10 Standout SS 2023 trends you will love

The Spring Summer Fashion Week Roundup

By Danielle Viljoen

London, Paris and New York SS23 Fashion Week have finally wrapped, with some key trends that could be seen throughout. It was a runway season filled with whimsy and pure magic in the form of spray-on dresses, high-shine finishes, exaggerated silhouettes and maxi hardware details. Besides the clothing, body modification piercings, candy floss hair and pin-thin brows made a comeback.

1. Innovation

Coperni wrapped up fashion week with the performance of a lifetime and a concept that will change the textile game forever. Bella Hadid set the stage by walking onto the runway in nothing but a g-string. Two men sprayed her with a white paint-like substance. Once they were done, the paint clung to Bella’s body like glue. The substance was cut and pulled, and et voila- the ‘fabric’ loosened around her skin and moved, as any fabric would, as she walked the runway.

This never-before-seen substance was developed by Dr Manuel Torres, who drew inspiration from silly string (a messy string substance sprayed from a can to entertain children). The substance is made from liquid fibres and polymers and evaporates when it hits the skin and can be best described as boasting a suede-like texture.

Images courtesy of Coperni

2. Cutouts

Key-hole cutouts were, hands-down, the most popular trend this season.

Image courtesy of Balmain

Image courtesy of Andreamo

Image courtesy of Alexander McQueen

3. Keeping it Tulle

Exaggerated hemlines in the form of voluminous tulle made a comeback in all its showstopping glory.

Image courtesy of Molly Goddard

Image courtesy of Simone Rocha

Image courtesy of Carolina Herrera

4. Statement Suiting

Suits featuring oversized elements and subdued and bold hues alike dominated the runway. While layering is often reserved for winter, the likes of Balmain and Lapointe gave us a valuable lesson in effortless summer layering.

Image courtesy of Balmain

Image courtesy of Lapointe

Image courtesy of Pamella Roland

5. Lime

When life gives you lemons- opt for lime- it’s bolder and brighter than its citrus sibling and gives us a cheeky excuse to dabble in an 80’s neon trend re-visit.

Image courtesy of Michael Kors

Image courtesy of Fendi

Image courtesy of Givenchy

6. Mirror Mirror

High-shine in foil-like finishes, sequins and beading twinkled down the runway in floor-sweeping silhouettes and bold bustiers, giving the appearance of armour. From maxi to micro, all sequins are on trend this season. High-shine meets mermaid Barbie, with ‘mermaid’ actually making it onto the trend list this year.

Image courtesy of Gucci

Image courtesy of Zimmermann

Image courtesy of Brandon Maxwell

7. Pleat Party

There's nothing quite as eye-catching as head-to-toe-knife pleats. There's unmatched craftsmanship to the fabrication that spells sophistication.

Image courtesy of Huishan Zhang

Image courtesy of Issey Miyake

Image courtesy of Huishan Zhang

8. Sheer

Sheer has gained back its popularity over the years, but this season it takes on a multitude of different forms with shimmery features and knitted fishnet-type fabrications.

Image courtesy of Miu Miu

Image courtesy of Burberry

Image courtesy of Gabriela Hearst

9. Fringe

Shimmy shake in this season’s must-have fabrication. From fringe and tassel accents to head-to-toe-fringe, there’s an unmatched glamour that these little strings of whimsy and elegance bring to the party.

Image courtesy of Michael Kors

Image courtesy of Jonathan Simkhai

Image courtesy of PatBo

10. Fragile Cargo

Cargo trousers reinvented. Designers such as Jonathan Simkhai, Fendi and Jill Sander ditched the hardened utilitarian fabrics and opted for delicate fabrics such as satin in a very welcomed juxtaposition.