Dresses are a mainstay in our year-round wardrobes, as they can take you to work to weekends and beyond. The right dress can be reliable, chic, and versatile—easy to dress up or down, a great dress can make us feel invincible and special—and its influence should never be underestimated.
This fall there are plenty of chic and alluring dress trends to get excited about. After analyzing the fall/winter runways in great depth, seeing what's trending on the fashion It crowd right now, as well as getting plenty of input from our Who What Wear editors, we rounded up the must-have styles to invest in this season as well and keeping you updated on the silhouettes that are starting to phase out (or we're at least setting aside for a little while this season).
From long silky slip dresses to seriously sexy sheer frocks, keep scrolling to see the dresses worthy of your wardrobe this fall 2022.
Skip: Asymmetric Hems
Wear: Maxi Hemlines
While the Y2K trend certainly brought about the resurgence of asymmetric hemlines for the past few seasons, this fall, it's all about long maxi-length styles in straight and sleek silhouettes.
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Skip: Crazy Cutouts
Wear: Long, Silky Slip Dresses
Last fall/winter, an insane amount of statement cutouts dominated the runways, and while we still love a cool cutout, this season, we're leaning into it a little less. Instead, long, silky slip dresses are on our minds. They were spotted all over the fall/winter 2022 runways, and we can't wait to style them with cozy sweaters, boots, and leather bomber jackets once the temps start to cool.
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Skip: Crochet
Wear: Sheer
If there's one trend that dominated the runways, it was pretty and alluring sheer dresses in delicate thin fabrics in a pretty palette of pastels and neutral hues. We also saw plenty of sheer sequins and iridescent sparkle. The trend feels fresh, fun, and feminine. Set your crochet dresses aside in favor of a little something see-through.
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Skip: Ruffles
Wear: '90s Minimalist Silhouettes
Skip the ruffles and frou-frou, and lean into this season's '90s minimalist dresses—from tube silhouettes to simple strapless styles. Ruffles had their time and place, but this season's silhouettes are extra sleek.
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Skip: Gingham
Wear: Animal Print
After some time out of the spotlight, it's safe to say animal-print dresses are back, as spotted all over the runways from Michael Kors to Proenza Schouler. Swap out the gingham and opt for a classic leopard or zebra print in a simple silhouette.
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Skip: Smocking
Wear: Flower Adornments
When it comes to dress details, skip the smocking this season and go for eye-catching flower appliqués and adornments that we spotted at Saint Laurent and Coperni.
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Skip: Nap Dresses
Wear: Brushed Knits
Knit dresses are a no-brainer come fall and winter, but it's the plush, fuzzy, brushed-out knits that are really catching our attention this season. Cozy, comfortable, and cool.
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Skip: Tie-Dye
Wear: All Black
Sure, there are certainly plenty of unexpected hues trending this fall (from pastels to saturated hues), but this season we will also see the return of chic, black dresses. From goth-leaning styles to the punk aesthetic to long and sleek silhouettes, we're thrilled to embrace the most versatile hue.
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Up next, the coolest items on our fashion editors' fall wish list.
This post was previously published and has since been updated.
