Years from now, when a new generation of kids wants to dress like 2023, what sort of objects will they look at? May this wrap-up be but a humble guide for them. While it’s true that the death of trends has been wildly exaggerated, the rise of microtrends in their stead can make it harder to pinpoint more specific fashion trends. Harder but not impossible, and although the objects featured here may seem hodgepodge in nature, they tell us something about ourselves at this point in time (likely that our lives are guided by chaos).

Except for a few items of clothing, the year belonged to accessories, especially statement shoes, that, in keeping with our postpandemic model, continue to prioritize comfort over anything else. The list also shows how essential—and influential— celebrity culture remains, from Lionel Messi’s sold-out Inter Miami jersey (which goes hand in hand with the soccer fever currently taking over fashion) to the Chanel sunglasses worn by Lily-Rose Depp’s character in The Idol(the show may have lasted just five episodes, but its fashion influence shall remain eternal!) and Britney Spears’s memoir, The Woman In Me, which surely delivered Addison Rae’s most iconic fashion moment this year. Read through to find the 15 items that defined 2023 fashion trends.

Look Ma, No Pants

Last November, Kendall Jenner was photographed out and about in Los Angeles wearing a Bottega Veneta look consisting of a conservative navy sweater paired with just tights. Then in March of this year, we were treated to a Miu Miu show in which Miuccia Prada sent her models down the runway in knit boy-cut briefs that were sometimes worn over pantyhose. By the time the summer rolled around, famous and nonfamous folks alike could be seen around New York City on a random weekday rocking a pair of fashion knickers (tights optional) with aplomb. What at first was a pandemic nightmare (oh, no, I forgot to put on pants!) soon became an everyday occurrence—a classic 2023 modus operandi.

A Boho-Inspired Y2K Denim Maxiskirt

Every year a new denim silhouette rises to the top. In 2023, instead of a fresh pant width or rise length, denim skirts took over the streets. With nostalgia for the indie era of the early aughts on the rise, it would’ve been easy to assume that the denim mini worn over opaque tights or cropped leggings would become the trend du jour. Actually, it was their distant cousin, the boho maxi, that became inescapable, especially when it featured the faux-DIY triangle effect on the front hem. Once upon a time, it was a sign that the wearer had turned their own pair of jeans into a skirt. If anyone wants to try this at home, the instructions are simple: Cut open the legs of one pair, and use extra fabric from another pair of jeans to patch up the open triangular space in between.

Forget AirPods, Bring On the Giant DJ Headphones

 

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Over on TikTok, where trends are born and die every day, one thing remained a constant: over-the-ear headphones. Even as Apple shrinks its headphones (well, now they are called earbuds) to ever-tinier sizes, young people are embracing the DJ-style headsets of the early aughts. Would that Garden State scene where Natalie Portman plays Zach Braff the Shins work the same if she had given him an in-ear headphone? No. And Gen Z knows that.

A ‘Super-Duper Soft’ Speedy Vuitton Bag by Pharrell—for Men

Before he launched his ready-to-wear vision for Louis Vuitton, Pharrell Williams unveiled something even more monumental: his take on the must-have bag. The big reveal was a campaign image starring a very pregnant Rihanna carrying a gaggle of Pharrell-ified Speedys, but the makeover wasn’t just on the surface. “If you notice, Speedys never collapse like this,” Williams explained in a Vogue video, standing next to a bag in repose, whose treated canvas he had replaced with a “super-duper soft” leather. “You gonna have to pay for it, though,” he added. Although it’s possible that the many It boys (and men) that have since been seen carrying the green version of the bag—Jackson Wang, LeBron James, and Jacob Elordi, among them—didn’t actually have to pay for it, the special croc-leather version that Pharrell has been spotted carrying around will cost you a cool mill.

Say Hello to Straight-Up Cotton Boxer Shorts

For Gen Z’ers who wanted to go pantless but couldn’t actually bring themselves to walk around in their skivvies, the men’s-cotton-boxer-short phenomenon was an unbeatable way to deal with this summer’s ungodly temperatures. It all began on (you guessed it) TikTok, where young women figured out that cotton boxers are simply cotton poplin shorts in a different context. And so account after account offered takes on how to style them and where to get the best pairs. Uniqlo’s ranked high, and so did the ones from Hommegirls—though if you wanted to go really luxe, you could pick up a pair from The Row or Bottega Veneta (the latter naturally made not from cotton but from leather).

A Pair of Maison Margiela Tabis (Please Do Not Steal)

While we’re in the TikTok universe, let’s talk about Tabis, the split-toe shoes by Maison Margiela that had been the ultimate marker of IYKYK fashion but recently crossed over into the mainstream. Earlier this year a young woman went viral on the app for detailing an online date that ended with a stolen pair of her beloved Tabis. Within days the culprit was found and the shoes were returned, but the best part of the ordeal was that our heroine got a shiny new pair of Tabi Mary Janes courtesy of Ssense. The online retailer is likely the other reason for the style’s full entry into the zeitgeist. It even recently put up giant billboards announcing, “Ssense: Where Your Pilates Instructor Gets Their Tabis.”

Frog Wellies Courtesy of Fashion’s Own Doctor Dolittle, Jonathan Anderson

Before You Leave the House, Take Off One Thing and Pick Up Britney Spears’s The Woman in Me

 

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