Meet the People, Trends, and Items That Will Rule Fashion in 2017

The disruption that shook the fashion world in 2016, from designer departures to the hubbub around see-now-buy-now fashion, is likely to continue into 2017, with brands questioning how to make fashion stick in an ever-increasing digital age. Even amid the confusion and chaos, though, there are constants we can count on, like the people who will dictate the trends of the year to the trends that are likely to dominate fashion on and off the runway. Familiarize yourself with the whos and whats that are sure to rule 2017, below.

The fashion world’s favorite rumor proved true in August when it was confirmed that Raf Simons would be the new head honcho at Calvin Klein. The Belgian’s arrival stateside cements a new chapter in American fashion, with brands like Marc Jacobs, Coach 1941, Proenza Schouler, and presumably Calvin under Simons adopting the spectacle, craftsmanship, and drama associated with European fashion. What’s more is that Simons’s own aesthetics line up well with those of Calvin Klein—always on the hunt for the throbbing heartbeat of youth culture, be it in music, art, or beauty. In short, Simons’s appointment at Calvin Klein is one of fashion’s best matches—and something worth looking forward to in 2017.

If the word athleisure makes you grimace, fret not. The omnipresent black legging and midi sport top may well be on their way out, at least if Tory Burch has a say. The designer’s collection of elegant, country club–ready athletic apparel, Tory Sport, took athletic clothing and elevated it to a level worthy of the “Burchgeoisie,” as a friend calls Tory and her clan of well-clad fans and followers. Where Burch has prodded, other designers have followed, too: See A.P.C.’s chic workout wear with Outdoor Voices and Tim Coppens’s downtown cool collections for Under Armour.

In 2016, monochromatic marieprom dressing really took off, with celebrities and designers endorsing head-to-toe color in droves. The most popular shade, for people such as Kim Kardashian West and brands like Hermès, was a rich hue of camel. Next year is bidding that restrained color adieu in favor of lovely, shocking, and joyous shades of pink. Valentino, Balenciaga, Marc Jacobs, Céline, Givenchy, Bottega Veneta, and more sent out numbers in all types of rose, making it the color to beat in 2017.

For a while there, it seemed that the Stan Smith would never be unseated as fashion’s footwear of choice. Well, that time might have come. Designers proposed teetering platform shoes, like Balenciaga’s square-toed stompers and Maison Margiela’s lifted loafers, leaving us clamoring for new heights. Just be careful walking on cobblestones, and running between fashion shows, for that matter.

The designer denim resurgence of the 2010s might have met its match in the workwear-inspired khakis that were all over the Spring 2017 runways. Alexander Wang gave the pants a slouchy feel worthy of his surfer babes, the Kenzo duo looked to high-waisted and structured ’00s styles, and Rag & Bone’s Marcus Wainwright made his preppy and slightly sheer. Of course, you can’t go wrong with a pair of classic workwear Dickies or Carhartts. However you take your trousers, the moral is: The more beige the better.

In today’s world, you don’t need much more than your iPhone when you leave the house—and designers have taken note. For seasons, Jeremy Scott has been producing kitschy cases at Moschino, and for Spring 2017 Nicolas Ghesquière replaced Louis Vuitton’s covetable bags with an even more-so phone case in monogrammed leather. Should you want to bring more than just your phone when you go out, the bag to reach for is not the black leather bucket, but rather a wild, kooky, and fun novelty bag like Balenciaga’s striped shopper or Fendi’s mini, fur-trimmed number.

Logo mania took 2016 fashion by storm, but for 2017, brands are focused less on themselves and more on getting a message of togetherness across. Michael Kors intarsia-ed a sweater with the word love, Haider Ackermann went with be your own hero on tees, and Dior’s Maria Grazia Chiuri chose Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s phrase we should all be feminists. Hear hear!

We’ll see if this one catches on, but if Christopher Kane has his way, the fashion set will be replacing their sensible Birkenstocks with even more sensible Crocs. The superlight shoes were the star of Kane’s Spring 2017 show; the designer wowed his crowd with his willingness to partner with a brand considered so outside the world of high fashion. Even if you won’t be wearing the kicks, you have to commend Kane on his audacity to upend expectations again and again.

Some trends are forever—or at least for several years. Such is the case for statement earrings, which arrived on Céline’s Fall 2014 runway and continued to dominate the Spring 2017 shows. The best bets for 2017, we’d venture, are Proenza Schouler’s door knockers or Altuzarra’s cherry red hoops.

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