The Marie Claire Runway Report: Spring/Summer 2023

One month, four cities, 247 shows. During the Spring/Summer 2023 season, fashion week felt as if it had finally been restored to its former (pre-pandemic) glory. Between New York (opens in new tab), London (opens in new tab), Milan (opens in new tab) and Paris (opens in new tab) the runways were a veritable feast for the senses, complete with moments of magic—how exactly did that spray create a dress?—and theatrics a plenty (see Thom Browne sending Michaela Jaé Rodriguez down the runway in a pink Cadillac).

Between the emerging trends, fresh faces (opens in new tab) and the absolute must-see moments, Marie Claire’s runway report is here to bring you everything you need to know about the Spring/Summer 2023 fashion trends. Including how the season’s looks are set to translate into your IRL wardrobe. Keep scrolling as we recap the month that was. 

THE SPRING/SUMMER 2023 FASHION TRENDS

1. Coming Up Roses 

Quintessential ditsy floral prints (opens in new tab) have been eschewed this season in favour of bold, three-dimensional flowers. Physically blooming from tops, skirts and dresses, florals have become far more tactile than in seasons past, taking the form of appliques or fabric structures. Designers, including Loewe, Carolina Herrera and Roksanda have also played with proportions, supersizing rosettes and anthurium flowers to create statement silhouettes. In fact, Tagwalk (opens in new tab) estimates that around 270 looks were embellished with flowers throughout the Spring/Summer 2023 season. It seems that everything is coming up roses, literally. 

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2. Sheer Layering 

It was the season of see-through, as sheer and transparent looks appeared all over the Spring/Summer 2023 runways. According to TagWalk, an estimated 77% of designers included transparent looks in their collections, further solidifying the trend’s prominence. Going hand-in-hand with the sheer trend, we have also witnessed a rise in VPL this season. Designers styled see-through skirts and dresses alongside visible underwear and branded bras. Molly Goodard displayed transparent tulle dresses over stripped sets, while Miu Miu continued its campaign for co-ords showcasing sheer separates worn alongside logo-emblazoned underwear. 

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3. Not Your Grandma’s nighties

Sleepwear is no longer just for sleeping. This season designers have taken inspiration from women’s nighties and negligees in the creation of their ready-to-wear collections. At Christopher Kane, JW Anderson and Burberry, lace was used to trim the hems of slinky silk dresses and skirts. While Prada debuted sheer dresses with lace insets around the neckline. (Some noted these looked akin to the sleepwear worn by Mia Farrow in Rosemary’s Baby.)  Further adding to the sleepwear trend, Tagwalk reports that 59% of designers included lingerie of some description in their collections. 

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4. Sunset Shades

Dreaming of a summer holiday? Us too. Evidently, designers are no different as, this season, sunset shades reminiscent of the ombre skies you’d see on a beach vacation were all over the runway. Catwalks were awash with a palette that harmoniously fused reds, yellows and oranges, evoking a sense to calm and relaxation. The trend predominantly took off in Milan, with designers including Ferragamo, Etro and GCDS embracing ombre shades. In Paris, brand-on-the-rise Courrèges showed a sunset shade knit midi dress and crop top. 

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5. Off By Heart

Between the runway show turned theatrical Cinderalla story presented at Thom Browne and the myriad of hearts seen across the runways, one thing is for sure: love was in the air this fashion month. The Spring/Summer 2023 runways saw brands including Paul & Joe, Victoria Beckham and Acne Studios go all in on the romantic motif, with heart symbols appearing as prints or being sewn into the silhouettes of dresses. Nensi Dojaka took the trend one step further, featuring hollow heart-shaped cut-outs on dresses, bra tops and on the waistband of trousers. 

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6. Hooded Dresses

Interestingly, we have already seen this trend translated into real life as celebrities including Olivia Wilde, Bella Hadid and Michaela Coel have been spotted on the red carpet wearing hooded dresses (opens in new tab) since they appeared on the Spring/Summer 2023 runways. Reminiscent of the looks once seen on icon Grace Jones, dramatic hooded dresses were included in the collections of Versace, Alberta Ferretti and Philosophy Di Lorenzo Serafini. However, it was certainly Saint Laurent that leaned into this silhouette most prominently, as almost half of the looks in its entire S/S23 collection included a hood. 

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7. Done Up Denim 

Over half of all designers featured denim in their collection this season, which was a 64% increase from the Spring/Summer collections last year. But don’t be fooled, the fabric has evolved far beyond just your humble pair of jeans. This season we’ve seen denim utilised in the creation of dresses, gowns and co-ord sets. Emerging designer Masha Popova showed bleached denim mini dresses and full-length maxi skirts, while Burberry layered denim pieces together to create full indigo looks. Givenchy embossed denim with the brand’s signature logo and Bluemarine embellished the fabric with studs. 

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8. Fancy Fringe 

While it may once have been associated with the flapper era of the 1920s, this season fringe is shedding all of its previous (at times costumey) connotations. Utilised in the creation of dresses, gowns and separates, fringe has taken on a decidedly more elevated feel for Spring/Summer 2023. At Jil Sander, voluminous metallic fringe skirts created statement silhouettes, while Victoria Beckham added fringe to mini dresses. Proenza Schouler had sparkling fringe swaying from the neckline of crop tops, and Jonathan Simkhai used the detail on the hemline of embellished dresses. 

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THE SHOWSTOPPER

It was the finale that launched a thousand Instagram posts. Bella Hadid poised, standing statuesque inside the Salle des Textiles at Paris's Musée des Arts et Métiers. The moment was seen the world over, as the model had a dress spray painted onto her body before the audience’s eyes. And my, did it make an impact! Karlo Otto (opens in new tab) predicts that the earned media value of the show was approximately $27.7M USD, sighting that globally, Coperni boasted the highest engagement of any show this season. 

THE FACES

There were many models that made their mark this season, but no one had higher step counts than the ones above. Walking in the most shows in total across New York, London, Milan and Paris, let us introduce you to the faces you need to know. 

1. América González | 36 shows walked. Notable brands include Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Versace and more.
2. Sherry Shi | 35 shows walked. Notable shows include Acne Studios, Alexander McQueen, Erdem, Simone Rocha and Max Mara.
3. Rachel Marx | 33 shows walked. Notable shows include Micheal Kors, Stella McCartney, Givenchy and Lanvin.
4. Sacha Quenby | 33 shows walked. Notable shows include Stella McCartney, Victoria Beckham, Coperni, Louis Vuitton and Raf Simons.
5. Alaato Jazyper | 31 shows walked. Notable shows include: Givenchy, Valentino, Alexander McQueen, Chanel, Sacai
6. Mika Schneider | 29 shows walked. Notable shows include: Tom Ford, Givenchy, Hermes, Chloe, Dior, Courreges
7. Yilan Hua | 29 shows walked. Notable shows include: Stella McCartney, Fendi, Giambattista Valli, Balmain, Jil Sander, Versace
8. He Cong | 28 shows walked. Notable shows include Miu Miu, Chanel, Coperni, Victoria Beckham and Tom Ford.

THE ACCESSORIES

THE SHOE: Loewe’s accessories always make a splash but no shoe appeared on our newsfeeds this season quite as prominently as Loewe’s deflated balloon pumps. The antithesis of last season’s inflated balloon heels, these shoes are certainly set to make a statement.

THE BAG: When it comes to handbags, no one does it quite like Miuccia Prada. The Supernova handbag (opens in new tab) debuted as a part of the brand’s A/W22 catwalk and has since been seen on the likes of Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. Evidently, for S/S23, its reign is set to continue. 

THE SUNGLASSES: The models on the Saint Laurent runway this season oozed a sense of understated cool. We suspect it had something to do with the fact that most of them were wearing wire-framed, dark sunglasses (despite the show taking place at night). Perfectly styled alongside chunky earrings and hooded dresses, there was no denying the aesthetic worked for all the right reasons. 

THE FAVOURITES

LOUIS VUITTON:  From the star-studded crowd to the larger-than-life accessories and constructed installation, Ghesquière's signature creativity really shone through in this unique display.

GUCCI: Seeing double. Alessandro Michele managed to track down 68 sets of twins for Gucci's Milan fashion week show and dressed them all in identical outfits. In an ode to his mum, the show not only highlighted his insatiable attention to detail but also his creativity.

NENSI DOJAKA: Lace touches, sheer panels, and strategically placed cutouts, everything about the collection evoked Nensi Dojaka’s signature sense of understated allure. The pièce de résistance? Emily Ratajkowski dressed in a burgundy floor-length gown, emerging from backstage to close the show. Absolute perfection!

MOLLY GODDARD: The tulle. The music. The neon. The energy. The MENSWEAR! Goddard’s vision for SS23 was one of the best moments this season.