With 2024 on the horizon, it’s a good time to take stock of what will feel fresh in the new year. While there are a few trends that are likely to be left behind in 2023, many will carry over, and a few new spring ’24 trends are sure to quickly stand out.
Here, a primer on eight trends that are likely to resonate for the year ahead.
1. The ballet flat
In case you haven’t heard yet, now is your chance to get a grasp on the ballet flat comeback. While the footwear trend built up a lot of momentum this summer, with mesh flats from the likes of Alaïa, The Row and Khaite showing up at Paris Couture and other fashion circles, spring ’24 and other collections for the new year have gone all-in on the shoe.
2. The kitten heel slingback
Another carryover from 2023, the slingback will get a gentler treatment in the new year, with less staggering stilettos attached to them and more easy-to-wear kitten heels instead. Combined with the function of a slingback holding one’s foot in place, the shoe will likely be a workwear go-to for many come spring.
Watch on FN
3. Silver everything
Call it the Renaissance effect — or the Virgo effect. Beyoncé’s silver-heavy wardrobe for her Renaissance tour is likely to have a lasting impact on fashion, moving the needle from yellow-gold hardware (long the preferred metallic) to a tinsel-like silver, head to toe (or boot).
4. Comfort sandals
For many, they never went away. But for the fashion crowd, they are decidedly back for spring ’24, with just about every designer and brand offering a version of the two-strap footbed summer sandal. Even Valentino (which championed both the kitten heel slingback and gigantic platform this year) offered up a comfy sandal, pairing the footbed shoes with denim and intricate cutout garments in fresh whites and metallics.
5. “Peach Fuzz”
It may already be coursing through the fashion scene, but with Pantone’s recent announcement of “Peach Fuzz” as its 2024 Color of the Year, it’s a sure bet that more of the soft, “velvety” hue intended to invoke comfort and kindness will find its way to more of the market next year. We can expect the shade to permeate to pieces head to toe, particularly in texture-focused satins and organzas.
6. The Phoebe way
We can count on much of the fashion world to look to the comeback of Phoebe Philo for inspiration in 2024. A glance at her first two drops for her new eponymous label (which launched online last month as a direct to consumer effort) show a mostly black-and-white palette infused with touches of champagne, cream and lilac, alongside lots of natural texture accessories and embellishments, and a knack for strong tailoring.
7. The white palette cleanser
Perhaps it’s all the uncertainty in the world, or a new season of “quiet luxury” — or both. Whatever reason, the first half of 2024’s style direction will rely heavily on peaceful, palette cleansing and meditative white garments, from long, drape-y winter-white coats and seasonless white shirts to a new chapter for the white shoe (think aforementioned kitten heel slingbacks but also a possible white boot comeback.
8. More denim on denim
That denim can be simultaneously classic and trendy is why the material pops up season after season. For spring ’24, there’s a new crop of denim heels, many done in slingback styles that add even more edge to a pair of baggy jeans, which will continue to resonate and be offered in both embellishments and clean versions.
About the author:
Shannon Adducci is the Style Director at FN, reporting on runway and fashion weeks, trends, celebrity style and fashion’s role in pop culture, diversity and inclusion, sustainability, gender identity and women’s equity issues. She also directs FN’s cover shoots and visual packages, contributing to the publication’s video direction. Prior to Footwear News, Shannon held positions at Departures, Billboard and Modern Luxury, was a celebrity stylist and specialized in fine and estate jewelry. She is an avid collector of vintage fashion, shoes and jewelry.
