It's True—Every Chic Person Is Wearing This New Top Trend
If you hate pretty things, this probably isn't the story for you. However, suppose you tend to appreciate beautiful clothing. In that case, you're in the right place because the blouse trend I've had running around my mind all month is undeniably chic, and it's every stylish person's secret weapon for looking elegant in 2025. Sure, it's just a top, but it's a powerful one at that. Fortunately for anyone who's looking to enter the new year in fine form, I already did the work of finding all the best options to make yours.
If your Instagram feed looks anything like mine, you probably already know that I'm talking about scarf tops—no, I'm not referring to tube tops fashioned out of patterned silk handkerchiefs. Today's scarf tops are far more sophisticated and refined, often featuring a billowy long-sleeve silhouette and a scarf-like, sweeping neckline. With such a dramatic detail, these blouses are instant outfit makers, turning any skirt, trouser, or jeans ensemble into a look worth complimenting, copying, and wearing on repeat.
This trend has been on the rise for a few seasons now, following the dominance of scarf coats on both the runways and the streets. During the fall/winter 2024 season, top brands such as Bottega Veneta, Carven, Dior, and Proenza Schouler all leaned into the drapey, swaddled aesthetic. Kallmeyer, Toteme, Tove, Ralph Lauren, and The Row continued the trend for spring/summer 2025, securing it a place in 2025's cultural zeitgeist long before the year had even begun.
On Instagram, the trend took on various forms, showing up in hyper-luxurious fabrics like heavy silk, sheer chiffon, and cashmere by fashion-favorite brands such as Róhe, By Malene Birger, Liberowe, and BITE Studios. Stylish people mostly opted for muted colors like ivory, tan, black, and burgundy, making exceptions only for bright red, like one of the options in Carven's F/W 24 runway collection. Some styled their blouses with equally silky slip skirts, others with more structured partners, like a tailored maxi skirt or heavy trousers. The best part about this trend, though, is how it does all the work in any outfit. Whatever you pair with it doesn't really matter. Your ensemble will click every time.
Get ahead of 2025's most-wanted top trend by shopping the best options available below.
Shop the scarf-top trend:
I'm the proud owner of this backless scarf top. I honestly wish I owned two of them—it's that good (and on sale).
I tried this semisheer blouse on in Paris at the Carven store during my last visit, and an employee had to practically pry it out of my hands. I'd already shopped way too much to buy it on that occasion, but I have thought about it nonstop since.
I know this top is great because one of my co-workers owns it, and I get jealous every time she wears it.
I know this is constructed to perfection because Liberowe's pieces always are—no exceptions.
Elsa Hosk knows how to make a clothing item that toes the line between comfy and chic to perfection.
For a colder-weather option, I say buy this beauty from By Malene Birger.
Get the perfect pop-of-red closet item for just $36 before this top sells out.
The stripes are such a fun addition.
I'd wear this faux-leather top with stirrup leggings and pumps. I'd maybe even belt it.
I'm dying to get my hands on one of these Prada scarf tops. It's at the top of my long Prada wish list.
This top is selling out at every retailer, and now that it's on sale, I bet it'll be gone by February.
Eliza Huber is a New York City–based fashion editor who specializes in trend reporting, brand discovery, and celebrity style. She joined Who What Wear in 2021 after almost four years on the fashion editorial team at Refinery29, the job she took after graduating with a marketing degree from the University of Iowa. She has since launched two monthly columns, Let's Get a Room and Ways to Wear; profiled the likes of Dakota Fanning, Diane Kruger, Katie Holmes, and Sabrina Carpenter for WWW's monthly cover features; and reported on everything from the relationship between Formula One and fashion to the top trends from fashion month, season after season. Eliza now lives on the Upper West Side and spends her free time researching F1 fashion imagery for her side Instagram accounts @thepinnacleoffashion and @f1paddockfits, running in Central Park, and scouring eBay for '90s Prada and '80s Yves Saint Laurent.
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