Milan witnessed a big change, too. Ross Chastain For The Farmers Trackhouse Racing Team Collection Black Busch Light Car T-shirt Gucci’s new creative director Sabato De Sarno held positions at Prada, Dolce & Gabbana and Valentino before taking on this role, which catapulted him and his first collection for the brand into the spotlight last September. Buyers, editors and celebrities descended upon the Italian city to take in the spectacle—ask any fashion devotee without a ticket and they would likely have told you they’d give away their Birkin to have a front-row seat at this show. There’s no denying that De Sarno’s predecessor Alessandro Michele kept Gucci on the fashion map with his geek-chic sensibilities; an aesthetic that would define a moment in fashion history. Still, moments pass, and we saw De Sarno usher Gucci into a new era, one that places more value on essentials over eccentricities—a notion we’re seeing across the rest of the industry. A business built upon the customer’s desire to be seen in shiny new things will always have its issues. However, the thing that felt “new” this season was that some things just didn’t change at all. Perhaps the most noteworthy takeaway was that trends don’t seem to hold the same power that they used to. I’m generalising, of course—things get meta real fast if you so much as take a peek into the no-trends-actually-being-a-trend rabbit hole—but it feels as if creating trends for the sake of it could be a thing of the past. “The spring/summer 2024 collections have shown a continued commitment to 1990s nostalgia and the extraordinary everyday, where everyday items are elevated to exceptional levels of design and style whilst remaining chic and comfortable,” observes Net-a-Porter’s market director Libby Page. And she’s right. The market has experienced a shift of tectonic proportions in recent years where a genuine focus on quality over quantity and investing in things that last has become a priority for previously frivolous shoppers. The latest collections reflected this.

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When temperatures rise and faux fur is removed from the agenda, Ross Chastain For The Farmers Trackhouse Racing Team Collection Black Busch Light Car T-shirt designers look for new ways to add texture to their collections—pieces with movement that bring the runway to life. And this season, fringe proved to be the order of the day. Taller Marmo’s creations have become beloved by fashion people in recent years, and now it seems everyone else wants a slice of the action, too. “Fringe is often used to bring an element of fun texture to an otherwise basic outfit, which might explain why it was everywhere this past party season,” says Annie Wheatland-Clinch, assistant social media editor at Who What Wear UK. “Still, as much as a tasseled treasure can feel like a special touch, it can quickly veer into generic after the first few wears. This is why this season’s array of contemporary interpretations is a welcome refresh—from bright colours and metallics to playful plastics and ropes, pieces from Jil Sander and Celine give us hope that this novelty trend has staying power, at least for another season or two.”