Summer 2023 is fast approaching, despite the weather suggesting otherwise, so we’re highlighting the key trends of the season, to help you curate your summer outfits.
We’re looking at the colour trends of spring/summer 2023, and breaking down the Pantone colours of the season. We're also identifying trends from the runway and how to easily incorporate them into your style.
Summer 2023 Colour Trends
Pantone, pretty much the authority on all things colour, have published their fifteen colour trends for summer 2023. The colours of summer 2023 are a mixture of neutral and earthy tones, and bright, vibrant colours.
(Image Courtesy of Pantone via fashiontrendsetter.com)
Five of Pantone’s colours seem typically ‘spring’. They include a light sky blue (aptly named, ‘skylight’), a couple of earthy browns and greens, and a very pale pink and lilac, almost lavender. These colours were epitomised by the Valentino spring/summer 23’ show at Paris Fashion week, as pictured.
(Image courtesy of Valentino)
These colour trends are not new for the Summer 2023 season. We have seen browns, neutrals and pastel tones becoming more prominent over the last few years, especially as 1970's fashion trends have come back into style.
But of course, let’s not forget the ten other shades in Pantone’s predicted colour palette for summer 2023 outfits. These colours are all about sparking bright and vibrant joy!
Four out of the ten are fiery hues: bright yellow, the most ‘orange’ orange, ‘beetroot purple’ and a red, which is quite literally called, ‘fiery red’. It’s also worth noting the two blues and greens included in the collection. These colours can’t help but make you feel happy; perhaps they come as an antidote to the recent years of lockdown, which felt decidedly grey.
The spring/summer 2023 collections have not shied away from this side of the Pantone colour palette either. Pictured here is a fully beetroot Ralph Lauren runway outfit, and a Fendi look, which opts for lime green accessories instead.
(Left: Image courtesy of Ralph Lauren via The Hollywood reporter)
(Right: Image courtesy of Fendi via Vogue)
What are the Spring Summer Trends 2023?
Now for summer trends 2023. We have taken inspiration from the biggest runway names, including Valentino, Prada and Loewe, to break down the key trends for spring/summer 2023. We recommend keeping it casual this season, lots of denim, and easy breazy looks.
Keeping Your Summer Outfits Casual
Perhaps the most casual and easy of the trends on this list, and a huge style staple for summer 2023, is casual summer outfits. Think: frayed hems, chequered shirts, baggy jeans, cargo pants, sneakers, a white tank.
We have taken our inspiration here from Bottega Veneta. Their spring/summer shows were full of layered shirts and vests and oversized jeans. This is also a super easy one to recreate with what you already have, and when the summer weather isn’t quite ‘giving summer’ in London, it's the perfect time.
(Image courtesy of Bottega Veneta via Vogue)
Nightwear
Lots of designers are embracing, ‘I literally just got out of bed’ chic, for this summer. Victoria Beckham got there first, as usual, with the dress she wore to son Brooklyn’s wedding to Nicola Peltz last summer. But lots of designers are catching on, with silk and lace detail being seen everywhere.
This trend can be taken as far as you like; subtly incorporate small lace details to parts of your outfit, or embrace the lingerie vibe with a full silk slip and heels. A corset is another direction to take this trend- another style of top which is everywhere at the moment and great for the warmer months.
(Image courtesy of Vogue)
Denim Outfits
Another easy one for summer 2023 outfits! Denim is back in a big way, but with a 90s/noughties twist.
The first major point to note about denim this season is low waists. But don’t panic! Remember, use what you already have- that might be a pair of jeans that sits lower on your waist because they are too big. Try things on in your wardrobe that you haven’t worn in a while, you might be surprised what has come back around.
The second major trend when it comes to denim this season, is midi and maxi denim skirts. This is more difficult to improvise, but you never know what you kept lying around. The midi and maxi skirts in general are big for summer 2023 fashion, so don’t go rushing to buy anything just because you haven’t got a denim piece in your wardrobe already.
There are also whispers of a skinny jean revival. We have compiled our thoughts on this already. But what is certain, is that skinny trousers, at least, are definitely back. As seen in the Prada Spring/Summer 2023 collection.
And remember, jeans aren't just for winter. Add a pair of sandals or flip-flops with a crop top and sunglasses to a wide leg jean, and you've got an outfit perfect for warm weather.
Basics
Perhaps not necessarily a summer 2023 trend, because basics are a classic. But jeans, a button down linen shirt or a tee and ballet flats, are certainly a popular style for spring/summer 2023.
Asymmetric Styles
An easy one to grasp- wonky designs are a big trend for summer 2023. This works well with the laid back style which is everywhere this season.
Loewe embraced the asymmetric hemlines this Spring/Summer at Paris Fashion week. And these hemlines are often seen on a maxi dress which are shorter at the front and longer at the back. Below, we share our tips on easy ways to recreate this trend, without buying anything new.
(Image courtesy of Loewe via Vogue Runway)
How to Wear the 2023 Summer Trends:
It’s difficult to take the trends from the runway and implement them in our own outfits and style, especially when trends are changing every season and most of us have limited space and money! But, we can work with what we have already in our wardrobes, and play around with different styling ideas to incorporate our favourite trends from each season.
Here are some tips to help you get it right.
1. Pick and choose your trends:
We don’t need to replicate every trend for each season. Pick the trends that work for you, your body shape, and what you already own.
For example, you might want to grab those skinny jeans from the back of the wardrobe that you never got around to throwing out, and see if they might work a bit better now!
Ultimately, classic items in your wardrobe are what you need to hold on to. A linen blazer or a good pair of boots with never go out of style. So focus on long lasting pieces rather than passing trends.
2. Take inspiration:
If you are looking to replicate a certain style, remember that your outfit doesn’t need to be identical.
Maybe it is the colour you particularly love. If so, look for items in your summer wardrobe in that shade. Or perhaps you love the silhouette of a certain dress or pair of trousers- but remember it doesn’t matter if your corresponding items aren’t in the same colour. Pick aspects of outfits to inspire your own.
3. Easy Trends:
There are some particularly easy trends from this season to incorporate into your summer 2023 outfits.
Take the nightwear trend, for example. You don’t need to buy a brand new silk slip dress in order to wear this trend. Look in your actual pyjama drawer for pieces that could be dressed up for out of the house. Maybe you have a lace slip that could be tucked into a pair of jeans that might work perfectly for evening drinks.
The asymmetric trend is also simple- even if you don’t own anything with an asymmetric hem! Tuck one side of a shirt into your jeans, allowing the other side to hang lower. It’s helpful if the final few buttons at the bottom of your shirt are undone.
Equally, borrowing a partner’s oversized shirt would work perfectly to emulate the edgier and more casual styles we are seeing this summer 2023 season. Layer your shirt over a t-shirt or one of your bikinis and leave it undone for cooler vibes. Or, button it up and tuck it in to smarter denim to recreate the more classic styles that are also back this spring/summer.
When it comes to low waist jeans, look for pairs in your wardrobe that you might have discarded because they were too big. Pair them with a chunky belt and let them sit on your hips. And remember that your midi or maxi skirt need not be denim, try adding a denim jacket to any sort of long skirt you already have, or layer a jumper over a longer dress if you don’t have a long skirt in your wardrobe.
Summer Trends 2023, Here You Come
Remember to refer back to this article for key summer trends and colours for the summer 2023 season, and remember to use what you already have in your wardrobe, before you become victim to trend chasing, season upon season.
