A LOOK AHEAD

Fashion Predictions for 2018: What You’ll Be Wearing In the New Year

by Nora Milch and Caroline Grosso

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While we’re no psychics—we’ll leave that to the Astro Poets—we can still make a few educated guesses when it comes to the trends, labels, and key pieces that women everywhere will be trying out in 2018. We’re predicting quite a few comebacks, specifically from the ’80s and early 2000s, that are very much worth getting behind. We’ll also reveal the label that is a must-buy for the next year, and options that you must have before they’re gone for good. What will be the color of 2018? While it may not be Pantone’s hue, it certainly is in the same family. And what 2000s style icon are we pining for yet again? All this, and more, below, in our 10 fashion predictions for 2018.

1
The Return of the Scrunchie
Courtest of Mansur Gavriel.

We all remember Carrie Bradshaw’s claim that “no woman who works at W Magazine and lives on Perry Street would be caught dead at a hip downtown restaurant wearing a scrunchie.” Demna Gvasalia seems to disagree. For resort, Balenciaga featured some of the best and most ridiculous accessories – including bright color leather scrunchies. For Mansur Gavriel’s first runway show, they styled their model’s in a more subdued version of this ’90s hair accessory. If 2017 was the year of the grosgrain hair ribbon, we predict that 2018 will be the year of the scrunchie.

2
Bohemian Vacation Vibes

Packing for a great escape from the winter months? We predict that Sienna Miller circa 2004 may just be your new reference point. Soon in stores we’ll see parson’s hats, leather patchworked duster coats, and fringed ponchos from Dior’s resort 2018 collection, southwestern-inspired skirts and dresses at Valentino, and earthy, suede accents at Coach 1941 and Acne Studios. And, as we all know, cowboy boots have already made a comeback thanks to Raf Simons at CALVIN KLEIN 205W39. All of these looks will make great Instagram fodder no matter what island you plan to escape to.

3
Status Symbol Redux

The ultimate ’90s and early 2000s high school status symbol is back. But perhaps it never left? Almost every look in Prada’s Spring 2018 show included a variation of the brand’s iconic nylon bag—whether a backpack, bum bag, or shoulder bag. Some remained true to the original and some were adorned with pops of colors and studs. No need to wait till spring though, Prada sells their classic nylon bags in their stores and online year-round.

4
Fantastic Plastic

Love it or hate it, we predict that see-through clothing, bags, and shoes will be one of spring’s major trends. Thank Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel, who for spring created a rain forest-esque set, complete with a waterfall. He dressed his models in plastic bombers, plastic bucket hats and plastic boots. Valentino, Balmain, CALVIN KLEIN 205W39 and Off-White also featured key pieces created in the synthetic material.

5
Surprising Crocs

Christopher Kane has featured embellished crocs for a few seasons. However, Balenciaga has brought the ‘ugly-comfort-chic’ footwear to a new level, literally. For SS18, Demna Gvasalia embellished the giant platform rubber shoes with a variety of toy-like pins including a French bull dogs, rosettes, butterflies, making the it-cult item of the season. You can get the look for less by buying, well, actual crocs.

6
Punk Funk

Is punk coming back? After a long hiatus, labels like Prada, Dior, and Balmain sent out a few punky looks for Spring 2018, leading us to predict that red and black stripes, and a good dose of leopard, may find its way back into your wardrobe. Even Altuzarra offered up a chic version of punk with his fishnet midi skirts for spring.

7
Millennial Mint and Lavendar

Tired of millennial pink? The sorbet hue is not going anywhere, but we predict the color is going to be joined by other pastels as the palette for spring. Make way for lavender, which cropped up during New York Fashion Week spring shows like Victoria Beckham and continued through Paris. Beckham herself wore lavender-hued shoes to her show, visible when she came out to take her bow. Mint also popped up in a number of designer collections for next year.

8
Furniture Florals

Yes, florals are nothing new. However, we predict that we’ll be embracing more oversized, garish, acid hued 60s inspired florals in the near future. Miu Miu, Dries Van Noten, Simone Rocha, and Marc Jacobs all embraced this poppy feeling for spring, so break out the bold hues this spring.

9
Céline Mania

It is finally official; the reigning queen of minimalist fashion, Phoebe Philo, is saying goodbye to the beloved maison after 10 years. So stock up on all your Phoebe Philo for Céline now while you can, chances are key pieces will sell out faster than in most seasons. Plan to snag this chic update on the classic trench as part of your new year’s wardrobe.

10
Ballet Beautiful

It is difficult to predict a full year ahead, but there could be a world where the ballet staple makes a return to every-day life. Not since the ‘80s has this seemed truly possible, but with the return of crimped hair thanks to Beyoncé anything is possible.