In a fashion landscape where some may argue that originality is nearing exhaustion, FW 2025 firmly proves otherwise. The synchronicity of creative minds, working independently yet arriving at strikingly similar design choices, reinforces the enduring potential for reinvention. This phenomenon prompts reflection: is it evidence of visionary talents tuning into a collective consciousness, or does it suggest an unwritten, cyclical calendar dictating when certain styles resurface? Whichever theory holds true, it is undeniable that this season’s collections echo across multiple houses, weaving shared themes that are both historical nods and contemporary reinterpretations of their visions. Let’s delve into the key trends that shaped this season and examine their roots and fresh incarnations.
DROPPED WAISTS AND VOLUMINOUS BOTTOMS/TOPS
The play on proportions—specifically, the interplay of dropped waists paired with voluminous silhouettes—reclaimed its prominence this season. Brands appeared to enter a tacit agreement to revisit this enduring formula, which historically proves effective in balancing structure and fluidity.
At Paris Fashion Week, Yves Saint Laurent presented standout examples: a crinoline skirt paired with a dropped waist or an ultra-padded leather jacket contrasted against a slim skirt, elongating and refining the silhouette. Similarly, Meryll Rogge, Victoria Beckham, and Rokh adopted variations of the low-placed waist, employing it as a visual delimiter that harmonizes contrasting volumes. The result: designs that emphasize elegance, poise, and a statuesque form, affirming the timelessness of this aesthetic strategy.
THE COCOON COAT REIMAGINED
The voluminous cocoon coat made a powerful return, reminding us of its rich lineage. Originating from Paul Poiret’s early 1900s designs, the cocoon coat was an architectural marvel meant to liberate women from corsetry, drawing influence from Orientalist aesthetics and kimono forms. Cristóbal Balenciaga later perfected its structure in the 1950s and ’60s, imbuing it with monastic elegance and elevating it to sculptural precision.
This season, Daniel Roseberry at Schiaparelli revisited the cocoon coat with a sharp, exaggerated collar and structured fabric, evoking themes of protection, authority, and socio-political tension. The militaristic color palette and symmetry further hinted at historical uniforms, subtly subverted to challenge conventional power dynamics. Meanwhile, at Dries van Noten, the freshly-installed creative director – Julian Klausner infused the coat with a tactile softness, wrapping the body in fur and transforming it into a symbol of both comfort and personal statement—eschewing stiffness for introspective opulence and fashion erudition.
THE RESURGENCE OF PUFFED, ROUNDED SLEEVES
Puffed, rounded sleeves—historically associated with the gigot or leg-of-mutton style—enjoyed widespread revival this season. Once emblematic of 1830s Romantic femininity and later through the Victorian era’s emphasis on narrow waists and bold shoulders, these sleeves evolved into markers of women’s empowerment during the 1980s power-dressing era.
Reiterated in past collections by loyal brands such as Schiaparelli and integrated in most recent ones by Khaite, Tory Burch, Acne Studios and Givenchy under Sarah Burton – the rounded sleeve seems to have ascended to a broader popularisation this season with strikingly-analogous executions.
FW 2025 saw Prada and Valentino prominently incorporate rounded sleeves – whether cut with a soft, balloon-like curve or more structured forms, designers seemed to balance nostalgia with modern minimalism. Consistent proponents of the retro allure, they updated the silhouette for a contemporary audience, proving its ongoing relevance. The chief designers of the Italian houses, Miuccia Prada and Alessandro Michele, both decided to settle for a shortened version of the sleeve, inspired by the bolero jacket creating an inciting and proportionated silhouette resembling the 40s alternatives to classical suits – as an indirect and bold attachment to the past.
FURRY TEXTURES BEYOND OUTERWEAR
The one and main trending texture in winter? – undoubtedly fur. Despite the indisputable topic that natural fur has made a unanimous return into the runway, moreover – it is no longer entitled solely to outerwear garments and this season’s PFW serves as an emergent proof. Novelties such as the fur trousers from Schiaparelli, the furry-long sleeve body from Acne Studios, the bottom part of the Blumarine dress, contrasting with lightness of top material and entirely fur-made dress at Sacai, denote designers’ crave for experimentation and dismantling classical codes of wearability. Aside of practicality, they remain show-stopping experiences for aesthetic appeal and assertion of one’s unlimited artistry. They function as visual statements, heightening sensory appeal while boldly asserting creative prowess.
BALLOON SKIRTS VS. HAREM PANTS: A FALSE SYNCRETISM?
Though visually adjacent due to their voluminous forms, balloon skirts and harem pants remain distinct in origin and evolution. Balloon skirts, solidified by Christian Lacroix in the 1980s, trace their lineage through Western experimentation with inflated silhouettes. Conversely, harem pants are rooted in Orientalist aesthetics, referencing famous tales like “One Thousand and One Nights” – sharing in common just the exaggerated volume, tucked in tailoring and the liberation of movement.
However, modern designers like JW Anderson at Loewe have blurred the lines, integrating the two independently-formed items into hybrid designs. This season, brands such as S.S. Daley and Rokh were inspired by his example, offering balloon skirts reimagined with shalawar-like lightness and innovative prints—displaying how seemingly separate sartorial prototypes can be fused without losing their essence.
FASHION GEOMETRY: SHAPE AS A DESIGN PRINCIPLE
Geometry in fashion remains a timeless language of form and abstraction. Influenced by trailblazers like Balenciaga, Courrèges, and Pierre Cardin, who correspondingly explored clean lines, symmetry, and space-age minimalism, FW 2025 collections embraced bold shapes with renewed fervor.
Courrèges leaned into rectangles and futuristic minimalism, while David Koma spotlighted circles, potentially nodding to circular fashion principles. Alaïa celebrated the round silhouette with feminine futurism, and Balmain revived trapezoidal cuts enriched by bold textures. Collectively, these designs reaffirmed that geometric rigor is far from passé—it continues to redefine contemporary aesthetics, amongst elegance and luxury.
Concluding, Fall- Winter FW 2025 highlighted a fascinating interplay between historic revival and contemporary reinterpretation. From proportion manipulation to textural experimentation, the collections prove that originality persists not in the invention of entirely new forms, but in the thoughtful reimagining of established ones. Through a shared language of dropped waists, cocoon coats, puffed sleeves, furry textures, voluminous skirts, and architectural shapes, designers remind us that fashion’s power lies in its ability to resurrect, reshape, and challenge our expectations of what great houses could offer, season after season.
Photo credits: Vogue Runway
