10 Spring Fashion Trends To Shop Now

If the trees are blossoming near you, it means it’s now time to start dressing in spring’s top trends. As it tends to be the case with warmer-weather fashion, a carefree levity emanates through new-season designs suited to life’s many moments and moods. All to say that now is the time to start adding spring must-haves to your cart.

Y2K fashion — in the form of ultra-low-rise pants and micro-minis, halter necklines, and playful mix-and-match jewelry — continues to trend in full force. Then there is an abundance of platform shoes and twee styles (think: darling wares a la Zooey Deschanel and Taylor Swift) to take note of. Get inspiration from these drifts when it’s time to cue up springtime staples like lightweight layers and ankle- or toe-baring shoes for warmer weather. Along with some cool, casual pieces to wear on the weekends.

Ready for a vacation? Or at least wanting to embody a more leisurely, wanderlust vibe throughout the season? Thank designers like Ulla Johnson, Chloé, Altuzarra, Rejina Pyo, and Proenza Schouler. Each label, and many more this season, delivered dreamy, globe-trotter-status clothing and accessories ranging from brightly saturated tunics to artfully embellished maxi dresses. This spring’s wishlist also includes fringe and crochet detailing and supersized tote bags you could just about fit into yourself.   

For lower-key sensibilities, closet classics like button-down shirts, blazers, easy knits, and trousers continue to get reinvented for the season with a fresh-never-boring feel you’ll lean on again and again. (Especially during those getting-dressed-in-five-minute panic modes we’ve all found ourselves in.) What’s more, this trend lends itself to life’s continued limbo status where we split our time between hibernating at home and actually doing things in the real world. As a result, you’re no doubt still figuring out the perfect half-dressed outfit that’s (decently) profesh on top for WFH days, and legitimate head-to-toe looks for IRL time spent with clients or colleagues. 

Ahead, a closer look at each of the biggest spring fashion trends for 2022 — with an edit to shop.

2022 Spring Trend: Y2K Yay

Y2K nostalgia lives on and is only going bolder in 2022. So live your best aughts-style life in daringly-low-rise bottoms, miniskirt suits, and “whale tail” pants if you’re really gutsy. Halters tops and dresses are big this season, as are cutouts — a continuing trend from 2021 that proves skin is still in, whether you go the spliced, cropped, or bra-top route. To top it all off, go with playful jewelry like multicolored beads layered with pearls. Go on, do the most. 

2022 Spring Trend: Vacation Mindset

Ulla Johnson’s, Chloé’s, Gabriela Hearst’s, and Anna Sui’s spring collections all showcased pieces that work for everyday moments yet are ready for a getaway at a moment’s notice. Airy-as-ever dresses, crochet tops, and printed separates rendered in crisp cotton poplin are just a few key vacation-ready looks to try when emanating this trend. 

2022 Spring Trend: Big Bags, Huge

Big adieu to your minis for now; ultra-big bags are in for spring. From festive raffia to polished-for-work leather, labels like Khaite, Tory Burch, Marni all make a case for supersizing your next handbag. These carry-alls can also double as a stylish travel bag that’ll hold at least a few days’ worth of essentials should your luggage go missing.  

2022 Spring Trend: Romance Isn’t Dead

A romantic Regency-core-meets-‘60s-era glamour aesthetic emerged from designer collections, including Markarian, Jason Wu, and Carolina Herrera. Floral dresses with fitted bodices and puff sleeves, ladylike suiting accessorized with pointed-toe heels and pearls, and bedecked bubble hems were accompanied by rhinestone earrings, all with a prim and proper feel that’ll get you excited to dress up again. 

2022 Spring Trend: Basics Reimagined

It’s a fact you can never have too many button-down shirts, well-tailored suits, classic sweaters, and neat trousers. Jil Sander, Peter Do, and Victoria Beckham, to name a few, championed clean lines and neutral colors to maximize versatility — though not without flickers of modernity, like a spliced back or uniquely-shaped collar. They also offered versions in colors like hot pink, yellow, and periwinkle should such shades call to you.

2022 Spring Trend: Twee Time

With a ripple effect sparked by Y2K mania, twee fashion is not only happening but an embrace-worthy trend for spring. We’re talking romantic collars and darling minis (Sandy Liang’s sweet-but-sculptural styles are good), loafers with socks, baby tees, and shrunken cardigans (Brandon Maxwell sent an epic one down his New York runway, pictured above).

2022 Spring Trend: Platform Ready

From Givenchy and Versace to Stella McCartney and Lanvin, one thing is evident in the shoe department: It’s time to pump things up. We mean this literally in the case of high-set heels and Mary-Janes but also with platform clogs, loafers, and sandals (including flip-flops and slides not unlike the stretchy Steve Maddens from the ‘90s). This soaring shoe trend appeals to every aesthetic — chunkier soles suited to edgier or pragmatic tastes and more refined, heeled versions for those who lean minimal or feminine. 

2022 Spring Trend: Fringe Frenzy

Proenza Schouler

Perhaps inspired by months in lockdown, designers showcased party-inspired styles for spring 2022. Among them is the full-on fringe trend witnessed at Proenza Schouler, Chloé, Jonathan Simkai, and Altuzarra, with a frivolous but elegant feel that’ll transform any outfit’s mood instantly. Walk in a full fringe skirt once the temperatures turn for the warmer — the delightful effects of tassels and dancing trim will feel utterly joyous. 

2022 Spring Trend: Bolder Brights

Color lovers, and those willing to dabble in new shades, set your sights on mega-saturation for spring. We’re not talking about a mere accent, however. Instead, the modern way is dousing yourself in a hue — or, even better, several. Valentino, Saint Laurent, and Marques’ Almeida are just a few collections you’ll want to reference for inspiration. 

2022 Spring Trend: Double-Tap Accessories

Internet-worthy-buys meriting social-media fashion status are a major selling point for brands in 2022. For spring in particular, yes, you guessed it, Y2K-style extras lead the way, ranging from logo bags — even better it’s double the logos — to double-tap-worthy hats and playful beads and pearl jewelry.

At Refinery29, we’re here to help you navigate this overwhelming world of stuff. All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. If you buy something we link to on our site, Refinery29 may earn commission.

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The Biggest Fashion Trends Of 2022

The Latest Fringe Trend Is A Sign Of Our Times

Logomania 2.0 Is One Of 2021’s Defining Trends

2022’s Biggest Shoe Trends Are Anything But Boring

After spending the last few years cocooned in sweats and slippers and confined to the walls of our homes, a new, optimistic approach to dressing emerged at the tail-end of last year, seen on the spring/summer 2022 runways. As we approach the second half of the year, it’s clear that dopamine dressing is here to stay, trickling into every facet of fashion, including our shoes.

Bold is the name of the game, with platforms of gargantuan proportions, sculptural heel shapes, and plenty of glitz, bling, and in-your-face colors and prints reigning supreme. But while statement-making styles are having a moment back in the spotlight, flat, casual shoes are certainly not “out,” as we’re also seeing plenty of riveting takes on comfort-forward favorites like slides, sneakers, and even the classic ballet flat.

Nostalgia also plays a role in the year’s biggest shoe trends, as the Y2K revival continues to rage on and retro nods to fashion’s past reach viral status on our social feeds.

In the spirit of giving our shoe collections a spring cleaning, we partnered with Nine West to curate a list of the nine footwear trends dominating 2022. Catering to both heel lovers and the heel-averse, there’s a little something for everyone. Keep reading for a deep dive into each one.

Sculptural Shapes

Fashion is now at its maximalist peak. Cue: plenty of interesting heel shapes, like chunky flared block heels, pyramid-tipped stilettos, and architectural wedges. And you can wear them one of two ways: Let them be the pièce de résistance of a more pared-down look like jeans and a T-shirt, or in true 2022 fashion, go all-out and pair them with as many colors, prints, and layers as you please.

Nine West Ansel Platform Slide Sandals, $, available at Nine West

Party-Ready Details

2021 saw the return of the going-out top, and this year, it’s all about the party shoe — high-shine metallics, electrifying pops of color, and bedazzled details (à la the early aughts), which will surely add a statement-making touch to any celebratory ensemble, be it a slinky slip or tailored suiting. Of course, we’re just as apt to wear a great party shoe any old day, too — in the spirit of dopamine dressing, why not?

Nine West Miami Ankle Strap Sandals, $, available at Nine West

Y2K Nostalgia

Whether you love it or love to hate it, the Y2K renaissance is here to stay. Case in point? Chunky slip-on mules, which have become just as much a wardrobe essential in 2022 as they were in 1999. Of course, they aren’t the only millennium footwear trend to make a comeback: heeled thongs, glitzy rhinestone embellishments, futuristic metallics, see-through straps, and lucite heels have also resurfaced, giving you plenty of casual and formal nostalgic-fueled options to choose from. However, if you’re looking to really lean in, try pairing them with some — gasp! — low-rise jeans.

Nine West Behot Heeled Slide Sandals, $, available at Nine West

Puffed-Up Silhouettes

Puffy slides became the footwear of choice during pandemic summers, making them quite possibly the only thing that could get us out of our fuzzy slippers — or put on any shoes at all. Voluminous, cloud-like footwear is still going strong, with everything from clunky mules to sky-high heels getting the padded treatment, pillowy quilting and braiding abound.

Nine West Yoyo Heeled Slide Sandals, $, available at Nine West

Mile-High Platforms

If you can’t tell by now, heels are clearly the common denominator amongst the year’s biggest shoe trends, to which we say: Go big or go home. Platforms of towering proportions made their way down the spring and fall runways, and while they may be impractical for certain outings — say, a grocery run — we’re itching to strap some on every time we leave the house. But fear not, this trend caters to the heel-averse, too, in the form of flatform slides and chunky elevated sneakers.

Nine West Glows Platform Sandals, $, available at Nine West

Statement-Making Prints

It wouldn't be dopamine dressing without a dizzying abundance of prints. From Y2K-adjacent psychedelic swirls to classics like floral and leopard, today’s footwear offering certainly doesn’t lack excitement. And while a printed shoe may seem intimidating at first, they’re actually quite simple to style. They’re a tried-and-true way to infuse a little life into an otherwise simple look, or you can opt to go the mix-and-match maximalist route.

Nine West Kelsie Ankle Wrap Heeled Sandals, $, available at Nine West

Woven Textures

Just in time for warm weather comes the woven trend, bringing plenty of texture into the mix. Besides the usual rope and raffia, expect to see macramé — perfect for pairing with this season’s must-have crochet dress — and braided leather and denim details. This year also reimagines the espadrille with retro silhouettes, mile-high platforms, and chunky block heels, making the spring classic all the more compelling. Pair them with something light and breezy — and don’t forget your picnic basket.

Nine West Fefee Platform Slide Sandals, $, available at Nine West

Ladylike Lace-Ups

Lace-up ankle wrap shoes are also having a major resurgence, lending a romantic, feminine feel to flat sandals, chunky platforms, and everything in between. We love them most for their styling versatility: Knot them around your ankles or further up your calf — or up to your knee, should you wish to copy the catwalk. For the particularly adventurous, try a very editorial look and tie them over a billowing pant leg.

Nine West Ailey Ankle Wrap Platform Sandals, $, available at Nine West

Casual Classics

If we learned anything over the last two years, it’s that a good flat shoe will always be a reliable standby. The higher fashion forces seem to think so, too, as casual flat sandals, slides, sneakers, and even classic ballet flats (another nostalgic throwback) were all over the runways. And despite our excitement for heels of all varieties, we’d be lying if we said we weren’t relieved to see that, well, comfort is still cool. Of course, casual certainly doesn’t equate to boring — bold hues, strappy details, and plenty of texture and embellishments help elevate these otherwise low-key styles.

Nine West Minus Ankle Wrap Flat Sandals, $, available at Nine West

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