Paris Fashion Week street style always overflows with It-items and fashion fandom talismans, thanks to its star-studded lineup. At Loewe, guests strode in wearing heels coated in deflated balloons, clutching the handles of their newly-released squeeze bags. At Valentino, white shirts and black ties were an unofficial uniform. Chanel's guests arrived with double-C logos flashing on their ballet flats, belts, and bags. At Hermès, the crowd outside was dotted with Birkins and Kellys.
I expect to see editors and fashion insiders repping their favorite houses every season, and I'm delighted by it each time. (I think of preferred luxury brands as a fashion Zodiac sign, telegraphing personality traits and personal style with a single word.) But I know full designer looks and coincidental matching with the calendar aren't the end all, be all of Paris Fashion Week street style. Between those house code moments were outfits that inspired a total overhaul of my fall wishlist, thanks to their mix of fall 2023 trends with a designer hero item or two. I saw a romantic twist on office suiting that I plan to wear to work, a bag trend that I'll carry throughout the holiday season, and an upscale approach to the essential fall sweater dress. These are street style trends that every fashion fan can participate in.
Ahead, catch up on six street style trends from Paris Fashion Week's spring/summer 2024 season that are worth shopping this fall.
Mirrorball Bags
It wasn't just because Rabanne announced a collaboration with H&M and threw a paillette-spangled party to go with it. Throughout Paris Fashion Week, street style was punctuated by dazzling chainmail and disco-influenced silver bags. Whether the styling direction was bringing texture to a muted oversize suit and tie, or amplifying sequin separates with even more glitter, these bags gave every outfit they came with an exuberant touch. I'll be keeping these in mind as I start thinking about holiday party outfits. (Too soon?)
Rabanne 1969 Mini Chainmail Cross-Body Bag
Skirt Suits
I love a suit set, and so does Paris Fashion Week. This season, the suiting looks I screenshot and saved to my digital mood board all came with skirts in place of oversize trousers. Any look involving a blazer has a no-nonsense, business-y edge; the addition of a midi circle skirt or ground-skimming pencil skirt underneath took the outfits in a slightly more romantic direction. Low, comfortable heels or a platform loafer tied it all together for a fashion week edition of 9 to 5 dressing.
Remain Long Suiting Skirt
Polka Dot Prints
I noticed a healthy mix of prints and patterns throughout Paris Fashion Week, starting with glitched-out florals outside Loewe's show and ending with some power-clashing plaids in the final two days. (Yes, several of those sightings were just Chopova Lowena skirts.) I was most struck by the resurgence of black-and-white polka dots throughout the week, in the form of Saint Laurent button-downs, Zimmermann dresses, and some gorgeous but as-yet-unidentified outerwear. These two-tone spots functioned as an above-average neutral in the looks I plan to copy—particularly, the mix-and-match of inverted dot prints in a shirt and midi skirt.
Saint Laurent Polka-Dot Classic Button-Front Shirt
Puddle Jeans
"Go big or go home" was the unofficial denim motto at Paris Fashion Week. Wide-leg, oversize silhouettes have been the entire pants agenda for a few seasons, but it wasn't just that pant leg circumferences expanded this time around. Guests chose jeans that puddled on the ground, fabric pooling around their ankles and hems kissing the sidewalk. (Some people seemed to invite extra distressing by pairing their low-lying jeans with flats.) Proportions can say just as much as a print or an embellishment; these jeans said that bigger denim really is better.
Off-the-Shoulder Sweater Dresses
From editors and influencers to Emily Ratajkowski, guests universally decided that the best sweater dresses for a fall fashion week had off-the-shoulder silhouettes. A collarbone-skimming neckline and a soft, cuddly knit balanced one another out in a comfortably chic manner—ideal for long days surrounded by industry insiders and, you know, being seen. The looks I saw were all the reminders I needed to bring my own sweater dresses out of storage for work events this fall.
Black Knee-High Boots
Paris Fashion Week is obviously a place to flex a footwear collection, and I saw several of 2023's holiest shoe grails while scrolling through the week's street style. The Prada pointed flower slingbacks made their way from Milan to Paris, as did Alaïa's fishnet ballerinas and several pairs of silver Adidas x Wales Bonner sneakers. But I was newly inspired to show a little leg this fall by an unsung hero that returned to the streets in full force: the knee-high black leather boot. It's classic, it's walkable, it will match just about any fall outfit that can fit in a carry-on suitcase. Clearly, even Paris Fashion Week attendees can appreciate that the best leather boots are designed at the corner of beauty and practicality—and they're the sort of shoe that can be worn from now until next spring, without any risk of being too trendy.
Dear Frances Blake Boot
Halie LeSavage is the fashion commerce editor at Harper's BAZAAR. Her style reporting covers everything from reviewing the best designer products to profiling emerging brands and designers. Previously, she was the founding retail writer at Morning Brew and a fashion associate at Glamour.
