7 fall fashion trends. But make them #madeinRo

Every fashion season comes with some trends we’re eager to try at once: some of them are new, some of them are just recycled and a little few are just out of the ordinary. Because the fall is approaching fast, let me introduce to you 7 fall fashion trends to look after the months to come. But make it special: instead of showing you the international catwalks, I will present you the trends using… the very new & fresh Romanian designers. Yes, I am talking about fashion #madeinRo – the looks that the students from Fashion & Design Universities of Romania (Cluj, Timișoara, Bucharest) have presented as Master or Diploma collection.

But first thing’s first: always dress according to your personality! And, for the fall/winter 2024, there are a lot of trends you can choose from: well-cut skirt and pants suits, tailored coats, statement dresses, puffer skirts, roll sweaters and cardigans, all kind of patterns, smart bags and sharp shoes. Choose wise, invest in pieces that will love more than five minutes and buy those trends with fit your personality and match your actual wardrobe.

It is your f*** business!

Well, the suits are back, stronger than ever! In black and white, in beige, camel or blue tones, the power suit is back, along with all the cute details – from buckled belts to slim ties (as seen in Schiaparelli runway), from white crisp shirts to retro business bags – or even retro business looks, as we saw on international runways at Altuzzara or The Row. But do not forget about the smoking version – the spirits of Marlene Dietrich and Yves Saint Laurent live on in all of the season’s piece (look for inspiration at Dolce & Gabbana and Thom Browne).

As for #RomanianDesigners – in the students collections we can find inspiration for suits and business coats at Andreea Marinescu (Bucharest), Florin Breje, Ramona Țuțul or Andrada Roșu Ciobanu (MDVTM – Timișoara), Iulia Vlejoancă, Mihnea Covaci, Ramona Bizbac (UNArte Bucharest), Mădălina Ionela Țăran (UAD Fashion Cluj-Napoca).

Andreea Marinescu, Mihnea Covaci, Iulia Vlejoancă, Florin Breje

Ramona Bizbac, Andrada Roșu Ciobanu, Ramona Țuțul, Mădălina Ionela Țăran

One with the mother Earth

Earth tones for fall? Groundbreaking, as a well-know character from a movie would say 🙂 But the reality is simple as that: this fall is all about beautiful shades of royal burgundy, olive green, chocolate brown, warm camels and beiges and navy blue. We saw these nuances in Pharrell Williams’s Louis Vuitton pieces, we spotted them on catwalks at Ferragamo, Gucci, Burberry, and Bottega Veneta. The best part of this trend is that it’s incredibly easy to style, no matter what are your preferences in terms of a trendy wardrobe – neutrals can be worn with anything and mixed between them.

As for #RomanianDesigners – in the students’ collections we can find inspiration for some earthy tones at Lăcrămioara Crișan, Valentina Badea, Maria Popescu or Ruxandra Ciobanu (all from UNArte Bucharest) or Andreea Bora, Andrei Ioan Petculescu, Ioana Iosif, Camelia Boaru, Iuliana Daniela Nistorică, Sonia Jessica Durco (UAD Fashion Cluj-Napoca).

Maria Popescu, Ruxandra Ciobanu, Andreea Bora, Andrei Ioan Petculescu

Ioana Iosif, Lăcrămioara Crișan, Camelia Boaru

Iuliana Daniela Nistorică, Sonia Jessica Durco, Valentina Badea

Watch your head (and other collar details)

We have turtlenecks and high necklines, we have exaggerated collars and huge bows, we have caps and head pieces that will draw attention on your outfits. Extravagant collars will be to 2024 what big sleeves were to 2023, we might say. 🙂 Many designers’ fall/winter 2024 collections included high necklines or turtlenecks, but also some big big collars adorned with complicate embroidery, fringes or even feathers.

We saw them on catwalks at Marni, Chanel or Carven, just to drop few names. But in a lot of others collections from Fashion Weeks. And in some #RomanianDesigners as well, as follows… Francisca Balint and Ionelia Grecu (MDVTM Timișoara), Anastasia Miu, Cristina Daia, Isabel Neagu or Richard Onofrei (UNArte Bucharest) or in pieces signed by Adrian Gabriel Anghel, Genghiz Beghim, Mădălina Ciobanu and Raluca Mihaela Jula (UAD Fashion Cluj-Napoca).

Anastasia Miu, Francisca Balint, Cristina Daia

Isabel Neagu, Ionelia Grecu, Richard Onofrei

Adrian Gabriel Anghel, Genghiz Beghim, Mădălina Ciobanu, Raluca Mihaela Jula

We can see all through

Of course it is not too cold for sheer fabrics! Of course it is not too much to wear them anywhere, anytime, especially when we are talking about fall/winter 2024 trends. From completely translucent tunic-style dresses at Proenza Schouler and “naked dressing” at Saint Lauren (with the majority of models bare-breasted under translucent blouses) to shots of sheer at Gucci or dresses at Acne Studios, Versace and Fendi – the transparency is hot again. The key is to balance the transparency with some color-block elements – a classic blazer over a sheer top, a fluffy cardigan pairing a sheer long skirt, some cool accessories for tulle dresses.

We saw also the trend well-illustrated on the runways at Ferragamo, Gucci, Chloé, and Alberta Ferretti. As for #RomanianDesigners – in the students collections we can find inspiration for some see-through pieces at… Alice Bila, Andreea Mazilu, Mariana Vieru, Narcisa Iftimuț (UNArte Bucharest), Magdalena Ambruș, Denisa Patricia Guler și Violeta Mujdar (MDVTM Timișoara), Alexia Ciloci Șerdan, Andreea Letiția Godzin and Mara Virginia Cîrlig (UAD Fashion Cluj-Napoca).

Andreea Mazilu, Magdalena Ambruș, Alice Bila, Denisa Patricia Guler

Mariana Vieru, Violeta Mujdar, Narcisa Iftimuț

Alexia Ciloci Șerdan, Andreea Letiția Godzin, Mara Virginia Cîrlig

Forever in blue (or black) jeans

Nothing describes better an eternal trend as denim. Double or triple is even better! As a fashion critic said recently “from Diesel and Vetements to 3.1 Phillip Lim, Ralph Lauren and Staud, the Texan tuxedo has been given a modern upgrade, just in time for us all to join Beyoncé in her Cowboy Carter era”. This season, we saw a lot of denim-pairing, from jeans with sleeved shirts or skirts and jumpsuits with tailored tips, even trenches and big patched jackets – at Christian Dior, Carolina Herrera, Zimmermann, Victoria Beckham, Miu Miu, Schiaparelli.

On students catwalks, we saw a lot of deconstructed pieces of denim in UNArte Bucharest final runway – from Alexandra Dincă, Alina Jianu, Andrei Buzatu, Giada d’Albero, Simona Cheval and some patches on Rahela Bodale looks (MDVTM Timișoara).

Alina Jianu, Alexandra Dincă, Andrei Buzatu

Rahela Bodale, Giada d’Albero, Simona Cheval

Pump up the volume!

Big skirts, puffed bombers and exaggerated skirts are back in business! This fall/winter 2024 season we saw a combined revival of the puffball and peplum. Found in skirt and dress form, puffed-out hemlines dominated the runways of Molly Goddard and Loewe, Marques’ Almeida, Cecilie Bahnsen, Alaïa, Valentino.

It is not a very easy trend to wear, we have to admit it: it requires a perfect waist, long legs and thin ankles – not to create a very exaggerate silhouette. But if you are not very sure, you can choose only one piece (like a top with a peplum or a shirt with big sleeve) and keep the rest of the outfit very simple and neat.

From #RomanianDesigners – we saw the volumes in Vlad Petru (UNArte Bucharest) skirts and jackets, in the inflated dresses (with ruffles and volumes) from Denisa Gherman and Raul Pașcalău (MDVTM Timișoara) or in pieces with a lot of volume (and a very thin waist) at Alexa Crîșmăreanu, Andreea Letiția Godzin, Carla Bianca Forrai, Mihai Cristian Anghel and Mara Elena Popa (UAD Fashion Cluj-Napoca).

Denisa Gherman, Alexa Crîșmăreanu, Raul Pașcalău, Andreea Letiția Godzin

Carla Bianca Forrai, Mihai Cristian Anghel, Mara Elena Popa, Vlad Petru

Messy matchy-catchy prints all over

Leopard prints (with its derivate versions of zebra, cheetah and others), the checkered patterns, the tweeds, the mini-florals, the dots and the tartan are back on the catwalks. You may feel like in a classic English movie with tweeds, herringbones and argyles (as seen at Chloé or Tommy Hilfiger) or in a holiday in a Scottish cottage (with Balmain, black and white grid checks or a full-on checkered look à la Helmut Lang). For inspiration you can also look for runway images from Helmut Lang, Dries Van Noten, Christian Dior, Iceberg, Loewe. Also, must love the leopard trench seen at Christian Dior or Zimmermann’s blouse and wide-leg jeans look. Check for Alaïa, Dolce & Gabbana, Michael Kors or Versace runways!

As for #RomanianDesigners, we saw a lot of prints – from polka dots to graphics prints or checks in UNArte Bucharest show (at Ana Maria Miroi, Mara Malinovski, Teodora Tudosă), at MDVTM Timișoara (Gabriela Buză, Brândușa Meseșan, Denisa Popescu) or in UAD Fashion Cluj-Napoca (Alexandra Suveică, Lousenie Dumesle, Ruxandra Lăzărescu, Alexandra Giulia Groșan, Carina Hărșan, Renata Roxana Mihaly).