Fashion is an ever-evolving business and that means it is always on the lookout for fresh sources of inspiration. One of those sources right now is what people at the cutting edge of style are modeling on the streets of the big cities.
Known as ‘streetwear’, this usually involves bold stylistic choices and contrasts but the individual items are often quite affordable. That is because the best streetwear is found in grittier urban settings before being embraced by the industry.
Here are some of the current and future trends in streetwear.
Sheer Daring
One of the things that define street style is its daring and this year is seeing a trend towards risqué sheer skirts. These have already made it from the streets to the Paris fashion shows courtesy of star models like Alexa Chung.
The look will usually combine the see-through skirt with floral lingerie, a dark full-length winter coat and high heeled shoes.
Sports Style
Among the biggest street fashion trends for men at the start of this year is still sportswear. This owes its popularity to the ‘blokecore’ street subculture and centers on sneakers.
Designers like Wales Bonner and Martine Rose are embracing it with new shoes that pay homage to classic sneakers, while A$AP Rocky is taking things a step further into ‘bikercore’ with his PUMA sneakers. They can be combined with t-shirts boasting bright graffiti-art inspired designs that are balanced by a pair of classic black jeans in Florence Black or Shake Black stacked flare style.
Polka Dots
Polka dots have been a feature on the streets for some time and are now making it into fashion collections. The twist is the limited color scheme of red, black and white though.
For women, that means light red tops with darker red dots, worn with black skirts and black and white polka dot shoes. For men, it means red and black polka dot oversized trousers and jackets over red shirts.
These outfits made the move from the streets to the catwalks late last year and are in the big collections being released this spring. They are popular due to the bold color blocking and essentially unisex nature of many of them – another key feature of street style at a time when gender fluidity is everything.
Bomber Jackets
Bomber jackets are widely tipped to be the hottest choice when it comes to coats this year. They have had the all-important seal of approval from numerous celebrity trend setters, which suggests that they will take over from motorcycle jackets.
A-list models like Emily Ratajkowski and Hailey Bieber have been seen wearing them. The Supreme and Acne Studios jackets will be among the must have ones for fashion conscious women on the streets throughout the rest of this year.
The Future of Street Style
Those are just some of the looks that will be hot on the streets this year, but street style is an area of fashion that moves faster than any other. Celebrity endorsements are a sure indicator that a particular style choice is ready to hit the mainstream, but to see what will be coming in the future you have to look to social media.
Increasingly it is TikTok rather than Instagram that is driving the street style conversation though. Its huge and youthful base of users and quick video format make it ideal to create a splash with unusual and exciting street clothing combinations that can reach wide audiences in a matter of seconds.
It was TikTok that people needed to be using to identify the revival of noughties style choices last year and the platform remains the go-to one. Street style brands have picked up on that and are focusing much of their marketing on TikTok. They are offering limited-edition items and discounts and gradually dominating the platform.
No one knows where streetwear will go next but TikTok is the place to find out.
Images from Paris Fashion Week Street Style SS24 by Josh Upton – see full story here.
