Spring fashion 2024: from designer denim to white dresses, here are the key trends

If you are in the mood for a wardrobe refresh or want to know what is new for spring, keep reading as we delve into the trends emerging for the season ahead. From designer denim to roses to white dresses, these are the pieces designers have decided you need for spring 2024.

Continuing the quiet luxury and pared-back aesthetic prevalent in the last few seasons, designers presented elevated wardrobe heroes.

Carefully crafted classics, like the oversized knit at Loewe or exaggerated sleeve shirt at Coperni, were given a high-end twist, proving basics do not need to be boring. Denim, the most wearable and customary fabric, got an eminent makeover reworked with pleats and double waistbands, and smarted up as suiting. Straight-leg cuts are still favoured over skinny, as seen at Tove, Proenza Schouler, and Gucci.

If there is a decade still desired by designers, it is the 1990s. Forget the blingtastic Y2K of last year; instead, it is more of a 90s redux with stylish highlights from the decade trending. Think of a soft, wearable palette in muted tones, tailoring and clean-cut silhouettes.

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Retro footwear takes a step into spring, with ballet flats up 193 per cent on last year, according to fashion search engine Tagwalk. Slingbacks and Mary-Janes are a close second.

But, as always in fashion, there are contrasts and contradictions; maximalists rejoiced as statement trends of metallics, colour and prints returned to the runway. The pattern, to be precise, was florals, shown in both the traditional style and a more directional format.

Roses were the bloom of choice for designers Richard Quinn and Alexander McQueen, with Simone Rocha opting for 3D floral embellishment. It is slightly off-season when you have just stored your sequins from the festive period, but metallics appeared glowing at Alexander McQueen, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton. Prada even did metallic fringing in the shape of embellished belts slung around slouchy blazers, upping the ante of the classic staple.

Fiery red, the dominant shade of the winter catwalks, is still present but has been tempered slightly to deep oxblood at Gucci, Tom Ford, and Hermés. If you would prefer to infuse a lighter shade to match the season, sky blue, powder pink and mint featured heavily on the runways. If bold colours are more your thing, primary-hued palettes like cobalt and bottle green were seen at Emilia Wickstead, Acne Studios, and Burberry.

White, particularly dresses, were seen at Alberta Ferretti, Bottega Veneta and Chloé, to name a few. Styles varied from bridal-esque to boho, frothy to fringing, shirt dresses to sultry minis, making it clear that there is one item to invest in this season: the LWD (the little or long white dress). Other shades of pale and muted tones, including cream, caramel, butter, latte, and slate, emerged at Ferragamo, Versace, and Tory Burch.

Dresses are far from dead, as witnessed by the love affair with the white number, and there is always room for a done-in-one style that solves the problem of getting dressed quickly. But a portion of designers decidedly focused on separates for spring. Loose, wide-leg trousers were seen on the catwalks at JW Anderson, Saint Laurent and Dior. Style them as you would your denim, teaming the comfortable trews with everything from crisp, shirting blazers to T-shirts. Boss, Givenchy, and Ferragamo paired sleek maxi skirts with diaphanous blouses for a chic take on skirt styling.

Teeny-tiny short shorts and sheer skirts are more daring trends. But it is not just the catwalk that decides what is hot; social media platform TikTok is firing out micro trends, like Mob Wife style or Italian glamour with cinematic references to Scarface and Goodfellas. The antithesis of minimalism, it features heavy doses of leopard print, leather and dripping diamonds.