Extreme elegance is the haute new fashion trend in 2024

Welcome to another great year of making questionable yet impactful leaps in fashion. The year 2024 might be remembered as one when this endeavour got a little too ambitious—things have ‘literally’ started going berserk. Stealth wealth? Quiet luxury? We beg to differ. Cosplay conventions aside, there is no arguing that fashion absolutely loves an extreme moment.

Embracing the otherworldly aesthetic, designers have crafted the kookiest of creations in visually eccentric, breathtaking shapes that play with the idea of wearability and resonate with the current mood of larger-than-life, dramatic dressing. Here’s a front-row view of every single way runways embraced and reflected chaotic energy this year.

Blown out of proportion

 

A champion of sustainability, Duran Lantink is never one to shy away from silliness. And that is exactly the vibe the brand brought with its S/S ’24 ready-to-wear collection that featured a variety of inflatable looks—from itsy-bitsy bubble jeans to puffed-up sheath dresses and tops resembling floating devices—all consciously constructed and reimagined to make a larger statement.

Print lover's paradise

 

Adding a touch of ferocity to anything they cover, prints are particularly emblematic of the bold aesthetic that took over Germanier’s S/S ’24 fashion runway. From extravagant gowns and sequin-clad outfits, to form-fitting jumpsuits, and alien-inspired ensembles, the fantastic fusion of avant-garde fashion and upcycled art was a testament to the designer’s boundless creativity and a celebration of the boundless beauty that lies in the unexpected.

Area 51

 

 

Strutting straight out of another dimension, models at Bad Binch TongTong’s S/S ’24 show debuted elongated alien heads, tentacled ensembles with faceless animal heads, dragging skirts, and looming claws in an impressive nod to the existence of the extraterrestrial form. Avant-garde designer Terrence Zhou clearly pushed his own boundaries with this exhilarating sophomore collection that definitely looks out of this world.

Spaced out

Call it monumentalism or minimalism taken to maximum volume—simple lines but mega effects— enter Caroline Hu. The designer’s grand collection named ‘Reverie’ made a serious case of space with simple shapes that were teased into extravagant volumes by the addition of layered gauzy materials, pretty lace trims, experimental fringed knits, and the occasional overstuffed pillow.

Into the wild

 

 

 

Nature continues to be a reigning theme in Rahul Mishra’s S/S ’24 insect-themed couture collection with models swirling around in sequin dresses embellished with 3D scarabs, butterflies, bees, serpents, and whatnot. Effortlessly blending his avant-garde flair with attention to detail, the designer carefully cloned moths on tulle dresses intended to replicate a lamp. On the other hand, a circular dress shield was engulfed with slithering snakes and lizards.

Peak-a-boo

At Rick Owens, we found leather dresses clung to the body like little swirls of meringue; oversized jumpsuits came complete with silk capes, like deflated parachutes trailing behind while cropped motorcycle jackets paired with high-waist trousers brushed the floor. Not to miss the peaked-shoulder bat capes and coats—if that doesn’t scream empowerment, I don’t know what does.

State of the art 

 

Maison Margiela’s ’24 Artisanal collection, designed by the label’s Creative Director John Galliano, restored—at least temporarily—the primacy of design to fashion. Sure, you can go ahead and thank the viral ‘porcelain doll’ make-up and hairy panties, but John’s utter mastery of a show was more than just that. From erotical sheer lace dresses and ultra-extreme corsetry to twisted tailoring, masterful deconstruction, and wildly imaginative hair, the designer’s sheer design talent amounted to fantastical (and extraordinary) storytelling that stood way above all other couture showcases of recent history.

Sinister femininity 

 

Welcome to Dilaraverse. The queen of the grotesque, Dilara Fındıkoglu, introduced us to a holy sanctuary of gritty beauty featuring a ritualistic display of twisted femininity mixed with tragedy, in a collection titled ‘Femme Vortex’. Turning up the theatrics to a maximum, models walked down the runway in a distorted contortion adorned in latex bondage, bloomers, and sheer skirts opening an “unrelenting vortex of femme energy that transcends the parochial strictures of conventional masculinity,” the Turkish-British designer explains. The new world order has been rewritten, and there’s no going back.

The devil wears...

 

 

 

 

Celebrating a decade since the inception of his brand, Robert Wun’s latest couture collection, titled ‘For Love’, was a clever play on the horror genre reimagined with a surrealist spin. The runway came alive with blood-spattered wedding gowns featuring dramatic ruffles, fluted bell sleeves, and corseted details. A coat dress embroidered with glass shards paid homage to Trinity from The Matrix while the other came with a human-shaped appendage unfastening a blood-red ensemble. Avant-garde enough? Well, It’s Wun after all.

Whimsy at play

Olivia Cheng has decided to peer into the shadows by painting a vivid and fanciful portrait with Dauphinette’s S/S ’24 collection that substitutes its usually cheery designs for slightly creepier clothing. Exaggerated dresses dominated the collection adorned with offbeat materials like beetle wings, upcycled door knobs, vintage kimono silks, sea urchin spines as well as vintage bedding. Feminine ensembles were transformed into fantastical and delightfully weird creations as a means of expression.

Also read: Bollywood actresses who exuded opulence and glamour in feather gowns

Also read: Naked dresses, butts, and butt cracks were at the centre of Met Gala 2024 fashion