Weekend Edition #38: Predicting the Future of Fashion
My best guess for what we'll be wearing and how we'll be shopping in 2025
Hi!
We’ve officially hit “let’s circle back in the new year” time in the fashion world, but before I go change into my sweatpants, I have a couple more items on my to-do list:
First and foremost, I want to thank you for joining me here this year. Last spring, I launched this newsletter to explore fashion, style, and design through the lens of my industry experience and personal passion. Substack has an incredible community of writers, designers, editors, stylists, and people who love fashion, and I am so happy to be a part of it. Spending time with you all each week is a delight. Thank you for reading, chatting, and cheerleading. Your presence is the best present! (Cliche, but true.)
I’m planning to send posts through the end of the year, but for the last one before the holidays, I thought it’d be fun to pause the gift wrapping and try to predict the future of fashion for 2025. And we’re going to do it in the style of the Magic 8 Ball, which my kids got for Hanukkah (we celebrated early because we also had to squeeze in two birthdays and still have Christmas ahead). P.S. The Magic 8 Ball is totally an evergreen gift (if you need any last minute ideas!).1
Most importantly, I want to wish you all the happiest of holidays, full of love (and all the fabulous things I saw in all the fabulous gift guides I read on Substack this season).
Ok, onward! Let’s see what the new year might bring…
Predicting the Future of Fashion, 2025 Edition:
Q. Are we all going back to the mall?
A. Yes definitely.
J.Crew is projected to hit $3 billion in sales this year (after emerging from bankruptcy in 2024). We’ve fallen back into the Gap. A&F continues its stock market march. Puck’s Line Sheet, the leading newsletter on the luxury market and overall fashion industry, wanted our fave
in part for her excellent expertise and reporting on these brands. These stores may be found more frequently on Level 2 than on Rodeo Drive, but they are driving the dollars, the markets, and the way a lot of us dress, thanks to their accessibility, and now, resurgent desirability. This is where the money is, and how the industry moves, at least in the good ole US of A. And I believe these brands will continue to rise like phoenixes from the ashes of the 2000s shopping landscape.
Q. Will Boho be the biggest trend of the year?
A. Signs point to yes.
We’re twenty years removed from the Boho Chic craze led by Chloe, its Paddington Bag, and its ambassadors: Sienna Miller, Nicole Ritchie, Kate Bosworth, and Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen (who have now become the High Priestesses of Minimalism). Which means it’s ripe for a redux. And in a stroke of excellent timing and smart executives, Chloe has a new designer, Chemena Kamali, whose work was voted Best Debut of the Year, according to Vogue Runway and the industry insiders they polled. She may as well have waved a flag down her runway that read “Boho is back, baby!” for how much she embraced the vibes. Boho treads on tropes of femininity, freedom, and feelings. It’s 60s hippies turning their noses up at the establishment (sound familiar?). It’s emotional, laughing at buttoned-up prep and quiet luxury and then inviting them for a glass of champagne. In times of turmoil, it offers a tincture of joy and optimism. It helps the medicine go down.
Q. Are bows back?
A. Without a doubt.
And so are belts…and bandanas…and brooches…and…bag charms…and, well, bits and baubles of all types. I think the return of true accessories (and not just bags, shoes, and jewels), represents people’s desire to put a little pep back in their step. And this is an affordable, and fun, way to do it. Plus, we have incredible stylists and fashionistas like
and and showing us how to confidently and expertly add these special moments to our outfits. After a few years of covid-adjacent athleisure and then quiet luxury, accessories really feel like the best way to twist an outfit into a look.
Q. Will Mocha Mousse, Pantone’s 2025 ‘Color of the Year’ be a hit?
A. Most Likely.
Pantone picked this color because it supposedly “nurtures us with its suggestion of the delectable qualities of chocolate and coffee, answering our desire for comfort.” Although there’s been decidedly mixed feedback on the choice, consumers are seeking comfort. I listened in on a focus group this week and almost every participant said comfort was one of the most important qualities in her clothing (along with soft fabrics). Which I’m on board with - who has time to feel bad in their clothes? This is also a color I associate with the visual softness of Chloe (see above) and also captures the (faux?) soothing vibes of the Tradwife trend. In other words, something for everyone, and music to the ears of any retailer. Count on them to go all in on this shade.
P.S. If you’re not in the mood for mocha, I also think matcha will be on the menu. It’s the laid-back cousin to Summer 24’s Brat Green and adds a dollop of freshness to all that taupe.
Q. Are heels dead?
A. As I see it, yes.
I used to wear high high high heels, all the damn time. At work, to dinner, and all over the East Village. I have no idea how I did it (I shudder to think how often by the end of the night I didn’t do it…and just walked home barefoot…down 2nd Avenue). Now, I max out at a 1.75” block heel (it barely counts). Luckily, it seems like a lot of us feel the same way. Ballet slippers will continue to soar in 2025, perhaps with a bit of toughness to them like these or these. Loafers will also be big. Yes, they’ve been around forever, but paired with a new friend like a floaty dress or a cropped jean and a fun sock, they feel fresh and current. Birks, my beloved Birks, have infiltrated fashion and show no signs of retreating.
The only non-heel I don’t see having a huge year? Sneakers. They’ve been on a rocket ship trajectory, but I think we maybe hit peak-sneak with the Adidas Sambas last year. I sense a shift toward a more subtle sporty shoe, like Chucks or a pair of slip on Vans (especially with their new Global Brand President on board).
Q. Will the Golden Age of Pants march on?
A. Ask again later.
Have we hit peak-pants along with peak-sneaks? I’m not so sure. I think this era still has a lot of legs. It feels like the door to cool pants was flung open last year, and the myriad silhouettes that awaited us on the other side (after years and years and years of skinny jeans) proved the styling and staying power of a great pair of pants. I’m excited for cozy wide wale cords to see me through winter and then I’ve got my eye on slim little cigarette pants for spring. I’m also pretty sure I’m going to give a lower-rise, baggy chino a spin, and I’m planning to let my leopard pants run wild for a long time.
But, I do think The Skirt is going to give our pants a kick in the pants. Skirts are a funny category, they rarely make up more than 5% of a collection (and that’s a generous number). But there are so many great styling options with skirts. You can go super dressy, so casual, long short, heavy, light. Sporty, sexy, stylish.
anchored her Holiday Things collaboration with Alex Mill around a tiered taffeta skirt, saying, "Pockets, belt loops...we did all the things to make it feel like you're wearing a pair of trousers. I find myself throwing it on the same way I throw on a pair of jeans."The High Priestess of Fashion has spoken!
Q. Will prices go up? Or down?
A. Reply hazy, try again.
This one is a toughie. My best guess is that things will be more or less status quo for 2025, but all bets are off for 2026. Most brands have ordered their inventory for most of 2025, so prices are locked in. If tariffs go into effect immediately, I suppose some retailers may try to reticket their goods higher for the back half of the year, to protect their margins. However, that will slow their rate of sale in-store, and since they already own the goods, they’ll likely end up marking them down to move through them. Very messy. I think everyone will try to keep the boat steady for now, but I expect headwinds heading into the holidays next year.
Q. And lastly, will High Fashion hit a high note again?
A. Outlook good.
It was a weird year for luxury brands or shall we be fancy and say houses. Trying to keep track of creative directors was like a game of wack-a-mole. Who was going to pop up where, and who was going to get knocked on their heads? For much of the year, the rumor mill spun.
But now we have answers! The biggie was the announcement of Matthieu Blazy to Chanel from Bottega Veneta. I’m psyched about this one. He was the wizard behind the curtain to Phoebe Philo during her Chloe years and Raf Simons during his Calvin years, and has done a bang-up job making Bottega cool and desirable again through a fascinating use of materials and an injection of wit, whimsy, and modern style. All elements that feel very Chanel but have been missing the past few years.
Ok, so he left an opening at Bottega, which was promptly filled by Louise Trotter, of Carven. Yay, a female Creative Director! Somehow still so incredibly rare for a global industry that caters predominantly to women. Thankfully, we had a whole second female appointment this year: Sarah Burton at Givenchy, after her years stewarding the house of McQueen. I can’t wait to see her gorgeous gowns at Givenchy.
Michael Rider, of Polo Ralph Lauren women's, is the new head of CELINE, returning to the company where he also previously worked under Phoebe Philo. He’s by all accounts a lovely and talented guy. I think this will be good. Alessandro Michele is settling in at Valentino, from Gucci. Haider Ackermann is in at Tom Ford and Canada Goose. And Dries Van Noten, the brand, replaced Dries Van Noten, the man (who retired), with an in-house hire, Julian Klausner. Nice to see a promotion from within. I’m cautiously optimistic on this one, since Dries is my favorite brand, and selfishly I’d like them to just keep on keeping on.
I’m very excited for Fall Fashion Week (at the end of winter), and what I hope will be a cornucopia of creativity to inspire us all.
EXTRA THOUGHTS
asked me about the styles I see on the street that signify “fashion person,” to me. I was so happy to be included in her post exploring “fashion signaling,” because for me, that’s half the fun of fashion - trying to figure out what it’s saying. Check out the full post here - there are so many great contributors and perspectives!
The coat all the chic ladies are wearing
WHAT I BOUGHT
The Net-A-Porter sale got me again. I felt like Goldilocks buying the belt, it took me three tries. But I’m very happy with it - it’s the first belt I’ve bought in years, and the quality is beautiful. I also snagged these. Remember, it’s the year(s) of the loafer. I’ve already worn them twice.
I feel like the Ghost of Christmas Future, bringing good tidings of toys. My boys love this baseball card game, they bring it with them everywhere. I upped the ante by getting them this so they could set up actual players and a bigger field. There’s even a working scoreboard! Growing up, I was a big Playmobile fan, so I was excited to find this ice hockey set and Zamboni (which looks to be sold out now). There is a rink, too, but that’s harder to find. This option looks really cute (maybe buy now and save for next year??) and so does this if you’re more of a skiing fam than a hockey one!
Wishing you the happiest holidays and oodles of joy, rest, and whatever your heart desires.
x Lindsay
Invented in 1950, over 1 million Magic 8 Balls are sold every year. https://www.britannica.com/story/where-did-the-idea-for-the-magic-8-ball-come-from#:~:text=The%20Magic%208%20Ball%20contains,is%20pressed%20against%20the%20glass.
I had to tuck in to enjoy this one because, Lindsay, you are my favorite voice on SS. You are so incredibly smart and your pulse on what is happening in the fashion industry is really realistic. I love all your predictions and I thought it was funny to see MK & A on your boho collage because following their inspo is probably the safest way to incorporate their vibe since we are all living in their quiet luxury world currently.
I really enjoyed this!! I’m so far from a fashion expert however I own a luxury travel tour business so I see a lot. The lines around the corner day and night outside The Row in Paris tell me you are spot on re MK and A. My own pet peeve, as someone who travels the globe is bag charms. I secretly can’t stand them. I never want to add weight to the outside of my bags, especially with international airplanes baggage allowances. I couldn’t care less if anyone else in the word carries them, I just am tired of being marketed them. I prefer a cleaner look and all my belongings in my bag.