Fashion trends for 2023 and styles Chanel, Balenciaga and Elie Saab expect to be a hit

As the new year approached, thoughts turn to trends to expect in the coming months.

While there is plenty of uncertainty around, conversely, many are still enjoying life as we try to move into a post-Covid world. It's this dichotomy that has given rise to a number of trends for the year ahead, with countless ideas offered by recent runway collections.

Whether it be dressing in shades of lilac or in rugged denim, or treating yourself to the languid comfort of soft tailoring, there's sure to be a look to fit every facet of our personalities.
Here's how to tailor your style in 2023.

Sequinned sheen

Freed from their festive-season connotations, sequins are being revamped as spring wear. favoring a muted, antique feel, 16Arlington, Balenciaga and Jonathan Simkhai venture into aged silvers, and faded mint greens.

Nensi Dojaka cuts pink sequins into a show-stopping neckline, while Valentino goes for several options, from a shimmery catsuit to a technically outstanding bias-cut, pleated green dress. Elie Saab brings a summery lightness with a scooped neck dress covered in clusters of pixelated sequin flowers, while Brandon Maxwell and Halpern look back to the Studio 54 heyday of shimmer, with gleaming flowers and flashes of 1970s gold, green and blue.

Cobalt blue

Move over fuchsia; 2023 is all about cobalt blue. As such a punchy tone, this is a case of embracing the drama and going all in. This is the case at David Koma, which opts for a mini dress, bomber jacket, low-slung bag and over-the-knee boots all in the same in-your-face colour.

For Ib Kamara’s debut at Off-White, cobalt dominated the collection both through the clothes and the runway painted to match. To temper the look, Kamara adds pops of other blues as a clever point of balance, which conversely ramp up the impact.

CFCL, too, goes for a cobalt floor and teams its longline dresses with navy blue cloche hats. Cecilie Bahnsen gives the hue an altogether more romantic feel, with crinkled baby doll dresses that feel like crumpled paper, while at McQueen this vibrant tone is carved into slick tailoring.

Denim delight

Dubbed the Canadian tuxedo, double denim has for years had a bad rep, but no longer. Throwing aside the spectre of Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake’s terrible matching denim circa 2001, now it arrives with a new, languid polish. At Tod’s, it manifests as a simple trench coat, worn belted over two-tone trousers, while at AZ Factory, Lutz Huelle proffers inky, midnight wash denim as a box-fresh cropped jacket and trousers.

At Chloe, designer Gabriela Hearst delivers a trio of denim; with a cropped top and jeans worn under another belted trench. Even Burberry, normally known for its tidy silhouette, offers a new take as a supersized patch-pocket shirt over extra-wide trousers.

Soft tailoring 

Masculine suiting is being reimagined for spring/summer as loose, roomy suits for women. Deliberately outsized, this is about lounging in style, in clothes that are as comfortable as pyjamas but still look pulled together. To maintain the feel, many designs on offer are in gentle greys, blues and ice-cream pastels.

Dries Van Noten, for example, offers an oversized jacket in pale pistachio, while Elie Saab opts for an ombre apricot. As well as the colour, though, the key to this is the tailoring details that elevate it beyond a mere boyfriend jacket. At Jil Sander, a buttermilk suit jacket has hidden pockets at the waist, while Peter Do’s apricot suit arrives with a jacket tucked into double waistband trousers. For all of its laid-back sensibilities, this is still menswear at its finest.