Fashion in 2024 felt like a fever dream — and not just because The Devil Wears Prada sequel was announced. From Alessandro Michele's grand debut at Valentino to Dries Van Noten’s heartfelt farewell to his House, it was a year of comings and goings (and gasps of disbelief).
Bella Hadid stormed back onto the runway at Saint Laurent after her two-year hiatus, while Alex Consani became the model to watch both on runways and phone screens. Bag charms became status symbols, Mocha Mousse reigned as fashion's new neutral, and Loewe’s tomato clutch went from meme to must-have. Method dressing has become an essential part of film premieres, and let’s not forget the surprise frow appearances that made jaws drop.
Below we round up 17 of the standout fashion moments and trends from the year that was 2024...
1. Fashion's Great Reshuffle
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There were simply too many to list separately, but 2024 saw so many Creative Directors swap seats it was ubiquitously termed 'the changing of the guards'. From Virginie Viard's exit from CHANEL (now confirmed to be succeeded by Bottega Veneta's Matthieu Blazy), to John Galliano's farewell to Margiela – there aren't many luxury Houses untouched by movement this year. We're excited to see the creativity and innovation this brings to 2025's seasonal collections...
2. Zendaya in archival Mugler
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Not only the greatest archival fashion pull of 2024, but perhaps of recent memory, was Zendaya's Dune: Part 2 premiere look in London, where she donned a vintage Mugler “Gynoid” suit. The fembot look was sourced from Thierry Mugler's Fall 1995 couture collection. Everybody say thank you Law!
3. The return of the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show
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Love it or hate it, the return of the VSFS this year marked a moment in the industry's calendar. While the revent certainly didn't herald the kind of over-the-top fanfare of runways past, it did get people talking (us included) about what place the VS 'fantasy' has in the fashion landscape of 2024...
4. The rise and rise of Alex Consani
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The trajectory of model Alex Consani in 2024 should be studied, because we haven't seen a model garner this level of cult status since Cara Delevingne in the 2010s. Consani (newly dubbed Model of the Year at the British Fashion Council awards) is the 20-year-old TikTok darling serving Y2K chaos, fronting magazine covers and campaigns for Jacquemus and Marc Jacobs, and strutting down runways for the likes of Mugler, Victoria's Secret, Jean Paul Gaultier.
5. Microshorts return
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Charli XCX painted the town brat green in 2024, but she also popularised some fashion choices we haven't seen on the racks for a while (at least outside of athleisure). The microshort (the skimpier cousin of the boxer short trend) has made its return – and there are plenty of brands following suit, from Miu Miu to Gucci.
6. The Devil Wears Prada announces sequel
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Sure you could count this as film news and not fashion news. But I'm choosing to count it as both. For many in the industry, The Devil Wears Prada was a formative film in forging our passion for fashion, and the announcement of a sequel with many of the original cast members – including Miss Streep – is momentous.
7. Christopher Esber wins the ANDAM
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Sydney-based womenswear designer Christopher Esber took home the Grand Prize at the 2024 ANDAM Fashion Awards in Paris mid-year. In doing so, Esber joined a pantheon of notable past winners like Martin Margiela, Viktor & Rolf, Iris Van Herpen and Saint Laurent's Anthony Vaccarello (whom he will be mentored by over the next year).
8. Alessandra Michele's debut at Valentino
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One of the year's most anticipated debuts was that of Alessandro Michele at Maison Valentino. “Beauty recalls what Martin Heidegger calls alètheia (ἀλήθεια) namely an unveiling, a revelation," Michele said in his show notes. "In its astounding irruption, it sets the chest on fire and stirs the ground.”
9. Bag charms
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In 2024, bag charms have been cemented as playful status symbols, tapping into the cult of personality that once made Jane Birkin's basket a cultural touchstone. Now reimagined by brands like Miu Miu and Coach, they're coming crystal-studded, woven in leather or even as miniatures of your purse, strapped to their handle.
10. Margiela's internet-breaking Spring 24 couture show
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There isn't a runway show that has burrowed into our collective memory quite like Maison Margiela's Spring 24 show back in January. With porcelain doll-like beauty courtesy of Pat McGrath (that was recreated just about everywhere), and a lineup of models that included Anok Yai, Leon Dame and the one and only Gwendolyn Christie, it was the kind of fashion collection we'll be referencing for decades to come.
11. Film meets fashion with the 'I TOLD YA' tee
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Jonathon Anderson's ongoing partnership with filmmaker Luca Guadagnino saw him costume the cast of tennis love-triangle film Challengers. Anderson's choice to put characters in a bold-type 'I TOLD YA' slogan tee – a recreation of one John F. Kennedy Jr. donned back in the 90s – turned into a moment entirely of its own. And you can still purchase your own on the LOEWE website now.
12. The Met Gala
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This year's Met Gala carpet embraced the exhibition's theme Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion with a dress code inspired by The Garden of Time. Co-chair Zendaya stole the show though, walking the ivory and green carpet not once, but twice – first in Maison Margiela Artisanal by John Galliano, and again in a surrealist Dior Spring 1999 dress (also from Galliano).
13. LOEWE's meme-to-reality tomato clutch
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Speaking of Jonathon Anderson, we simply adored the tongue-in-cheek nature of his tomato clutch, created in response to a viral Tweet about how 'LOEWE' an heirloom tomato was.
14. Bella Hadid's return to the catwalk
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Miss Bella Hadid made a triumphant return to the runway in September, storming Saint Laurent’s SS25 show beneath the Eiffel Tower in 80s power suits, slick leathers, and oversized frames — a comeback as sharp as the lapels she wore, fresh from a two-year hiatus spent with cowboy beau Adan Banuelos and a surprise Yellowstone cameo.
15. Beyoncé attending the Luar show
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There were plenty of shock celebrity appearance in the frow this year, but it was Beyoncé’s surprise appearance at Luar — flanked by Solange, Tina, and the show's unexpected star, Julez Smith Jr. — that sent shockwaves through New York Fashion Week, cementing Luar as the season’s most talked-about moment.
16. Dries Van Noten retires
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After nearly 40 years at the helm, Dries Van Noten bid a poignant farewell to his eponymous brand, leaving behind a storied legacy. Who could overlook Amanda Murray's tender "Papa Dries" tribute to the 800-strong crowd of designers and devotees at his final show?
17. Year of Mocha Mousse
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2024's new neutral has been none other than a deep, chocolate brown hue – cemented by Pantone's colour of the year select: Mocha Mousse. Whether it was the brown suede bag trend, or even a brown mascara, there's simply no escaping its reach.
