Is Wearing Trousers... Officially Over?
Judging by recent fashion week runways, it definitely seems like it.
Yes, is the short answer, judging by the last three seasons of fashion week. During the Spring/Summer 2024 shows, we saw brands like Natasha Zinko, SRVC and Miaou leading the charge with boxer shorts and tiny pants, initially dismissed as a phase or a trend. But the distinct lack of trousers on the runway seemed to re-emerge even during the Fall/Winter 2024 season, seen at shows from Vivienne Westwood and Susan Fang to Dilara Findikoglu.
Baum und Pferdgarten, Sinead O’Dwyer and ROTATE took over for Spring/Summer 2025, continuing to prove that shorter hems were the way forward. In summer, hot pants and boy shorts made perfect sense, but now, it seems the controversial trend has become more of a way of life. Also evidenced by Acne Studios‘ recent Fall/Winter 2025 collection, which favored bodysuits and tops over trousers and skirts, it’s safe to say that pants are becoming less of a priority.
View this post on Instagram
It feels somewhat impossible to talk about micro shorts and hot pants without talking about Miu Miu, so here goes. The brand contributed to the rise of the micro silhouette back in October 2021, debuting its micro miniskirts on the runway. Not long after, Diesel debuted its controversial belt skirt, appearing on the runway in February 2022. These two silhouettes seemingly paved the way for an even shorter hemline to take over, resulting in a slew of hot pants and undies to follow.
For Spring/Summer 2023, Bottega Veneta debuted a series of tights-only looks. In Fall/Winter 2023, Miu Miu debuted its glitzy sequinned pants (as seen on Emma Corrin and Amelia Gray) on the runway and since then, the tiny silhouette has become somewhat of a staple within the brand’s offering, landing in new fabrics and constructions each season.
Along with the runway influences, the new approach has been popularized by the industry’s it-girls, namely the likes of Hailey Bieber, Kendall and Kylie Jenner. Typically worn with sheer tights and a heavy coat or chunky knitwear, the total look feels like the perfect juxtaposition of sheer and delicate and structured and powerful, seemingly representing the duality of modern-day femininity — something that Chinese label SHUSHU/TONG regularly explores in its collections. Jenner was spotted in Bottega’s tights-and-pants combo back in 2022, with many outlets attributing her style to former it-girl and model Edie Sedgwick. We have said that all fashion trends are cyclical…
Off the runways and streets, hot pants and boxer-style underwear have continued to feature in campaigns and lookbooks, most recently from Zinko in her FW25 lookbook styled by Betsy Johnson. Speaking to us about that decision, the designer told us, “Underwear as outerwear has been a part of my DNA since very early in my career. I love celebrating underwear in unexpected ways. For my FW25 ‘BOTCHED’ collection, slinky black satin underpants strung together into one flowering floor-length skirt bring new meaning to ‘eveningwear,’ weaving my recurring symbol of the universal boxer-brief– everyone’s got ‘em on so let’s all be transparent here– into a more refined, elegant form. It’s in the zeitgeist now.”
Elsewhere, we’ve seen indie underwear brands like Fruity Booty, CDLP and Cou Cou Intimates contribute to the trend by blurring the lines between underwear, loungewear and outerwear and making the trend more accessible for the average person. After all, if the brands who literally make our underwear are showing us how to wear it out of the house — why wouldn’t we do exactly that?
Another factor to consider is the rise of the “slutty short shorts” trend that emerged within menswear, popularized by the likes of Paul Mescal and Harry Styles. If men’s shorts are getting smaller, it’s only natural that that would have a knock-on effect in women’s fashion too. We can’t let men have all the fun, right?
Whether the trouser-free trend continues to dominate future runways remains to be seen but for now, it’s safe to say that less is more.
