The 8 Top Trends to Know for 2023, Straight From New York Fashion Week

Some critics may say that New York has lost its touch when it comes to being a fashion capital, but this past week of runway shows has done everything to prove them wrong. While there have been a few fashion weeks since the pandemic, this one felt like a true return. Kim Jones celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Fendi Baguette with a jaw-drop-worthy show and a joyous collab with Marc Jacobs. Internet-loved brands like Luar and Mirror Palais made their runway debuts and reminded everyone why fashion is worth believing in. Anne Hathaway brought back her signature outfit from The Devil Wears Prada front row at Michael Kors because she simply knows the power she holds. And those are just a few standout moments this past week has brought to the sartorial world. If you haven't been keeping up, you're in for a treat.

In terms of trends, there was a sensual mood among the collections, as fabrics were often dainty and sheer. See-through tops and skirts dominated the runways of shows such as Maryam Nassir Zadeh, Tory Burch, and LaQuan Smith. But while skin may be in, there were also a few trends offering a rebuttal. Think floor-sweeping hemlines, powerfully voluminous gowns, and various types of layering—double skirts catching our attention the most. The "ultra-femme" aesthetic also continues to pull its weight via icy pastels, lace, and liquified sequins. 

There are still three more cities to go, and expectations are now higher than ever. To give you a taste of the magic we saw on the runways, we're sharing the top trends to know from New York Fashion Week below. 

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(Image credit: Courtesy of Tory Burch, LaQuan Smith, Tibi, and Brandon Maxwell)

Instead of your average Easter pastels for spring, icy lavenders and blues were the top color trends in the collections. Brandon Maxwell took the plunge with the theme, curating every look around the color scheme and having the entire room designed a lovely shade of lavender. 

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(Image credit: Courtesy of Bevza, Mirror Palais, Sandy Liang, and Victor Glemaud)

Sheer fabrics were spotted heavily throughout the collections from Bevza to Sandy Liang. If you're wondering which look led to multiple jaw-drops from WWW editors, it was the Mirror Palais bridal-esque look. While many of the looks featuring this trend were minimal in styling to not take away from the It factor, there's a lot to experiment with here when bringing it to your own wardrobe.

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(Image credit: Courtesy of Bevza, Ulla Johnson, Alejandra Alonso Rojas, and Maryam Nassir Zadeh)

To our delight, craftcore took a more pared-back approach this season. Instead of the usual heavy dose of multicolor prints and patterns, opt for crochet pieces that can be easily worn with other pieces in your wardrobe.

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(Image credit: Courtesy of Khaite, Sandy Liang, Aliette, and Tibi)

Dropped waists are not anything new, but something about the way it was done this season made the silhouette look less intimidating and more wearable. 

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(Image credit: Courtesy of Proenza Schouler, PatBo, Jonathan Simkhai, and Michael Kors)

Fringe always seems to be a cheerful trend we see in the springtime, but this time around, it was more elevated and sexy. After always seeing tons of colorful fringe on the market, the 2023 take is a breath of fresh air. Think fringe trims attached to luxe-looking basics and sleek dresses.

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(Image credit: Courtesy of MNZ, Sandy Liang, Proenza Schouler, and Tory Burch)

We saw a touch of double-layered skirts at Bottega Veneta this past year, but the trend has received full support from Sandy Liang, Proenza Schouler, and more. Think of the layering everyone used to do in the 2000s except with a gentler and more subdued take. 

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(Image credit: Courtesy of Khaite, Ulla Johnson, Proenza Schouler, and Carolina Herrera)

You may have been avoiding the bubble hem for quite some time, but the way it was effortlessly done this season is one you can't avoid any longer. It's been a slow burn, but this is the most we've seen of the style yet. Gone are the days of the eyesore Y2K skirts we once remember. Proenza Schouler and Khaite brought an edge to the usual "feminine" silhouette, while Ulla Johnson and Carolina Herrera brought unexpected sophistication to their looks.

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(Image credit: Courtesy of LaQuan Smith, Kim Shui, Tory Burch, and Jonathan Simkhai)

Arm cuffs are no longer just an accessory you reach for while attending a music festival or a beach vacation.

Next, Stylish Women in NYC, London, and Paris All Wear This Fall Staple 

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Associate Fashion Editor
Yusra Siddiqui is an editor who resides in New Jersey but bounces between the suburbs and NYC. (She's a Jersey girl at heart.) After interning at Who What Wear in 2019, she found her way to the team after graduating from LIM College in 2022 with a fashion media degree. She's also spent time writing and working for publications such as Fashionista, Coveteur, and Nylon, but she always knew that Who What Wear was where she was meant to be. When she's on the job, she's perusing runway shows, analyzing the latest thing fellow Gen Zers are up to on the internet, and sharing what she can about the modest-fashion market. You can also catch her dabbling in entertainment, talking about the costume choices of the latest Netflix series or diving deeper into how the plotline affects the viewers in a myriad of ways. Lastly, she likes to create content for Who What Wear's TikTok. Her personal time is spent doing similar but also different things—deep diving into almost every new TV show (Bridgerton, Gilmore Girls, and Stranger Things are favorites), planning her next local getaway (whenever that may be), and reading the latest Emily Henry or Sally Rooney novel in one sitting.