According to Milan, These Are the Only 8 Spring 2024 Trends to Know

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Gucci; Prada; Launchmetrics Spotlight/Tom Ford

The temperatures were climbing in Milan this week, and we don't mean in your weather app. Hot pants were a trend that absolutely lit up the runways of top houses, including Prada, Tom Ford, Gucci, Max Mara, Bally, and many others. While designers brought forward several ideas on how to wear the teeny-tiny shorts, ranging from velvet suiting to patent leather and logo embossed, they remained united on one front: Inseams shouldn't exceed more than a single inch. 

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Launchmetrics Spotlight/Tom Ford; Gucci; Bottega Veneta

Fiery red may be the dominating color of 2023, but we already have the intel on its 2024 successor. Deep shades of burgundy and oxblood popped up throughout Milan Fashion Week, especially in glossy patent-leather iterations that look utterly luxurious. Burgundy is a color that represents power and ambition, and we expect nothing less when wearing the hue next spring.

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Gucci; Prada; Launchmetrics Spotlight/Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini; Bottega Veneta

Fashion loves a good paradox: soft and hard, glitzy and ordinary, frivolous and practical. The Milan runways featured polar-opposite pairings that proved sometimes two things can be so wrong that they're right. Just take Prada's stylists, for instance, who paired fringe skirts with workwear jackets, or Gucci's, who married crystal-embellished bras with tailored skirts and zip-up sweatshirts with patent-leather skirts and pumps. The motto of the week? It's weird, but it works.

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Prada; Launchmetrics Spotlight/Sportmax; Launchmetrics Spotlight/Anteprima

We've been talking about sheer clothing for several seasons now, but the looks this week marked a notable shift in the way we're all going to be wearing them. Instead of totally sheer looks, designers in Milan piled on layers of organza and tulle atop dresses, shirts, and blazers that tap into the fabric's delicate vibe while still being quite wearable. Prada's sheer dresses were, without a doubt, one of the week's highlights, with trails of sheer fabric floating angelically behind its models. It's safe to say they're already a contender for spring's It dresses.

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Bally; Gucci; Tom Ford

Skirts are rising steadily in popularity, and micro minis and long maxis are currently trending. According to the spring runways, though, hemlines are getting much more democratic, as mid-length pencil skirts were noticeably everywhere in Milan in sleek patent-leather and croc-embossed iterations.

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Prada; Ferragamo; Gucci

Some trends were all about overall silhouettes, colors, and hemlines this week while others came in the form of more subtle details. Fringe was one such detail that caught our attention—not just because it hasn't been at the top of our shopping lists in quite some time but also because of the decisive way designers used it. They doled out fringe conservatively through a belted overlay at Prada, a fringed tassel at Ferragamo, and a crystal fringe skirt hem at Gucci, and the effect was extremely chic and elevated.

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Launchmetrics Spotlight/MSGM; Launchmetrics Spotlight/Moschino; Jil Sander

The Milan shows want you to refocus your attention on the contents of your top drawer, namely your sock drawer. At Jil Sander, MSGM, and Moschino, tall knee-high socks featured prominently in looks with shorts and skirts to let the hosiery have its full moment. Socks and heels shouldn't make sense, but here, they just do.

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Diesel; Launchmetrics Spotlight/Versace; Alberta Ferretti

We're not out of the Y2K woods just yet. In fact, the decade's influence isn't waning—it's just shifting gears to items that are new to the 2020s. One such item is the skinny scarf, and if its return sounds scary, one glance at the spring '24 looks featuring it will show how chic the modern iterations can be. Featured with slinky slip dresses, these coordinating scarves give a retro feel to eveningwear.