10 NYFW Trends We’ll Be Thinking About Until Spring

Just last week, the concepts of flashing my belly button, drenching myself in fringe, and lugging around a massive tote bag all seemed, well, awful. Oh, how quickly things can change! New York Fashion Week’s spring/summer 2023 season has come and gone, and in its wake, fashionistas like myself are left to ruminate on our favorite shows of the season—and from them, the top trends to introduce into our own wardrobes.

Granted, some runway trends aren’t exactly wearable in everyday life. I could hardly see myself wearing a completely sheer Peter Do tank while grocery shopping at Trader Joes. Likewise, I just don’t think I’d be able to capture my Be Real on time if I had to peel back Prabal Gurung’s black latex gloves to use my phone’s touchscreen. Still, these trends and a bevy of others can be reworked to suit everyday stylings, and the runway iterations can be enjoyed as unattainable inspo.

Below, I’ve rounded up the top ten trends that stood out in a whirlwind of sparkly evening gowns, cut-out crop tops and structured outerwear. Read on for the styles worth stealing, as seen on the runways of Tibi, Tom Ford and more.

Limelight

Dion Lee and Collina Strada

There is no question as to the season’s top trending hue—hint hint, it goes great with margs and mojitos. Lime is officially replacing Kelly as the It shade of green in cool girl wardrobes everywhere, and rattling off the list of designers who incorporated the shade is honestly enough to make my mouth hurt. Rapid fire, the color was embraced by Aknvas, Badgley Mischka, Bronx and Banco, Collina Strada, Dion Lee, Michael Kors, Pamella Roland, Priscavera, and Proenza Schouler.

Side Piece

Carolina Herrera and Raisa Vanessa

Midriff cut-outs were all the rage this season, and there were a number of different popular placements. When it came to gowns, most notable was the side cut-out—right or left, no preference!—as seen at Adeam, Brandon Maxwell, Carolina Herrera, Patbo and Raisa Vanessa.

Front and Center

Markarian and Adeam

If you’re into the idea of visible belly buttons and ab line cleavage, centered midriff cutouts are the look you’ll want to try. Adeam and Markarian proved that a clean triangle of skin adds a bit of pizazz to otherwise standard dress silhouettes, while Altuzarra, Bibhu Mohapatra, and Raisa Vanessa showed just how quickly the same cutout could edge up slightly trendier silhouettes.

Belt It

Michael Kors and Carolina Herrera

When dresses didn’t feature midriff cutouts, there was a high likelihood of excessive belting. Yes, there may be hope for you to revive that Gucci logo belt you retired back in 2019 after all. Carolina Herrera and Michael Kors relied heavily on belted silhouettes to cinch the waist, while Jonathan Simkhai opted for Obi-inspired belts sans-hardware. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Bronx and Banco placed a logo-centric gold BB belt buckle onto as many looks as they possibly could.

Half Wit

Tibi and Adeam

This season’s biggest styling trend only requires 50% effort—rather than drape a cardigan or blazer over the shoulders, models wore these pieces half-on for an effortless finish that made sloppy seem stylish. At Tibi, one model donned a slate blazer in this haphazard fashion, while a pale blue knit at Adeam appeared dangerously close to slipping off the model’s frame. But, like, in a cool way.

Fringe Fiend

Patbo and Bronx and Banco

Fringe! Is! Back! The trend I’ve most feared making its return has done exactly that—and honestly? I like it a lot more this time around. Fringed ensembles of the past often nodded to festival or western aesthetics (or worse, resembled inaccurate ‘20s flapper costumes), but this season’s iterations are a lot more glamorous. Some styles—by Cynthia Rowley and Bronx and Banco—featured carwash-like strips of chunky fringe, while others—also by Bronx, plus Bevza, Michael Kors, Jason Wu, and Patbo—incorporated dramatic lengths, unique textures, and glitzy sparkle to give fringe a luxe new life.

Glove-ly

Christian Siriano and Fe Noel

Once reserved exclusively for Disney princesses and lavish masquerade balls, evening gloves have worked their way back into the minds of the fashion set as a viable option for night-out accessorizing. Prabal Gurung sent black latex gloves down the runway with multiple looks, occasionally layered beneath tulle gloves, which were a favorite for Adeam and Bibhu Mohapatra. Christian Siriano, Fe Noel, and Naeem Khan also gave gloves a go.

Sequins Sequence

Michael Kors and Markarian

Virtually every designer opted to send at least one glitzy look down the runway, thereby proving it time to ditch your LBD in favor of something sparkly. Some—like Adeam, Cynthia Rowley, Prabal Gurung and Tory Burch—put the “disc” in “disco” with chunky circular paillettes, while others—like Brandon Maxwell, Michael Kors, Markarian, and Tom Ford—opted for classic head-to-toe sequins, à la the kind you wore to your best friend’s Sweet Sixteen soirée.

Sheer Thing

LaQuan Smith and Sandy Liang

This once-taboo trend is now all but expected, although designers do seem to keep finding new ways to make it work. Remaking signature styles in sheer mesh gives a brand’s basics an entirely new, edgy look. While some—like Sandy Liang, Tom Ford and Tory Burch—style with undergarments for modesty and real-world wearability, others—like LaQuan Smith and Peter Do—asked models to bare it all in the name of fashion.

Pack Heavy

Michael Kors and Tommy Hilfiger

Over-packers, rejoice! The handbags spotted on numerous runways hint at the long-awaited fall of micro bags—and with this, the return of all things roomy. Models at Tommy Hilfiger touted travel duffels and XL totes as if they were petite shoulder bags and clutches, while Michael Kors opted for hobo bags held by the strap. Meanwhile, Coach introduced their popular Tabby style in a massive messenger bag silhouette I’ll be dreaming about until I can snag one for myself.