The Future of Fashion Is Extravagant

One of the best things about working in fashion (or adjacent to it at least) is getting to live in the future. When the present feels stressful or downright dystopian, biannual Fashion Weeks provide a glimpse into another time, six months down the road. Sure, the seasonal calendar can make these runway shows feel out-of-touch with the here and now, but taken another way, it’s an opportunity to disconnect from all that and imagine the fantastical what-if. 

What if, come spring, you have a different job and need a whole new wardrobe — would you be the office fashion plate and wear polka-dots and capes and big bows? Carolina Herrera and Thom Browne have voted a resounding yes. Would you welcome the return of beige presaged by Valentino and Batsheva? What if two robot arms raised out of the floor and painted a dress directly onto your body, and also what if you were Bella Hadid? 

As we scanned the runways of New York, London, Milan and Paris, the through line became clear: In Spring there will be fun. Clothing is going to be loud and our lifestyles more exciting to match. September’s sparkling optimism can wear off too soon, and the Fashion Week calendar lets us hold onto warmth a bit longer. The sun has barely gone down and we can imagine it coming back up. It looks like purple sequin bloomers at LaQuan Smith. It looks like bags big enough to get outta dodge for a few days, seen at Balmain and Louis Vuitton (the latter with a bedazzled handcuff handle). Even our jeans will be decked out with gemstones and splatter paint in Spring 2023.

Below, as we dive into the Future of Fashion, see everything Senior Fashion Editor Sam Sutton packed for her week in Paris, exactly how stylists plan to wear the biggest trends next season, and more inspiration for living — and dressing — to the absolute fullest.