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The curated closet: The only 2024 style guide you need
High- and low-rise jeans. Breezy fits. Big bags. Sneakers with everything. More denim. Here’s how we’re playing it casual in 2024
Hold on to those skinny jeans (or don’t). Roll up those T-shirt sleeves (if they still have sleeves). Crop the cropped top even higher (it’s a bra now!). Rethink every wardrobe staple. It’s 2024 and fashion gurus are changing the rules again. Here are some of the biggest trends.
How we’re doing denim. Jeans are playing to the extremes. They’re either super-high-rise or hang really low. Delhi and London-based stylist Jahnavi Sharma, 24, predicts that waists will rise high. But Shruti Kathpal Madan, 33, founder and creative director of Delhi-based clothing brand Cilver, says “some people might take to the low-rise trend now that we’ve spent time with high rises.” This goes for regular trousers too.
Shirts and the upper half. Exhale. Cropped tops may just leave shelves in 2024. “Oversized shirts will continue to be a trend-setting choice,” says Nishtha Saluja, co-founder of Delhi-based slow fashion brand with N., which focuses on Indian textiles. Sharma votes for easygoing, utility-driven shirts and T-shirts as well. She believes it will be a year of “asymmetrical tops and layered tank tops”. More 00s styles for Gen Z to revel in.
All the feels. Fashion is witnessing a “tactile breakthrough” moment, says Saluja. It’s all about how the fabrics’ finish. “Raw textures will capture public interest given interest in alternate fibres,” she says. We’ve seen bamboo viscose, mushroom-based material and shoes knit from recycled plastic bottles. Kathpal Madan and Saluja say denim finishes will be big. Fast fashion is already stocking clothes and bags with a light denim effect . “It’s the year for structured fits and denim does that beautifully,” Saluja says.
A refined palette. Will there be a dominant colour of the moment? There hasn’t been one for a while. Neutral dominated Western boutiques last year, with the rise of quiet fashion. Celebrities wore every hue, celebrated every embellishment during wedding season. Sharma expects it to be a year of “whites, blacks, light blues and reds.” And that young folks will aim for understated elegance. “Being covered in brand logos was a trend in the late ‘90s, but it’s no longer in vogue,” Sharma says. The kids are all right.
Are we a good fit? Low consumption, mindful buying, getting more out of the same garment – fashion is finally listening to what environmentalists have been telling them for two decades. “Cleaner lines, more structured silhouettes, and therefore, an upswing in tailored fits will dominate,” says Kathpal Madan. They last longer and pair with a wider range of styles.
Cutting it short. Summer collections have been responding to record heatwaves with cutout styles, broderie anglaise and high hemlines in recent years. Expect that continue, given that temperatures won’t ease up. Really short shorts are making a comeback, from structured denims to breezy, flirtier crochet and see-through fabrics.
Who’s classic now? Nikhil Sanganeria, the other half of with N. says that classics defy trends, and anyone fighting back against consumerism, “should invest in timeless, classic wardrobe staples”. Sharma hopes stylish folks continue to gravitate towards tailored, minimalist styles. “The allure of Burberry-style trench coats, structured and collared shirts, pleated flared pants, formal women’s suits and boyfriend-style blazers, is timeless,” she adds.
Buckle and knot. Belts used to be the thing that just held up pants. Now they create a nip in the waist, sit at the hip to elongate the torso, wrap around the midsection like a corset and lending structure to an outfit. A good set is an investment in itself. “The power of a well-chosen belt lies in its ability to make an outfit look sopshisticated with minimal effort.” Use them over a chunky knitwear jumper, pair them with high-waisted pants, give an oversized shirtdress a different silhouette with a sash, snap a thin metallic one over a glossy swimsuit or a silk sari. It’s every stylist’s secret weapon.
Just for kicks. The feet stay comfy, in a welcome trend. “Sneakers will continue to be big,” says Kathpal Madan. Sharma adds form runners, Birkenstocks, mules, barefoot shoes, and kitten heels for date nights to the list. Platforms (brands are calling them flatforms now) seem to be making a quiet comeback, but they’re low enough to wear comfortably. Invest in heels only if the style is unusual – the cool kids are wearing special-edition Nikes to everything, anyway.
Holding it all. Do neck rolls at the gym. Sneak in shoulder rotations every now and then. Big bags are coming for us all. The work tote will replace fanny packs and little slings. New functional additions include clasps for a Stanley cup, dangling clasps for sunscreen, flaps for charging cables, roomy phone compartments, and space for a change of clothes. It’s 2024, every day a new apocalypse looms. A roomy bag that fits your entire life in it is the only way to live.
