Seven fashion trends to fix your wardrobe in 2025: coats, charm bracelets and high street collabs

A new year! So what can be expected on the fashion front?

More turmoil behind the rails of the luxury sector, certainly, as purse strings keep tightening — but plenty of new looks are anticipated, as debut collections from Sarah Burton at Givenchy, Louise Trotter at Bottega Veneta and Matthieu Blazy at Chanel are currently being cooked up in the ateliers.

And if 2024 was the year of the sell-out, celebrity-designed high street collection (Sienna’s M&S, Kate’s Zara, etc), you can bet on even more this year — but at least these are more collectable than the usual fashion fast outputs. “2024 marked the slowdown of the hyper-curated digital aesthetics that defined fashion in recent years,” says Depop’s trend specialist, Agus Panzoni. “Amid uncertain economic prospects [and] a growing ethos of de-consumption… fashion is returning to fundamentals.” Durability and versatility will be key for shoppers, they predict.

Here’s to hoping. Below, the pieces worth tapping into this year — and those to come.

Uniqlo

From rugby shirts to boat shoes, preppy style last year enjoyed a cultural dominance not seen since Serena van der Woodsen was calling the shots. If you have already invested, pat yourself on the back, for it’s going nowhere. Top Northern Irish designer JW Anderson has produced a new “Modern Preppy” collection for the latest instalment in his line of collaborations for Uniqlo, coming this month. “It focuses on classic items such as Oxford shirts, jeans, polo shirts and hoodies,” he says. Elsewhere, 1926-founded Kent & Curwen (pictured lead image) has been re-imagined by Daniel Kearns, and after a successful SS25 debut (titled School, no less) it promises to push Harrow-appropriate uniforms into 2025 — his first designs drop soon. Wear untucked.

Uniqlo x JW Anderson available January 16, from £4.90, uniqlo.com

Charles Jeffrey Loverboy SS25

Charles Jeffrey Loverboy

One for the bed rotters. Trend forecaster WGSN made a singular fashion prediction in its Top Trends of 2025 download: the rise of so-called “day-jamas”. “As luggage costs and size limits become more restrictive, travellers seek versatile items that cater to a wide range of uses. Think of these as an upbeat revamp of the sad old sweat set,” it says. For SS25, they proved popular. In London, Charles Jeffrey Loverboy showed Andy Pandy-style blue and white striped PJs at his Somerset House show, while overseas Auralee showed checked styles worn with trench coats, Coach did a blue set paired with leather jackets and Louis Vuitton made a three-piece PJ, with the addition of a silk smoking jacket. Don’t feel you need to go the whole hog: styling out a pair of smart jammy-slacks from Desmond & Dempsey or Chelsea Peers will do the job.

COS

As December neared its close, influencers were left shouting “London’s streets are no longer safe” as high-ticket items increasingly became markers for thieves — Birkins were stolen from changing rooms, Kellys taken in shocking house raids. Now for clutches that are altogether more subtle, from Cos’s £225 suede Studio bowling bag right up to The Row’s £2,770 Nuance Hobo bags. It plays into what Depop trend experts have dubbed the “minimalist renaissance”, “characterised by a return to understated elegance” per its 2025 Fashion Trends Report. Stay safe.

Charli XCX for Converse

Converse

A great deal of 2024’s trainer discourse centred, often melodramatically, around the perilous state of Adidas’ Sambas: had they been overcooked? Did the outgoing prime minister bludgeon them? Were Nikes the coolest kicks again, or was it On, feeling a flush of popularity in the city, who had emerged victorious? Meanwhile, everyone forgot Converse which, slowly but surely, has been engineering its return. For the Christmas campaign, it bagged Charli XCX as the face. Bolstering the chances of an All Star renaissance: the biggest trend to come out of the SS25 Paris Fashion Week season was high tops — everyone from Ralph Lauren to Chloé is making their own.

Valentino

It’s the natural next step for the kitsch charms which swung off Miu Miu bags all of last year — dainty bracelets and necklaces are being shed in favour of all things clunky and ironic. At Valentino, incoming creative director Alessandro Michele accessorised his Pre-Fall 2025 collection with naff, porcelain-esque cat figurines on gold chains. Then — here’s the good bit — he clobbered wrists with heavy duty charm bracelets; diamante-studded hearts, Eiffel towers and cherries all dangling off. Photographer, artist and general cool-girl Petra Collins has designed tacky, beach stand-style charm jewels (think: plastic shells, pink butterflies) for Ssense. Time to dig out the Pandora?

I’m Sorry by Petra Collins candy charm necklace, £170, ssense.com

SSENSE

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The overcoat styling hack

Gucci

There’s only one way the street style set (and Victoria Beckham) are wearing their overcoats this year: fastened up around their face like plastic dog cone collars. The post-vet op look is hardly a hack hardened Brits haven’t tried before, but there’s no doubt it is taking off: the styling note has cropped up everywhere, from Burberry’s SS25 show to Gucci and Victoria Beckham’s Pre-Fall 2025 collection lookbooks. The latter was spotted herself half covered up by a grey, wool, vast-collared coat of her own design while trotting about Paris in November. For cheaper, Zara does a front button fastening scarf coat for £75.60.

Wool Blend Scarf Coat, £75.60, zara.com

Zara

If you’re going to invest in one expensive thing…

S.S. Daley SS25

Cris Fragkou

Consider buying it from S.S. Daley. There was little doubt the 28-year-old Westminster graduate’s triumphant show at the Royal Academy stole London Fashion Week last September, where Harry Styles and Anna Wintour sat front row, and he debuted womenswear to join his popular men’s. Styles bought a minority stake in the label last January, and the designer won the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design eight months later. His corduroy suits, charming lamb cardigans and peplum cropped trench jackets are a bona fide way to show you’re in the know this year.

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