Dresses over pants, next-level florals, lavender and more top trends from the Spring 2024 Fashion Week runways

The Spring 2024 runway season felt even more transitional than usual, with the arrival and departure of several big-name creative directors. This past month, Gabriela Hearst bid farewell to Chloé, and Sarah Burton presented her final collection at Alexander McQueen, where she'd been creative director since 2010 and worked since 1997. In addition, there were highly anticipated designer debuts by Peter Do at Helmut Lang, Sabato De Sarno at Gucci and Peter Hawkings at Tom Ford. 

There was also a nostalgic feeling at the shows, with the appearance of several familiar faces. '90s supermodels like Naomi Campbell and Claudia Schiffer walked a few catwalks, while Kate Moss and Linda Evangelista graced front rows in Milan. Legendary fashion critic Cathy Horyn walked the Balenciaga show, and the Mugler catwalk featured a gaggle of iconic celebrities, including Angela Bassett, Fan Bingbing and Paris Hilton.    

Amidst the fond reflections and turning points, the collections themselves offered strong colour and styling messages, and a visual refresh for the season ahead.

Here are six of the top style trends for Spring 2024. 

Short cuts

From minidresses at Valentino and Marni to micro skirts at Gucci and Acne Studios, hemlines are rising precipitously for spring. There were also short, high-waisted shorts at Prada, Tibi and even Max Mara, a brand best known for its luxury workwear. Styled with an oversized blazer or fitted, long-sleeved top or jacket — and notably, with flat shoes or low heels — the looks were youthful and a little bit insouciant. 

Spring roses

Sure, "florals for spring" aren't exactly groundbreaking, but this season, they sure are striking. Two- and three-dimensional roses, in particular, were blooming at Balmain, Vaquera, Richard Quinn and Carolina Herrera. And at Simone Rocha, not only was fabric swirled to emulate large roses, but real roses were enmeshed in fabric, too. 

Sheer dresses

Diaphanous, form-fitting white and light-coloured dresses were ubiquitous this season, making an appearance on the runways at Missoni, Victoria Beckham, Sportmax and more. It will be interesting to see how the trend is translated for real life come spring; on the runway, they were often styled with matching full-coverage briefs and, sometimes, bras.

Lavender haze

Light purple might just be the season's freshest colour, embraced by designers like Michael Kors, Phillip Lim and Issey Miyake. Whether worn head-to-toe or as an accent colour, lavender and lilac hues offer a sweet, refreshing respite from the bright pinks and neons that have been trending (for too long, perhaps!). 

Shorts suits

Your next suit may well be a shorts suit, if the runways are any indication. At shows like Dries Van Noten, Victoria Beckham and Valentino, designers showed blazers with roomy shorts that end just above the knees, while the looks at Gucci, Bally and Prada featured shorter, more fitted styles.  

Dresses over pants

This spring, expect to see dresses being worn over pants — again. Spotted at Collina Strada, Proenza Schouler, The Row and other shows, this early-aughts throwback styling trend looks particularly great when the dress and pants are of a similar weight. It's an easy way to instantly liven up existing pieces in your wardrobe, and the combinations are endless!