Spring has sprung, and the trends (and sandals) have officially stepped outside. When we look at a driving force behind this season’s standout trends, this idea of ‘soft power’ sits at the forefront. We saw this through pieces that embrace femininity, elements of ethereality, fluid movement, and an innovativeness that supports duality.
CORE COLORS
Color palette for the warmer weather season is composed of whimsical, neutral, and soft tones and pastels like wispy pink, khaki, powder blues, and butter yellows. Red, whose deep bordeaux shade owned the fall/winter season, continues to dominate taking form through a bright, fruity shade this spring. Following suit, last year’s Pantone shade of the year, Mocha Mousse, is proving itself to be a springtime shade too, not just a cold weather color.
STANDOUT BRANDS
While this year has already begun with a lot of change within the fashion industry with iconic exits of major creative directors at houses we know and love, many brands are shifting, revitalizing and finding their evolved image. While trends come and go, there are a few houses who had a pulse on what would work this year. Even if they didn’t have a pulse on it, their creative direction aligned seamlessly with the current climate. These brands are our spring standouts.
Chloè
After Chemena Kamali took the reigns as newly appointed creative director for Chloè last year, Kamali tapped into the house’s roots and original codes, taking it back to the beginning, for her debut collection creating what we now know as the Chloè renaissance. Honing in on what the brand always did well which is emphasizing feminine and bohemian-inspired silhouettes, the house has had a major resurgence setting and leading the trends for this season with pieces like blouson bell sleeves, cascading chiffons, cotton bloomers, airy trousers, translucent lace blouses, ruffle-adorned dresses, and silk bodysuits.
Miu Miu
When we look at leading themes for spring, sitting next to Chloè’s revival of the bohemian era, is a utilitarian one, with elevated athletic accents that blend the worlds of masculinity and femininity. And who’s arriving at the forefront of this trend? Miuccia Prada at Miu Miu, of course. The fashion house’s spring/summer collection presents their signature school uniform pieces comprised of tailored mini skirts and blazers, sporty separates, polo shirting, zip-up outerwear, and – just like Kamali’s – more bloomers.
Loewe
It was recently announced that Loewe Creative Director, Jonathan Anderson, has officially departed the house after a decade, with his latest spring collection being one of his last. And in true Anderson fashion, it featured everything he’s known for – sculptural, art-like pieces complete with an abundance of movement, another key theme of the spring season. This collection served as homage to Anderson’s entire run at the brand showcasing floral, bouncy dresses with underhoops that played with circularity, tributes to artists like Mozart, Chopin, Bach, and Van Gogh on basic t-shirts, sophisticated tailoring through blazers, voluminous trousers, and classic outerwear.
THEMES & SILHOUETTES
Dark Romance
Femininity, but make it rebellious. We’ve seen this concept of dark romance emerging throughout the season emphasizing the juxtaposition of gothic features and feminine silhouettes. Centralizing around dark shades like black and plum, this trend eases out of winter and into early spring. Alessandro Michele made his debut for Valentino interpreting this theme by featuring springtime-like florals, but with a mysterious undertone, while Rick Owens showcased cascading, sheer black hooded gowns. Lace, corsets, silk slips, all in black and white colorways are faceted throughout this notion for spring.
Elevated Athleisure
What happens when sport meets chic? Elevated athleisure. Think ballet flats with boxer shorts, polo shirting with tailored mini skirts. Lately, we’ve witnessed the rise of sportswear mixed with elevated pieces for a casual yet effortlessly cool look. With the rise of celebrities like Taylor Swift, Kylie Jenner, Timothee Chalamet, and more showing off their superstar fame at sporting events, there’s been a sort of natural and popular rise of seeing athleticwear mixed into fashion due to pop culture. We see Miu Miu at the forefront with their track jackets with bloomers taking center stage while polos are making their grand return as well in the form of feminine, collared shirting. Gucci’s been seen pairing the top as a knit set with matching hot pants, while brands like Loewe and Tommy Hilfiger dress the top up with pleated maxi skirts. Prada gives them a playful touch with cropped, pinned-up hems paired with ribbed knit leggings and loafers.
Bohemian
2025 has been the return of the free spirit. Embracing a western, feminine energy, with French roots, boho chic is back. Brands like Chloe and Isabel Marant are setting the standard and a majority of brands are rising to the occasion. Manifesting itself in the form of fringe, frills, ruffles, chiffons, and layers, the early aughts trend is back and here to stay it seems. For spring, Chloe has presented a plethora of georgette dressing, wispy tulle minis, cotton bloomers, and ruffle-adorned blouses. Isabel Marant has put forth their signature western-styled boots with a metallic toe which has now made its way all over NYC street style. Softness and fluidity is highlighted here with pastel shades holding an airiness to them and statement pieces like chunky jewelry, pendant necklaces, feather-embossed earrings, juxtapose these pieces giving them an edgy flair.
Utilitarian
While themes of utilitarianism in fashion are typically season-less, each one puts its own spin on the trend and evolves season to season. Preppy pieces, elevated tailoring, pockets, buttons, and cargo trousers bring a sense of cool masculinity to your look when it comes to this trend. Functional, yet fashionable, is the straightforward way to describe this. With many brands approaching it in their own quintessential ways. We see funnel-neck jackets from Gucci, co-ord sets featuring long bermuda shorts from Ganni and Burberry, and waistcoats by Isabel Marant. Of course, Miu Miu and Prada are playing on this trend through their always-on trousers, tailored skirts, and peacoats.
Masculine
Masculine pieces like extra oversized blazers and long blouson trousers are as relevant as ever. Anthony Vacarello of Saint Laurent set the tone when Bella Hadid made her way down the runway in an expertly-tailored menswear-like suit complete with a tie, button down shirting, thick-rimmed glasses, and a pair of loafers. Think it’s safe to say the workman uniform is now for the women too.
Embellishments/Movement
Alaïa presented one of the season’s most coveted shows with a stunning collection all based on the essence of movement and sculptural, angular pieces. Similar to Anderson’s Loewe, Alaïa showcased ever-flowing jersey skater shirts, circular skirts over blouson pants, asymmetrical-tiered ruffle maxi skirts that are constantly cascading, and oversized fur and shearling coats with a round-like silhouette. These pieces utilize intricate engineering designed to hold them in certain places to give them that defined shape and artistic look. Demna at Balenciaga also played into this trend for spring, with barely-there crop tops hinging at the body through new techniques and large, angular-like suits making bold statements.
ACCESSORIES
At the end of the day, what’s a look without accessories? And this season, more is definitely more. Oversized is everywhere – in the form of sunglasses, bags, and statement jewelry; personal touches of taste that define your look. Large, bug-eye sunglasses have been all over the runway from Chloe, Balenciaga, and Gucci. As for bags, we’re reaching for oversized hobos, extra roomy totes, and shaped shoulder purses, like Bottega’s Intrecciato. Taking the maximalist trend a step further, chunky gold statement earrings paired with a bold necklace and bangles are this season’s choice of jewelry.
Don’t forget your pearls – pearls in all forms from earrings to bags to necklaces, they’re having a major moment that we don’t see going away anytime soon. Statement belts seem to by tying every look together lately (literally). Especially ones with metal studded hardware like Khaite’s Benny Belt. As for footwear – the ballet trend continues but this time in a more functional way as a trainer, which seamlessly plays on the elevated athleisure trend. Heeled flip flop sandals, as seen best by The Row and Toteme, will effortlessly take us into warmer weather. Silk scarves with bold prints are a must – tied around your neck or around your hair, these add a vibrant, intricate touch.