Hues
Anthony Vaccarello’s Saint Laurent collection provided a glamorous finale to Paris Fashion Week, focusing on “a simplicity of silhouette – as if created with a few pencil strokes.” The collection championed “fuss-free cuts” where “fabrics and precise construction shape the garments.” Expect strong-shouldered silhouettes, bold prints, and vibrant, saturated colors like violet, tangerine, and scarlet dominating the runway. Saint Laurent is for those who appreciate power dressing with an elegant edge.
5. Givenchy: Exaggerated Shoulders and Cinch-Waisted Jackets
Sarah Burton’s debut collection for Givenchy emphasized classic silhouettes with a modern twist. We saw pencil skirt suits with jackets featuring “hourglass silhouettes” and exaggerated shoulders, all in classic colors. This collection points to a return to structured, tailored pieces that highlight the waist and create a powerful yet feminine shape.
6. Chanel: Bows and Fairytale Proportions
The final ready-to-wear collection by Chanel’s in-house design team before Matthieu Blazy’s arrival revisited house signatures: bows, ribbons, pearls, and flowers. The collection played with proportions and drew inspiration from fairytales, creating a whimsical yet sophisticated aesthetic. Oversized ties and small decorative bows were a prominent feature, adding a touch of romance and grandeur.
7. Balenciaga: Demna’s Childhood Memories
Demna’s Balenciaga show was a deeply personal journey, transporting the audience back to the designer’s childhood memories of fashion. The collection showcased oversized, padded pieces and a distinct focus on exaggerated volume, reflecting a new form of maximalism that prioritizes comfort and an almost duvet-like quality.
Dominant Trends to Embrace
Beyond individual collections, several key trends emerged consistently across the runways, shaping the must-have pieces for the season:
1. Faux Fur and Shearling: This isn’t just about a subtle trim; it’s about luxurious, voluminous faux fur and shearling coats. Designers are shaving and dyeing shearling to mimic mink, emphasizing its opulent feel. Expect to see these in neutral browns and beiges for timeless appeal, as well as bold colors.
2. Animal Print Reinvention: While leopard print had its moment in 2024, 2025 is bringing a fresh wave of all animal prints. Leopard and tiger are set to be the dominant forces, appearing on everything from coats to accessories. This trend offers a bold way to express individuality.
3. The Return of Brown: Brown is definitively the new black for F/W 2025. Earthy brown tones were everywhere, from eveningwear to outerwear, shirting, and skirting. It’s the neutral to embrace for longevity and sophistication.
4. The Pencil Skirt: A classic silhouette is making a strong comeback. The pencil skirt, often paired with matching tailored jackets, is seen at brands like Miu Miu and Erdem, offering a ladylike and refined look.
5. Soft, Slouchy Bags: Echoing the comfort theme, bags are becoming softer and more supple. Totes, clutches, and cross-bodies in leather and suede, often carried folded up or slung loosely, are a nod to the Noughties and emphasize ease.
6. Capey, Drapey Coats: Outerwear is getting a dramatic upgrade with capes and capelets. These pieces add an element of elegance and refinement, elevating a coat from practical to powerfully stylish.
7. Unexpected Belting: Belts are no longer just functional; they’re statement pieces. We’re seeing multiple belts stacked together or bold, thick belts cinching the waist, adding a utilitarian edge and visual interest.
8. Sheer Fabrics: Dare to bare is still a trend, with light and floaty sheer fabrics, especially blouses, paired with tailoring. This offers a sensual yet sophisticated contrast.
9. Maximalist Color Palettes: Forget quiet neutrals. Fall/Winter 2025 is bursting with vibrant, saturated colors like electric orange, chiffon yellow, aqua blue, royal purple, violet, tangerine, and fuchsia. This maximalist approach to color injects joy and energy into dressing.
10. Sculpted Shapes and Volume: From hourglass silhouettes and peplum waists to barrel denim and inflated, duvet-like pieces, volume and curved lines are ubiquitous. Clothes are designed to take up space and make a visual impact.
Your Wardrobe Refresh for the Season
This season’s collections invite you to play with proportion, embrace bold textures, and inject vibrant color into your wardrobe. Whether you’re drawn to the refined elegance of a tailored suit with an hourglass silhouette, the playful whimsy of a bubble hem, or the raw texture of a shearling coat, there’s a must-have piece for every style.
Remember that fashion is about personal expression. Use these trends as inspiration, selecting elements that resonate with your individual taste and elevate your everyday style. The runway has laid out a rich tapestry of options; now it’s your turn to curate your own must-have collection for the season.
