This past year has been fascinating for fashion trends! We saw the rise of the coquettes, the mob wives, the office sirens, and the bloke-core fanatics. But will bows still be in this time next year? What will be trending next summer?
I know you’re bored of people predicting ‘deep red’ or ‘fur coats’ for the upcoming autumn (‘Florals? For spring? Groundbreaking.’). So, I’ve compiled some of my less obvious mid-year trend predictions for your enjoyment. Let’s go!
Jelly Shoes
Of course, these are season-specific and summer staples for the general public because they are undeniably convenient. I can see a clear jelly shoe coming back in a ballet-flat kind of way for the fashion-inclined, in various colorful forms. Even a kitten heel or mule iteration seems likely to me.
It fits the Y2K tendencies of fashion in the 2020s and matches the playful approach to fashion we have seen blossom over the past year especially. Additionally, ‘Pinterest Predicts,’ the annual prediction report put out by Pinterest at the start of each year, supports the suggestion. This year, it suggested that a trend called ‘be jelly’ would take off. ‘Be jelly’ is described as a ‘squishy aesthetic’ aimed mainly toward home decor, but it could easily bleed into summer clothing, too. Picture a heeled jelly shoe with white socks — a summer take on the Mary-Jane.
They’re easy-breezy, don’t take themselves too seriously, and could fit in your 10-year-old wardrobe, which is exactly the energy of current fashion trends.
I suspect lots of people will be hesitant about the trend amidst the cool, it-girl sleaze of brat summer, but this Pinterest post might change your mind! See you next summer, jelly shoes!
Butter Yellow
Butter yellow has been a topic of discussion in fashion for a few months now. Unlike the brief 2023 obsession with powder blue, which ultimately never really took off as a trend, butter yellow isn’t going anywhere. Refinery29 attributes this trend to the Loewe pin-up dress from SS24 and its feature on the cover of British Vogue’s April 2024 cover.
The theory is that butter yellow accessories will grow increasingly popular as a reaction to the cherry red obsession of the last couple of years. Cherry red is classy and won’t fall victim to the same tragic fate as many other trends, which have since been hailed as ‘cringe’. However, I do think this new color brings some much-needed lightness to our color palette. That said, it certainly does not have the power to ‘replace’ cherry red by any means.
Butter yellow is in line with the Carrie Bradshaw aesthetic sought by much of Gen Z. Sabrina Carpenter, a Gen Z icon, has also been wearing the color recently, as highlighted by a recent W Magazine article.
Pantone
Pantone’s color of the year usually plays somewhat of a role in fashion. Pantone’s pick is famously foreshadowed by fashion design trends before it is even announced. For example, when Valentino did non-stop hot pink for Fall 2022, Pantone ultimately announced ‘Viva Magenta’ (18-1750) as the color of 2023.
This was an accurate prediction, as summer 2023 was then dubbed ‘the summer of girlhood,’ with Greta Gerwig’s ‘Barbie’ movie coming out and Margot Robbie reviving vintage Barbie looks. Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour also undoubtedly contributed to the girlish vibe of summer 2023.
A similar phenomenon happened back in 2021 when Miu Miu showcased pops of powder blue tones for Spring/Summer 2022 to emphasize their signature playful corporate aesthetic. In 2023, Pantone declared ‘Very Peri’ (17-3938) the colour of 2023.
So now it’s time to consider the various directions Pantone could take with their color of 2025. They could go for a ‘brat’ green à la Charli XCX, though they would be embarrassingly late to the party. They could go for the safe option of the aforementioned butter yellow. Or, they could puruse a third option, which will likely be showcased during the Spring/Summer 2025 fashion weeks in the autumn.
I have been vouching for a dark forest green to be the next ‘it’ color for winter accessories — I think it’s chic, bold, and underrated. Pantone could also go political and do something Americana-based, as ‘Americana’ will inevitably redefine itself based on the outcome of the November presidential elections. Pantone famously states ‘macro influences throughout the world’ as the source for the color of the year. Choosing a red-blue double color (like they did in 2021) inspired by the United States wouldn’t be completely out of left field.
Prints and Patterns
Every year, we see at least one favorite animal print. The current favorite is leopard (although people are mislabeling it as ‘cheetah’). By contrast, the clean girl aesthetic marks a blatant assassination attempt on prints altogether. In response, we’ve seen maximalism flourish, with the drag-inspired fashion of Chappell Roan going viral in 2024. Moreover, the eclectic grandpa (perhaps the equal and opposite counterpart of the coastal grandma) has returned, bringing forth vaguely academia-inspired fashion with character.
With all of this in mind, my main prediction is that prints will become more diversified and individual. I’m not sure that we’ll actually have another universal print trend for a while — though I can certainly see 70s-inspired paisley coming back into fashion, as well as mixing and matching patterns. I feel that most people will wear whatever patterns and prints they find at their local charity shop, or in their existing wardrobes. I personally don’t intend to participate in any future print/pattern trends, at least not consciously. This seems to be the general attitude online recently, which will be conducive to much more interesting outfits and will certainly change the conversation surrounding personal style.
That’s All!
Those are my main fashion predictions for now! With fashion week just around the corner, it’ll be interesting to see which of the current trends stick, which will completely drop off, and which predictions will carry over into Spring/Summer 2025.
