Milan Has Spoken: These 8 Trends Will Rule Spring 2023

Ciao bella! Now that the style set has packed up its things and headed to Paris to close out fashion month, let's sit down and discuss everything we just saw at Milan Fashion Week for the spring/summer 2023 season. Buckle up—the Italian houses gave us so much to talk about. This is a fashion week that's historically much more predictable than its counterparts in NYC and Paris, but with a new class of creative directors at the helm of many established houses and an influx of new labels on the scene, Milan is proving to have a strong It factor up its sleeve.

As for the specifics, Bottega Veneta Creative Director Matthieu Blazy unveiled his much-talked-about sophomore collection, and Kate Moss opened the show. Diesel built upon its hype from last season by further pushing the boundaries of what you can do with denim. (Denim fringe! Ruched-looking denim! Elegant denim!) Meanwhile, Ferragamo celebrated a refreshed look under its newly minted creative director, Maximillian Davis, and over at Blumarine, Y2K is still alive and well. The first looks at spring 2023 are already exciting us, from fall carryovers like cargo pants to new layering ideas, ethereal sheer, and futuristic metallics. Below, you'll find the eight most important trends to know about now. 

See-through fabrics could be spotted in New York and London this season and Milan was no different, no doubt an early signal of a potentially major spring trend. Sheer fabrics are risky, no doubt, but designers experimented with layering ideas that ranged from skimpy (a completely sheer skirt) to conservative (sheer pieces atop outerwear), proving that anyone can get on board.

Layering is a classic styling trick during the spring when the weather can be fickle, but spring 2023 is bringing with it a slate of layering ideas that feels fresher than ever. Long, languid dresses over pants were a theme we saw throughout the collections as was unusual ways to wear classic items, like a sweater with nothing but tights on the bottom as we saw of Bottega Veneta.

It's always satisfying when seasonal trends carry over, proving their versatility during a different time of year and justifying our decisions to buy into them in the first place. I'm pleased to share that 2022's leading silhouette—cargo pants—will be just as prevalent in 2023. Designers maintained the relaxed and baggy shape of the pants but introduced softer fabrications like the satin iterations at Fendi and Jil Sander.

In fashion, we're always reminding ourselves to never say never. Anything you might deem dated or tacky now could be given the fashion treatment and come bubbling right back up to the surface. Case in point: metallic, the likes of which are making their glinting return to the spotlight with pieces like boots and bags. Diesel is leading this look with their futuristic 1DR bags.

We debated including this as a trend since skinny-fit pants have been deemed an "outdated" silhouette for quite a long time now, but the Milan runways provided enough evidence of their could-be return that we simply couldn't ignore the signs. Between the slim trousers at Prada and Ferragamo and Sportmax's ankle-slit leggings, the era of skinny pants could be right aorund the corner. Don't say we didn't warn you.

Grunge, goth, alt-girl fashion only continues to gain traction and the spring runways all pointed in this direction. To get more specific, we spotted plenty of jean ensembles featuring bleached, acid washed, and slashed treatments that lend an angsty feel to the staple.

Pastels for spring may not be earth-shattering, but each season brings a different shade that the fashion crowd eventually clings onto. We're predicting that a light yellow hue we're dubbing melted margarine will come to have a large impact on style in six month's time.

If large-scale sequins were fall's answer to evening wear then sequined fringe is the spring approach. Ready to bring the drama? This stiff fringe texture will certainly make an impact.

Next, get your download on the key trends to know from London Fashion Week.