The Runway Shows I Watched (and What I Was Really Looking For)
What I Pay Attention to When I Watch the Runway
During runway season, I start by choosing a mix of designers I personally gravitate toward—Bottega Veneta, Dries Van Noten, Saint Laurent, McQueen—alongside the shows the fashion world reliably watches: Chanel, Dior, Prada, Céline, Chloé. I settle in with a glass of wine, a journal, and a few pens, and I watch slowly.
One pen is for what immediately jumps out: a recurring detail, a color story, a silhouette that keeps appearing. Another is for what I take away from each designer specifically. The last is for the overall feeling of the show—the mood created by styling, hair, makeup, jewelry, casting, and pace.
I’m not looking for individual pieces to copy.
I’m looking for signals. Patterns. Direction.
That’s where the real information lives.
The Ideas That Kept Reappearing
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Across the Spring collections—and Chanel’s Haute Couture show — five ideas surfaced again and again. Not as trends to chase, but as themes worth paying attention to:
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Light, sheer layers that soften structure
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Red shoes used as punctuation, were the new neutral.
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Bold jewelry is really having a moment. Don't be shy.
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Bows and ties as a new focal point
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Embellishments that are intentional, decorative & dreamy.
Even in the excess, there was a practicality in the styling that made the wearability day or night. It was about proportion, contrast, and how a single detail can shift an entire look.
One detail that kept showing up across collections was the bow. They were romantic, decorative, structured, and soft. Ties at the neck, waist, hip, or hemline shifted proportion and focus without changing the entire silhouette. On blouses, skirts, dresses, and even trousers, bows acted as a point of tension: soft fabric used with intention. It felt modern, directional, and surprisingly wearable.
Why Trends Matter Less Than Themes
I don’t design my wardrobe around trends. After forty years in fashion, I’ve learned they’re often too narrow—and overdone—to be useful.
Trends usually arrive as one idea, styled one specific way, for one specific moment. Themes are different.
A theme gives you range. It shows up across designers, categories, and styling approaches. It doesn’t ask you to buy something for one outfit—it invites you to see how an idea can live in multiple forms.
That’s why I stay loyal to certain brands for wardrobe staples. They interpret themes consistently, season after season, in ways that actually fit into real life.
Themes support the in-between: the pieces you already own and the ones you’ll wear repeatedly. When I see the same idea echoed across multiple collections—styled differently but carrying the same intention—I pay attention. That’s usually a signal it will integrate naturally, not feel forced.
Over time, those themes become staples.
Not because they were declared a trend—but because they proved they could last.
How These Ideas Translate Into Real Clothes
What stood out most this season was the shift in & to waistlines—not a return to low-rise skinnies (still not for me), but a more nuanced, intentional approach to proportion.
Designers explored lower waists in softer, more wearable ways: low-rise skirts layered over mid-rise underpinnings at Prada, looser low-waist silhouettes at Dior, and mid-rise paperbag trousers at Bottega and Céline. Chanel and Saint Laurent introduced dropped-waist dresses and outerwear that felt modern and fluid rather than rigid.
After years of oversized everything, these new volumes felt different. Still relaxed—but more deliberate. Movement mattered. Shapes were expressive without tipping into costume.
This is where details like bows matter—they introduce movement and focus without requiring a new outfit, just a new way of finishing it.
In real wardrobes, this translates to experimenting with proportion rather than chasing extremes: letting volume live on the body, balancing it with softness and ease, and allowing clothes to move again.
What You Can Update Without Buying Something New
One of the most compelling parts of this season is how easily runway ideas translate into real clothes—with a few smart adjustments rather than a full wardrobe overhaul.
Several looks relied on adjusted waistlines. Skirts and jeans were worn lower, sometimes with the waistband removed, left frayed or loosened so it sits unattached and relaxed, showing just a hint of skin. This is a simple tailoring update—best done on a piece with room so it drapes rather than squeezes.
Blazers felt especially fresh. Notched collars were flipped up or softly draped open to reveal their construction layers underneath, often in contrasting colors. Some of the strongest looks leaned into that contrast deliberately. Raw hems on blazers appeared frequently as well—another easy tailoring tweak that instantly modernizes a piece.
Silhouettes shifted across the board. Shoulders and sleeves were fuller, while waists were gently defined—through tailoring or a belt. The emphasis wasn’t tightness, but shape. Clothes floated over the body with ease.
Details did the work. Bows appeared everywhere—structured or fluid, oversized or subtle—on blouses, dresses, and even skirts. Pants ran longer, especially at Céline and Bottega, tapering slightly and draping over the back of the foot. With loafers and slides, hems often tucked softly under the shoe’s tongue. It felt intentional, relaxed, and lived-in.
When pieces were fitted, they had stretch. Comfort and movement were clearly part of the design language—and that’s what makes these ideas wearable.
Final Thought: Using the Runway as a Tool, Not a Directive
I don’t shop the runway—I study it.
The runway isn’t a shopping list; it’s a lens. A way to spot shifts before they’re obvious. To notice when proportion changes, when ease replaces stiffness, when decoration becomes intentional instead of excessive.
The goal isn’t to replicate what you see. It’s to let those ideas inform how you can update what you already own—and where you choose to add something new.
That’s why I focus on ideas, not outfits.
A red shoe instead of a new dress.
A sheer layer over something familiar.
One embellished piece that shifts the mood of everything else.
Small choices, made well, carry far more impact than chasing a full look.
And yes—there’s so much more to discuss. Color. Leather. Prints. Hair. Makeup. Texture.
If this way of reading the runway resonates, I can keep writing and writing.
Let me know if you’d like a part two.
Runway ideas, translated through my lens—pieces chosen to last, shift what you already own, and bring new energy to your wardrobe.
-Suzi