2024 was the year we clamoured obsessively after specific aesthetics. Beyond just mere trends, certain aesthetics and hyper-specific sartorial approaches became fashion’s bread and butter. As if they were a continued experiment in the pursuit of our own style sensibilities; a figuring out of what worked and wouldn’t work for us.
After all, much of what went ‘viral’ was often tied to certain ‘characters’; personalities we encapsulated and related to in daily life; drawing moodboard inspiration from pop culture icons across generations. As if we could build and find our own sense of personal style from playing with them all, we distilled each aesthetic down to their varying components. Like the Bayonetta glasses and tight button-down shirts for the office siren aesthetic à la Gisele Bündchen in The Devil Wears Prada or the preppy whites and polo tees that ruled the roost for tenniscore, the aesthetic which took on a life of its own amid the Challengers press tour. There was also the buzz surrounding the cowboy aesthetic, first propelled by Bella Hadid before Beyoncé swung us fully into her Cowboy Carter era. One that was punctuated by the resurgence of cowboy hats, boots and the bolo tie.
As we moved into the second half of the year, a sleuth of trends that had a chokehold on the fashion set—due to its presence all over the runways of two seasons prior—began to pop up all over the streets. Like the mega craze surrounding bag charms, originally led by Miu Miu and Balenciaga’s spring/summer 2024 runways. Although it really only reached its true zenith when the Labubu dolls came into the picture. A boho revival has also been upon us, one spurred on by Chemena Kamali’s debut at Chloé earlier this year—and an aesthetic which we’ll surely be taking along with us into 2025. As for everything else in between? Certain micro trends fell under bigger umbrellas, whilst others were simply evolutions of its predecessors.
Below, some of the most impactful aesthetics and style trends which consumed our consciousness in 2024.
1 / 8
Everything cowboy
In the early half of the year, the Texas craze was clear for all to see. Bella Hadid sporting her best rodeo fits alongside her cowboy beau, Beyoncé’s dedicated album to the country genre and of course, Pharrell Williams’s sophomore collection for men’s fall/winter 2024. Collectively, their impact was so large that any cowboy-adjacent aesthetic would fly both in and out of ranches. So our feeds were perpetually filled with cowboy hats, bolo ties, lots of fringe and many a pair of trusty cowboy boots.
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The office siren
Like a reclamation of our femininity, the office siren trend was one that swivelled in like a 9 to 5 moodboard for the girls. Whilst workwear underscored the aesthetic, it was meant to be a tongue-in-cheek approach to traditional business attire; sensual, fitted suits and button-ups replaced structured suits; whilst a pair of rimmed glasses added to the overarching mood of the sexy secretary working at her desk. Think Gisele Bündchen, Jenna Lyons or Bella Hadid. It’s of note that the office siren look has evolved since—loosening up and making space for slouchy, power suiting we first saw a resurgence of on the Saint Laurent spring/summer 2025 runway, with celebrities like Hailey Bieber and Rosé wearing it best.
3 / 8
Ballet-inspired footwear
From balletcore to ballet flats to ballet sneakers. What began in 2023 (and bled into its coquettecore counterpart) has taken on a life of its own. Coopting the best of both worlds; the ballet sneaker transformed the girly, feminine feel of a ballet flat and updated it with a sporty, more practical update for the everyday. Various iterations of the chunkier, hybrid shoe (first proposed by Simone Rocha) then came along, like the cult favourite Asics x Kiko Kostadinov x Heaven by Marc Jacobs option. It largely overlapped with its kindred spirit: the Mary Jane silhouette, which has its roots in fashion’s most respected dance form.
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Tenniscore
This was the year fashion became one with the world of sports. But way before the anticipation of the Olympics in Paris even began, it was the Challengers press tour that really drove the charge. After all, when you have Luca Guadagnino funnelling his efforts into a sport which seems inseparable from the world of culture (read: tennis), what more could we expect? Whilst Zendaya came trotting out in a genius slate of outfits that were heavily influenced by the sport for her press circuit, it was truly the courtside fashion which everyone had their eyes on. Think preppy white sets, netted separates, tennis skirts and knitted polos that one would easily see on and off the court.
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Brat
So you think you’re brat. Simply put, brat was and is the ultimate party girl aesthetic. Whilst brat summer diva Charli XCX has described the spirit of brat as “a pack of cigs, a Bic lighter, and a strappy white top with no bra,” the true essence of brat is chaos. At its height—right in line with the top of summer—brat enthusiasts embraced their inner party animals and came out in all manners of subversive, skin-baring separates, muddied-up boots and unzipped bags which constantly looked in disarray. And no, you never needed acid green to make it work, but bonus points if you did.
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Over accessorising with bag charms
That’s so kitsch. If there was one trend that everyone seemed to hop onto this year, it would be this. Embellishing our bags with playful charms and keyrings served as the ultimate means of expression in 2024—a school of thought which trickled down from the Balenciaga and Miu Miu runways during the spring/summer 2024 season. Be it luxury keyrings or adorable cartoon character plushies that spoke to one’s inner child, the idea was to over-accessorise your arm candy. A form of self-expression defined by the trinkets and little things you chose to hang from your bags. Furthermore, Lisa of Blackpink also pushed the aesthetic forward when she was seen toting around her Louis Vuitton bags with one very famous plushie: the Labubu.
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Oversized eyewear
Specifically, those large-rimmed pairs that won over the sartorial set near instantly. One we saw much of on the spring/summer 2025 runway most recently, oversized prescription frames certainly became cool again. Whilst the Bayonetta styles ruled the roost in the first half of the year, these statement-making silhouettes—be it top bar frames or thick black-rimmed glasses—began popping up everywhere, especially on the street style set during the fashion week circuit for spring/summer 2025.
8 / 8
The boho revival
We’ll take a little gander down to Chemena Kamali’s debut at Chloé earlier this year. Where the indie, grungy bohemian style was overturned—made chic, elevated and that much more desirable under the female gaze. Between suede finishes, the rising interest in thigh-highs, chunky necklaces and flouncy, romantic silhouettes, slivers of boho began to enter the chat towards the tail end of the year upon the release of the maison’s fall/winter 2024 collection. And with Alessandro Michele’s upcoming Valentino collection set for release come 2025, we’re sure to be seeing a lot more of the boho renaissance in time to come.
