Vintage trends coming back in 2024

In recent years, vintage has become an integral part of our wardrobe, partly to be more sustainable, partly to look cool. Big brands are taking inspiration from the past for their new collections, and celebrities like Dua Lipa and Bella Hadid are choosing pieces from the past to stand out on the red carpet. Even us mere mortals look to fashion history for inspiration to make our outfits more interesting, or simply to keep up with the times. So at the start of a new year, we ask ourselves which vintage trends will return in 2024. Will we dress like Priscilla Presley in the 1960s or Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy and Gwyneth Paltrow in the 1990s? Will we fall in love again with the power dressing of the 80s or the handbags of the early 2000s? A few key clues are provided by fashion month SS24, but if you want to prepare yourself for the vintage shopping sessions ahead, here are the trends from the past that will shape 2024.

The return of the 80s

Brooke Shields

Sarah Jessica Parker in 1981 by Barry King

“La Mode C’est Ca!” by Bill King for Vogue Paris, August 1987

Yves Saint Laurent FW 1988

Model Jerry Hall displaying an outfit during a fashion show 1983 by Ann Clifford

Melanie Griffith in Working Girl

Gianni Versace ad, 1987

Gia Carangi for Armani, 1980

Molly Ringwald in John Galliano, photographed by Sheila Metzner for American Vogue, September 1987

Yves Saint Laurent, Le Rive Gauche perfume ad, 1983

Lady Diana at America's Cup’s ball in 1986

Lady Diana at a polo match in 1988

Let's get ready for the 80s, for excesses, pops of colour like electric blue, bright pink and neon green, for balloon hems, bow shirts, angular and pronounced straps, low-waisted dresses and puffed sleeves. The SS24 catwalks have already predicted a return to power dressing and outfits that fit well from 9am to 5pm and beyond. Inspiration for office looks that can be worn for any occasion, but also for more romantic and girly looks, can be found in the catwalk shows of the era of Giorgio Armani, Yves Saint Laurent, Thierry Mugler, Versace and Alaïa. The icons of the decade such as Joan Collins, Brooke Shields, Melanie Griffith in the film Working Girl, Grace Jones, Sarah Jessica Parker, Molly Ringwald and of course Lady D should be studied carefully before a shopping session. Dianacore will also be with us in the coming months. This includes high-waisted trousers paired with shirts or blouses, dramatic puffed sleeves, bows and double denim.

The New Look

Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face, 1956

New Look by Christian Dior, 1947

Marilyn Monroe in Niagara, 1952

Grace Kelly wearing the gown designed by Edith Head that she wore to the 1955 Academy Awards

Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face, 1956

Paris Haute Couture by Mark Shaw, 1957

Sophia Loren in Peccato che sia una canaglia, 1954

Sophia Loren in 1953

Elizabeth Taylor in The Last Time I Saw Paris, 1954

Elizabeth Taylor in 1957

Vintage experts dedicated to the girlhood aesthetic and all its offshoots say they are receiving more and more requests for ultra-feminine style pieces. This and the impact of The New Look, the TV series about the rivalry between Dior and Chanel, which airs on AppleTV+ on 14 February 2024, could make the 1950s a trend again. So green light for hourglass silhouettes of wide skirts and wasp waists, pastel colours and floral prints, cocktail dresses, tailored garments, hyper-coordinated looks with en pendant accessories, full or pencil skirts and high-waisted trousers. The icons of reference are the divas of the decade such as Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Brigitte Bardot, Gina Lollobrigida and Sophia Loren.

Mini like in the 1960s

Raquel Welch in a Pierre Cardin outfit by Terry O'Neill, 1970

1960s Mary Quant ad

Priscilla Presley in the 1960s

Susan Schoenberg and Editha Dussler in Courreges by Bert Stern, 1969

Françoise Hardy in Paco Rabanne, 1960s

Models wearing Courreges in the 60s Bert Stern

Vogue editorial shot by Horst, 1965

Twiggy with other models in 1967

Mary Quant in her design studio in London in 1966

The hemline of dresses and skirts is getting shorter and shorter, just like in the 1960s. Think of the 1967 classic Valley of the Dolls, the Mods, Twiggy and Mary Quant's Swinging London, Pierre Cardin and Space Age Couture, the positive mood and rebellious spirit of youth movements and subcultures. You only have to look at the SS24 collections by Marni, Miu Miu, Michael Kors, Courreges, Missoni, Gucci, Carolina Hererra and Richard Quinn to realise that the inspiration comes from this wonderful decade and that we will soon be wearing micro-mini A-shapes again, colourfully patterned, monochrome or even studded with rhinestones and sequins, but also  Capri pants and almost knee-high socks combined with Mary Janes, open sandals or ballet flats. Even hairstyles and make-up are influenced by the 1960s Priscilla effect. Pinterest says: "Aquamarine make-up is back and bolder than ever. In 2024, Generation Z and millennials will find new ways to incorporate this 1960s product into their modern beauty routine"," but blue eyeshadow, cat eyes and bouffant hairstyles like Cailee Spaeny wore in Sofia Coppola's film are also becoming popular again.

The New ’90s

Gwyneth Paltrow in the 90s

Naomi Campbell in the 90s

Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox and Lisa Kudrow

Gwyneth Paltrow in the 90s

Gwyneth Paltrow in the 90s

Gwyneth Paltrow in the 90s

Cameron Diaz in the 90s

Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy in the 90s

Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy in the 90s

Drew Barrymore in the 90s

Cameron Diaz in the 90s

Quiet luxury is expected to evolve into a quiet outdoor style, and many pieces are likely to come from the vintage world. The references for this style remain Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy and Gwyneth Paltrow with their minimal wardrobes of measured volumes, simple, almost severe lines, tailored black trousers, white shirts, little black dresses, denim and monochrome T-shirts, ballet flats, headbands and headbands by Calvin Klein, Jil Sander, Ann Demeulemeester, Margiela, DKNY, Prada, Yohji Yamamoto and Helmut Lang. Vintage experts say there is a growing demand for "quirky cuts, flowing pieces, things that move well on the body but still look glamorous"," but there is also a renewed interest in grunge and the slouchy looks worn by Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love and a whole generation of boys and young men who lived in jeans and checked shirts, wore Converse All Stars and knew Mark Lanegan and Eddie Vedder songs by heart.

Kitten heels and slingback

Audrey Hepburn in a promotional shoot for Breakfast at Tiffany's, 1961

Goldie Hawn by Joseph Klipple, 1964

Woman wearing kitten heels in the 1960s

Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997

Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct

Chloë Sevigny by Haley Wollens

Brigitte Bardot wearing kitten heels

Sarah Jessica Parker in 2003

Chanel Look by Paul Schutzer, 1961

You only have to scroll through the images of the SS24 collections, the shots of celebrities and influencers on Instagram to realise that we can't help but covet kitten heels and slingbacks now and in the coming months. Kitten heels have been around since Marie Antoinette, but in the 1950s and 1960s they really took off and were worn by film divas such as Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly. In the late 1980s and early 2000s, they made a comeback and became a must-have in the wardrobes of stars and starlets of the time such as Naomi and Sarah Jessica Parker. Slingbacks had a similar story with their strap that gives our feet stability and a chic touch. Let's go in search of the most elegant models of the past proposals, with and without socks, from autumn to summer.

Box bags or sequinned handbags

Chanel SS 1995 Ready-to-Wear Collection

Karen Mulder in Chanel in the 90s

Sarah Jessica Parker in And Just Like That

Ashley Tisdale in the 2000s

Margot Robbie in 2023

Chanel SS 1995 Ready-to-Wear Collection

Remember Ashley Tisdale and the glory days of the early 2000s, when she and other teen stars carried glittering sequin bags? Girlie and somewhat flamboyant a key part of Disney Channelcore, it's becoming popular again, as evidenced by Rabanne's collaboration with H&M (although there the reference was more to the Sixties) and Fendi's reissue of the Baguette with a shower of sequins. At the same time, there could also be a revival of interest in box bags. The film Barbie, as well as its star Margot Robbie, Taylor Swift and Sofia Richie-Grainge, have put the model back in the spotlight, and we can expect to see more and more of them.

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