The Runway Trends From Fashion Week That Are Pushing Us Out Of Our Comfort Zone

While the street style at Australian Afterpay Fashion Week is always a highlight, there's a reason that the runways are the main event, with aesthetics that are in a league of their own. 

Maybe it’s the inspired constructions, the blood-pumping soundtracks or the arresting space that is Carriageworks' long-abandoned train warehouses. But just three days in, we’ve already been on the verge of tears at least once (Erik Yvon, this one goes out to you) and have bookmarked a handful of trends that we expect to see a lot more of in the coming months. 

The runway trends in 2022 were structured and erred on the side of utilitarian, but by comparison, this year’s sartorial offerings feel like the metaphorical loosening of the tie. In 2023, we're being challenged to broaden our horizons and discover the potential for something new. Colour is everywhere, in a way that feels hedonistic, indulgent and electric; and weaving, beading and fringe are giving garments texture and a physicality that twitches, jumps and sways with the bodies wearing them. 

Keep scrolling for the trends we’ll be working into our wardrobes from the resort 2024 collections at Australian Fashion Week, so far. And check back during the week as we update this list.

Accessories led a double life on the runways of St. Agni and Ngali. The former featured belted, leather coin purses, while the latter produced new forms with billowing silk scarf sheaths draped over the swaying hips of models. The same cloth was also used to fashion the makeshift handbags that were carried down the runway at Ngali. Personally, we're happy to finally repurpose all the silk bandanas we bought last year to decorate our hair with.

Perhaps it’s a hangover from the body-hugging designs of Herve Leger, but Australian Fashion Week has exchanged skin-tight fabric for textured textiles that skim over the periphery of the body. Think: Woven fibres that twist to flatter and exaggerate, thickly bound bunches of tassels that vibrate with each step, and beaded nude illusions that leave little to the imagination. The result feels frenetic and alive.

After the success of Netflix’s Wednesday we were unsurprised to see echoes of the titular character’s wardrobe at Fashion Week. Designer Gail Sorronda invites a gothic renaissance with dramatic layers of floating organza in shades of alabaster and onyx black. 

Vibrant colours have been seen all over the runways at AAFW 2023, and although we loved the glowing shades of green and ultramarine, it's the appearance of Pantone’s Colour of the Year, Viva Magenta 18-1750, that feels especially poignant.

The magenta-tinged shade of pink popped up on the runways of Asiyam, Yousef Akbar, and Youkhana, proving that this bold Valentino Pink-like hue isn't going anywhere, any time soon. Just like the cerulean blue pipeline mapped out by Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada, we expect viva magenta to filter down from the runways and permeate the racks of high street stores in no time.