In a recent Guardian article, journalist Jess Cartner-Morley details the societal and cultural shift we’ve experienced over the last 12 months in moving away from cold hard facts and embracing more of a “vibes-based” approach. It’s a transition that can also be traced across the fashion sphere, seen in the many “cores” that have emerged on social media – from mob wife and quiet luxury to gorpcore – which some see as a supercharging of the trend cycle, while others regard as an opportunity to be less prescriptive, and more interpretive, in our approach to fashion. “A vibe has a mystique that a trend does not, because it is more than just visual,” Cartner-Morley explains.
I would say that my attitude to TikTok’s many viral aesthetics aligns more with the latter approach – after all, you could argue that these new-gen “vibe” videos are merely a digitised version of old-school scrapbooks and mood boards. So it’s with this mindset that I’ve approached 2025’s dress trends, or, should I say, vibes.
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Indeed, there was no shortage of dress inspiration on the new-season runways, which saw an eclectic mix of moods emerge, all of which can be iterated on and adapted to suit your personal style (and the pieces already sitting in your wardrobe). For 2025, we traversed timelines: from the sculptural dresses at Tod’s and Ottolinger, which recalled the draping on Renaissance sculptures, to the Noughties Bend It Like Beckham styles that hit the runways at GCDS and Sia Arnika (top tip: if you don’t want to invest in a new piece, you could hunt down an oversized vintage track jacket to recreate this look).
Then there were the polarised style personalities that emerged on the spring/summer 2025 runways. On the one hand you had the billowing skirts and It-girl blowouts of 2024’s boho revival that have been adapted for a new year via moodier floral prints and gothic undertones – make Valentino and Saint Laurent your runway reference points and Florence Welch your muse. Then along came the GI Janes, whose utilitarian spirit manifested in big-pocketed minis at Christian Wijnants and sand-toned, unadorned midis at Lauren Manoogian. And that’s not to mention the face-off between the Westwood-inspired punk plaid prints of The Row (RIP quiet luxury) and the regal, Regency-era puffballs as seen at Erdem. But then again, maybe therein lies the beauty of the “vibe”: it doesn’t have to be either/or, rather we can embrace the joy of mixing-and-matching and create stylistic hybrids from the most unlikely of pairings. Remember: your vibe is the right vibe.
So whatever mood you’re feeling for the season ahead, see our round-up of the dress trends to look out for in 2025.
The Bend It Like Beckham sporty styles
Renaissance draping
Dark bohemia
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GI Jane utility
Fantasy tulle layers
Punkish plaid prints
Regency flair
