We started 2024 with the micro trend mob wife, then moved through the Brat summer and now we’re knee deep in Christmas sparkle, writes Mrs Stylewright
We’ve seen in a new government, lived through Swiftie and her Eras tour, we’ve watched the futuristic second instalment of Dune, the fantasy of Wicked, cheered and cried at the Euros and the Olympics, revelled in the 80’s and 90’s fashions in TV’s One Day and Rivals, and we’ve soaked up all the social media gossip.
Michelle Wright is Mrs Stylewright
We don’t realise it while we’re living it, but what surrounds us will influence what we wear on a daily basis. You may not have gone all out for fur coat and dark glasses mob wife, but did you buy some leopard print this year? Perhaps you didn’t see Swifty live, but maybe you bought some western style boots? I know the fashions of my youth have come back around after I took my 18-year-old daughter shopping in Urban Outfitters – it was like stepping into my 90’s wardrobe!
So even though trends start on the catwalk with, mostly unwearable outfits, it then filters through to high street shops with diluted versions that can be worn every day. Trends are dictated by what’s around us – what we watch and participate in. This then transcends onto the street, and that street will vary depending on where you live – trends will be worn differently in a town compared to a city, or the north or south of the country.
Michelle Wright is Mrs Stylewright
So, what have you been wearing this year? If I’m completely honest, I gave up being a slave to trends a little while ago and instead prefer to wear what I love. However, it is very difficult to avoid trends as they are all around us, and often we can’t find certain items we like such as a longer line jacket because crop is what’s in fashion right now. Frustrating huh?! And we all like to be up to date, and trends help us to do that. I choose to invest my time into finding items that suit my personal style and add the fun and trendy stuff in if I like it. And I did quite like the Mob Wife trend, because if you know me, you’ll know that leopard print has been a neutral in my wardrobe for many years, and a red lip is my go-to on a rare night out, so it wasn’t hard for me to lean into this trend.
However, I struggle with heels these days and fur coats aren’t really my thing, but that’s the joy of fashion – you can pick and choose the stuff you like, you don’t have to do it all just because everyone else is because, here’s news…they’re not! Media will have us believe that you must have the latest style, model, colour etc. For example, we’ve been told that skinny jeans are very much out of fashion, and fashion is, according to Oxford Languages, “a popular or latest style of clothing…” and I still see a lot of people wearing them so that suggests that they are still fashionable, right?!
The mob wife trend. Photo: istock
I didn’t really go for the brat girl summer, I left that to my children and if I’m honest, I’m also a woman of a certain age where breathable fabrics are required in warm weather, so I’m much better suited to boho chic where I can wear loose fitting cotton and linen and wander around in flip flops rather than knee high boots! However, I’m really enjoying this winter style wise. I love the colour palette of burgundy, chocolate brown, blush pinks and red – I love red! I’ve also got a lot of the other colours already in my wardrobe, so I felt like my clothes are already up to date without spending lots of money.
Colour is a brilliant way of keeping up with trends without being ‘trendy’ and you can add pops of colour through a bag, scarf, jewellery etc so it doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. And now we’re deep into the festive season which means full-on colour and sparkle – and you can bring the same sparkle every year because sparkly trends never change! And also, if you want to your style to be totally sustainable avoid sparkles all together because you don’t have to sparkle to shine! At this time of year I love velvet and satin and indulging in wintery jewel colours such as sapphire blue, ruby red and emerald green.
Skinny jeans. Photo: istock
And what can we expect for 2025? The pantone colour of the year is chosen to evoke colour enthusiasm amongst the design community and this year it is Mocha Mousse, which is a mix of creamy coffee and milk chocolate. It was selected to reflect a desire for comfort, indulgence, and shared joy, and to remind us of how glamorous brown can be, so we can expect this winter’s brown trend to continue.
Other trends set to be strong in 2025 are oversize bags, statement shoes and following on from this year, probably due to the hit tv show Daisy Jones and the Six, is boho chic. I would expect to see checks and tweed in stores after The Traitors in January, and my own personal prediction after seeing Wicked last night is stripes, statement shoulders and nipped in waists. You heard it here first!
Whatever you’re wearing this year or next, do it with confidence and joy, and remember – what other people think is none of your business!
A very stylish new year to you all!