After a summer of capris and 2010s call-backs, the fall runways have taken a step back in time to an even bolder decade. Whilst the 1980s influences aren’t immediately obvious, the return of midi-length skirts, faux fur, high necklines, and tasteful lace are putting a modern spin on the disco decade.
The pencil skirt
Tight-fitting skirts falling just above the knee feature on a range of models this season, from Antoine Flament for Saint Laurent to the Fendi Ready To Wear collection. This silhouette contributed to the “renaissance in power dressing” that Eggenberger noted this fall, with wide-shouldered duster coats and mid-calf dress trousers featuring alongside corporate chic pencil skirts. In a style that combines the aesthetics of the frazzled English woman trend and the eighties love of asymmetrical profiles, this autumn promises to play with shapes the haughty English way.
Lacy and sheer
See-through blouses and lacy maxi-length slips were bringing back bohemian on the runway, striking a balance between Kate Bush vinyls and flowy vampiric chic. Fashion houses like Maison Margiela showcased a range of NSFW chiffon shirts, whilst Cecille Bahnsen embraced fully nude nightdresses in allusion to eighties Victorian-gothic subcultures. Paired with slouchy bags and increasingly formal footwear, timeless lacy accents are back in circulation.
Animal Influences
One of the hardest trends to miss this year, animal prints like leopard and zebra are still going strong in A/W 25 collections. Eggenberger calls this “modern menagerie” a more refined, Jackie Kennedy-esque take on the noughties animal craze, with bolder, furrier pieces. In particular, the faux fur coat on runways like Balmain and Zimmerman offered an ethical answer to eighties mink nostalgia. Jungle style continues to be the way to announce your individuality in 2025.
In the face of a microtrend polka dot summer, this harvest season is shamelessly leaning into moodier, more classic looks from corporate to coffee shop fashion. Bold but ageless, we can’t wait to see how autumn 2025’s fashion will evolve.