Cannes show off what’s in fashion this year

The presence of plaids, typically an autumn/winter theme, speaks to the a-seasonality of our global world. It also evokes grunge and its attendant “come as you are” ethos. “Fashion needs to get messed up,” said Balenciaga’s Demna, and he wasn’t the only designer who rejected perfectionism in favour of something more lived-in.

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At Alaïa, Peter Mulier introduced the idea of the spiral, while the Möbius strip made an appearance at Courrèges, where Nicolas Di Felice addressed the feeling of nostalgia-soaked postmodernism running as if in a continuous loop. “In the period that we live in, it’s always a comeback to something else – and I’m not talking only about fashion – so I decided we’re going to work on cycles and repetition,” the designer said. Indeed this season’s trends are largely a remix of tendencies designers have been playing with for the past two years or so, such as Madame Grès-inspired draping, balletcore, etc. These ideas are reframed to be sure, but it is hard to shake the feeling that the world is at a tipping point.

May 15, 2025 | 7:26 am