Just a few weeks ago, our Instagram feeds were flooded with Spotify Wrapped results. Whether someone was a basic consumer and only streamed Taylor Swift this year or wanted to show off their eclectic music taste, looking back on the year was definitely the highlight of everyone’s day. Here at Who What Wear, we have our own version of Spotify Wrapped, and that would be called the It List.
Formerly known as our Street Style Awards, this annual tradition has been an opportunity for our team of psychic fashion editors to look into both the past 12 months and the future and share which aspects of this year’s fashion will go down in history when people remember 2023. Whether that’s a celebrity who was all the buzz this year or a trend that we never expected to have a comeback, we guarantee you’ll find the awards we’ve granted here less controversial than the Grammys' questionable decisions, as every editor on our team has had their say on the winners.
To review this year’s winners, we’ve curated a robust list of fashion experts who have a lot to say about each category, so let’s meet them. This year, we’re excited to present the four critics—or panel of judges if you will—who can each speak to a different aspect of the industry.
First up, our beloved editor in chief, Kat Collings, will be speaking on behalf of Who What Wear. Collings is joined by industry greats, starting with Erin Walsh, who is a fashion stylist and creative director currently known for putting Anne Hathaway on the fashion crowd’s map. Candace Marie is a social media consultant and strategist who has worked with Prada, Bergdorf Goodman, and more. Last but certainly not least, we’re joined by Rajni Jacques, a fashion director who is now the global head of fashion and beauty at Snapchat.
And now, it’s officially time to present to you the winners on the 2023 It List, from the trend of the year to the rising brand we should all have on our radars. Sit back, relax, and enjoy our official year in review.
While reviewing our 2022 It List as a team, we were shocked by the drastic differences between the trends of the year. Last year, the winner was low-rise since all of the buzz was about Y2K, but quite early in 2023, the fashion industry was in a big push in the opposite direction, causing a new buzzword to arise—quiet luxury. Jacques comments, "Succession made it recognized by the masses, but it’s always been a thing,” nodding toward the notion that some people describe quiet luxury as minimalism with a new and catchy name.
While some people in the industry had been dressing in quiet luxury for decades, it seems like everyone is fully on board for the first time since the ’90s. With sustainability at the forefront of savvy shoppers’ minds, the rise of quiet luxury comes at the best of times. Marie mentions that "this trend not only encapsulates the core of understated elegance but also mirrors a thoughtful approach to fashion, prioritizing quality over quantity.” This is a more sustainable approach to buying after years of shopping for the new, trendy thing on the sales floor at Zara.
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"Arches, rejoice! The era of flats is upon us, and the fancier the flat the better,” Collings declares. "Alaïa has led the trend with permanently-sold-out iterations in mesh and rhinestones.” With the style has come a nonstop parade of pretty iterations in everything from rhinestones and crystal to mesh, metallic, and sculptural floral embellishments. Gone are the days when dressier occasions called exclusively for several inches of lift. With options this elegant, it’s a veritable flat-shoe revolution.
Before you say, "But ballet flats are so dated,” the data doesn’t lie. According to Data, But Make It Fashion, interest in ballet flats has steadily crept up 20% this year, and according to us, that won’t be slowing down anytime soon. If the runways are any indication, then spring 2024 will be filled with even cooler flat-shoe iterations, including pierced Mary Janes from Tory Burch and the netted glove flats from Proenza Schouler. These flats are not made exclusively for comfort, echoes Jacques: "These ‘new’ flats are to be seen!”
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All year, whispers of the "new Tory” have floated around in fashion’s inner circles. Is it a new creative director? A designer poached from another top house? But the answer to what many are calling the Toryssance is much simpler: Installing a business lead has allowed Tory Burch herself to devote more of her creativity to the design side of the business, and what’s emerging is some of the most exciting material in American fashion right now. "She started her brand in order to build a foundation for women, and now more than ever, she is so wildly willing to evolve, change, and transform,” Walsh muses. "A true savant.”
With a sleek new runway aesthetic defined by modern tailoring, traditional construction, and discreet logos, the brand is resonating with a younger Gen Z demographic. Burch has managed what many established brands can only ever dream of. She has captured a new audience without alienating the original customers. Take the ballet flats, for instance, which have long been an iconic piece of the Tory Burch world. The OG fans are still shopping for the same beloved logo flats, but now, a new crowd is after the studded and pierced flats from the most recent seasons. Jacques summed up the phenomenon best by saying, "The brand knows how to build upon a feeling/aesthetic for two demographics—which is why TB is successful.”
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In Plato’s ancient Greek philosophy, there’s a concept called Diotima’s ladder, from which the brand derives its name. It’s essentially a metaphor for the continuum of desire—from its most basic form, lust, to its most enlightened, the love of love itself. Enlightened is indeed how we’d describe designer Rachel Scott’s vision. Just shy of two years old, Diotima is the designer’s tribute to her home country, Jamaica, and a dialogue with the rich history it’s steeped in. Like much of the collection, the artful crochet that has become its cornerstone is all made in Jamaica with a particular emphasis on supporting artisanal communities.
"Diotima’s ascent in the fashion realm is truly merited," says Marie. There’s no better descriptor for the CFDA-winning designer’s meteoric path through the industry, one that Marie credits to a spirit of innovation and a keen ability to push the boundaries. Walsh is also quick to sing the brand’s praises, calling Diotima "a perfect synthesis of joy, fashion, craftsmanship.”
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In the U.S., we don’t have royal weddings. We have celebrity weddings. While most of them feel like a minor distraction from the day-to-day, the wedding of Sofia Richie Grainge and Elliot Grainge stopped the world in its tracks. Collings interviewed Richie Grainge and reported that "this past April, she hit an inflection point when she got married at the iconic Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in the South of France and took the whole internet with her. The result was a newly crowned It girl.” She used the phrase "Sofia Richie effect” to go right along with it because, well, we all were using it.
While we loved the glitz and glam that was her wedding day, Richie Grainge’s personal style is what really captivated us. She told Who What Wear, "[My stylist] Liat Baruch and I started working together properly about three and a half years ago, and when we met, our word was ‘timeless.’” This, of course, came at the perfect time because it paired effortlessly with the quiet luxury movement that captivated us all.
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From viral images of Jacob Elordi to a stamp of approval by A$AP Rocky, Bottega Veneta’s Andiamo bag is unquestionably in the lead this season—if not the year at large. Defined by its practical shopping-tote shape, the name literally means "let’s go” in Italian, and it is the epitome of a workhorse bag. Now, all eyes are on this shade of black cherry that the brand is calling Barolo, which we recently learned was already sold out in all of Europe—no doubt causing it to only spike in demand.
"The east-west bag shape has been in favor for quite a while now, so it’s no surprise the Andiamo bag has a massive impact,” explains Collings. "In certain neighborhoods in New York and L.A., you can’t walk a few blocks without encountering one. One reason why I think it’s so beloved is the bow-shaped hardware adds a pretty touch to the brand’s signature Intrecciato leather.”
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One thing we can rely on every year is the fact that the fashion industry will always surprise you in the vintage-comeback arena. It seems like what goes around most definitely always comes back around. Over the past few years, we’ve seen capri pants peep their heads out, hoping for a moment in the spotlight, and 2023 was that moment for this trend. "Capri pants have been an underdog trend, just waiting in the wings for their moment. But this year, they finally hit critical mass. At least for those ahead of the curve, it’s calves out! This is one that will certainly see ripple effects into 2024 and beyond, as pant trends tend to move a little slower than others,” Collings adds.
Members of the fashion crowd attribute this trend to fashion icons of the ’50s and ’60s, as it comes back with a retro flare. Walsh states, "I have always been a fan, mostly because of my Audrey and Brigitte obsessions.” Since this trend really picked up in the latter half of the year just before the temperatures dropped, we’ll see it peak in 2024, so be sure to be on the lookout for its revival.
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