In 2023, restrained minimalism was a major theme—the much-discussed quiet luxury trend defined by simple silhouettes, few logos, and if you know you know pieces. While those pared-back looks are timeless and will always be in style, it’s clear that we’re starting to see a pivot away from restrained dressing. Instead, we saw a shift towards hyper-elegant fashion on the S/S 24 ready-to-wear and Spring 2024 couture collections.
Altuzarra sent models down the runway in heavy satin evening coats, A-line circle skirts, and refined scoop-neck midi dresses that took inspiration from the 1968 film Rosemary’s Baby. Dior reimagined its iconic hourglass-shaped bar jacket, originally designed in 1947, aptly named for its intended use during afternoon cocktail hour. Hermès brought the Plume bag back to the runway—one of the fashion house’s earliest handbag designs from the 1960s. Prada debuted frothy pastel organza dresses with dramatic trains that walked the runway to the soundtrack from Hitchcock’s 1958 Vertigo.
There is a sense of looking back to the way people used to dress in a bygone time that is really sticking—both on and off the runways. The timing is interesting, too, from a cultural standpoint. The much-anticipated show Feud: Capote vs. The Swans was just released, chronicling Truman Capote and the glamorous socialites of ’50s and ‘60s New York. As Rachel Tashjian puts it in the Washington Post, “Ladies who lunch have become 2024’s unexpected fashion icons” as lust for the glamour of a previous era has returned.
Simply put, we’re entering the age of elegance. 2024 is marking the return of fashion that is opulent and refined, and may just make us want to get dressed up again. Ahead, more on how elegant fashion will impact what we’re wearing.