5 top fashion trends for spring/summer 2022: Chanel and Prada’s miniskirts nod to Paris Hilton and Britney Spears’ 2000s heyday, while Dior and Burberry channel Gatsby

Mar 28 , 2022

Discover some of the top trends in women’s spring/summer 2022 runway collections. Photos: Burberry, Tom Ford, Miu Miu, Hermès, Givenchy

Less is more for spring/summer 2022’s womenswear, with tiny skirts from Dolce & Gabbana, Versace and Bottega Veneta while Prada and Tom Ford channel biker chic

The midriff-baring crop-top-miniskirt look recalls Princess Diana, and Chloé and Alexander McQueen are going all-white – meanwhile, Dior and Versace love fringes

After a short period of facial liberation, around the world mask mandates are returning. Thanks to Omicron, chances are that face coverings will continue to be an essential accessory for quite a while to come. Those who prefer to show off needn’t fret, however, as the pret-a-porter collections for spring/summer 2022 offer plenty of opportunities to do so.

For the upcoming season, womenswear is all about daring to bare, with collections showcasing a bold trail of micro-miniskirts, midriff tops and sheer cloth.

Other trends seen at the season’s shows in Paris, London, New York and Milan included a surfeit of fringing, motorbike jackets galore, outsized tailoring, all-white outfits and bold black stripes. All statement-making stuff, ensuring that even while safely masked up, the fashionable woman will have no problem standing out.

1. Fringe benefits

A model dons shimmer and fringes at Dior’s spring/summer 2022 runway show. Photo: Dior

During the winter, many designers sought to relive the fabled Roaring Twenties, on the hopeful note that we’d soon see a celebratory mood break out as Covid-19 subsided.

While the coronavirus unfortunately remains very much with us and we’re yet to begin partying with the abandon of Jay Gatsby, Prohibition-era styling continues this season with diaphanous fringed frocks shaking and shimmying at houses including Christian Dior, JW Anderson, Alaïa, Burberry, Jil Sander, Rodarte, Versace, Dries Van Noten, Oscar de la Renta and Balmain.

Much beloved by Charleston-dancing flappers of the day, these dynamic garments will look just as smashing on a 2020s dance floor as they did during the Jazz Age of a century ago.

2. Biker chic

Prada’s spring/summer 2022 collection announced the return of the classic biker jacket. Photo: Prada

Around the same time the flappers were jiving in flimsy frocks, a far more rugged style staple was being created in New York City. The Schott Perfecto leather jacket was designed in the 1920s to meet the needs of early motorcyclists, with a sizeable collar for wind protection, a doubled-over front and an asymmetric zip closure, decentralised to be more comfortable when the chest lay low on a motorbike’s petrol tank.

This summer, labels including Tom Ford, Prada, Balenciaga, Celine, Alexander McQueen, Simone Rocha, Acne, Ports 1961, Tod’s, Dior and Dolce & Gabbana all presented jackets owing a debt to this classic – though we don’t recommend wearing one of these luxe renditions for a high-speed spin on your Ducati. Combine instead with something delicate and sheer (another prominent trend this season) for the ideal pretty/biker chic juxtaposition.