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This is what you’re going to wear in 2025
An army of trend forecasters has crunched the data to determine what styles will be in this year.
Get ready for cowboy boots. The color purple. And proportion play.
From year to year, fashion sensibilities change in subtle ways. But across the industry, there are experts who pay close attention to pop culture, consumer behavior, and how designer runway looks are trickling down to the mass market. This alchemy influences the looks we see around us.
“It’s a fascinating cultural process,” says Jenny Herr, head of trends at Stitch Fix. “Our eyes adjust to these trends, and things that don’t fit within these aesthetics begin to look odd.”
Herr has seen this dynamic play out again and again, and it’s her job to correctly identify the kinds of clothes Stitch Fix’s more than three million customers are looking for. She helped create Stitch Fix’s annual trend report, which pulls from many sources, including fashion forecasting companies like WGSN and color forecasting companies like Pantone. She also has access to lots of granular data about Stitch Fix’s own customers, who tend to be professionals in their 20s to 40s. But she must also use her gut. “It’s a mix of art and science,” says Herr. “Part of it comes down to trends in the culture that are hard to quantify.”
In 2025, Herr says that some of the most exciting moments in fashion from the previous year—most notably the cowboy aesthetic—will make its way into everyday life. But there will also be some surprises, including some colors we haven’t seen in a long time. Here’s what you’re going to be wearing in the new year.
COWBOY STYLE HITS THE MASS MARKET
In 2024, the fashion world became obsessed with cowboys. It started a year ago, when Pharrell Williams unveiled his Fall/Winter collection for Louis Vuitton, which directly referenced the American West, featuring bolo ties, gallon hats, and wide-leg trousers flaring over cowboy boots. Williams blended the looks with streetwear style, like hoodies and sneakers. And rather than having professional models walk the runway, he tapped the Oklahoma Cowboys, a nonprofit that seeks to draw attention to the history of Black cowboys, who were very influential to the evolution of Western culture in the U.S.
Beyoncé continued this theme when she dropped her album Cowboy Carter, which explored the intersection of Black culture and country music. Throughout the year, she was frequently seen in a full-on cowboy getup, complete with hats and denim looks.
Not all runway or pop culture fashion trends make their way into the broader culture. But Herr believes that cowboy style is already going mainstream. We’re already seeing brands create Western looks for their collections. The luxury denim brand Mother, for instance, just launched an “Ivy League Cowboy” collection that remixed chambray shirts and fringe jackets with varsity jackets and graphic tees.
The average person isn’t going to wear a completely Western look, but Herr says we’re going to see subtler nods to cowboys, like cowboy boots paired with feminine dresses or jeans. (Stitch Fix has already found that sales of Western-inspired boots have already doubled this fall). For men, the Western look will come through in denim shirts, perhaps paired with denim jeans.
PURPLE IS EVERYWHERE
In a surprise twist, color forecasters believe we’re going to see purple everywhere. Part of our attraction to the color comes from the fact that we simply haven’t had a purple moment for a long time. “Our eyes want something new to look at,” she Herr says.
Stitch Fix is betting on a shade called Wisteria, inspired by the delicate purple plant. But Herr says that our interest in purple will span several shades, from mauves that have a bit of brown in them to lighter shades of lavender that are inflected with grey. Then there will be the brighter violets. Interestingly, all of these tones go beautifully with the Pantone color of the year, Mocha Mousse, which is a rich, milky brown.
Herr says that we’re seeing this purple in both menswear and womenswear. But given the broad range of possible shades, there is a lot of versatility in the looks. For men, the purple may come through in deeper colors that are close to brown. “We’ll think of it as almost a neutral,” says Herr.
PROPORTION PLAY
For several years, we’ve seen a transition away from the skinny or fitted jean into a wider leg style. Among the more fashion forward, this has manifested in barrel jeans, which widen around the calf before tapering at the ankle. But since denim is so central to our wardrobes, this means that the proportions of our entire outfits have changed as well. “We need to balance the volume and slouchiness of our trousers with our tops and shoes,” says Herr.
Many Stitch Fix customers have come to the company for styling help for creating a look is oversized and relaxed, but also not too casual. In response, the brand has developed a new formula called the “1-2-1” rule, which works for both men and women.
This involves one part of the outfit that is very fitted, such as a bodysuit or a slim top. The there are two slouchy pieces of the outfit: This includes the wide-leg pant coupled with an oversized button-down or a chunky pullover. And the entire outfit needs to be grounded with a structured shoe, like leather sneaker or a lug boot. (This is in contrast to a more dainty shoe, like a ballet slipper.)
In many ways, the casual aesthetic we’re seeing around us is a product of the pandemic. We got used to comfort and casualness in those years, but as we make our way back into the workplace, we want to elevate our relaxed look. It’s the best of both worlds.
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