When looking at Fall 2024 trends for womenswear fashion I divided the trends into seven key themes, each of which is then further broken down into sections to clarify the trends within. The first theme of the Fall 2024 trends is an exploration of more down-to-earth, less fantastical fashion, which I’ve called ‘Real World Calling’. This article deals with one section from the theme: these Fall 2024 trends are all about 1970s Austerity.
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austerity noun
1. the condition of living without unnecessary things and without comfort, with limited money or goods, or a practice, habit, or experience that is typical of this
2. a difficult economic situation caused by a government reducing the amount of money it spends
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Fall 2024 Trends – Real World Calling
The Real World Calling section of Fall 2024 trends explores the effect of the social, political and economic issues on the fashion world. Reality is knocking and we can’t live in our fantastical fashion dream any longer. The negative implications of everything going on in the news is having a depressing effect on fashion – but how? That’s what all the different sections within ‘Real World Calling’ are meant to address. First of all within these Fall 2024 trends is 1970s Austerity.
Real World Calling – 1970s Austerity
Increased cost of living along with financial hardships recall the austerity of the 1970s, bringing with it the earth-tone colour palette of the era – browns, greens, and yellows, along with standout colours like aubergine. Corduroy becomes popular once again. Handmade items and details appear, either due to forced resourcefulness or as continuity from the hippie movement’s anti-capitalist DIY stance. Certain garments with a more conservative slant are brought back into the spotlight, such as the sweater vest and tailored trousers.
1970s Austerity – Colour Palette
The colour palette is reminiscent of the 1970s and recalls the first Earth Day celebrated on April 22nd 1970. There are chocolate and earthy browns, olive greens and khaki, aubergine purple, yellow ochres and mustard yellow. These shades become the new neutrals of the season – they compliment each other perfectly though they are often found used in head-to-toe looks.
1970s Austerity – Corduroy
Corduroy comes from the French words “Cord du Roi”, meaning “cord for Kings”, however the fabric traces its origins back to Fustat, Egypt in the year 200 AD. It became extremely popular in the 1970s, becoming one of the key trends of the time. It was worn by many artists of the decade including Bob Dylan, Pablo Picasso, and Wes Anderson.
In the Fall 2024 collections, corduroy appears in different shades of brown that range from greenish to more red and it is used across a range of garments including suits, trousers, jackets and coats. While some designers imprint a more 1970s sensibility to their corduroy garments, others, such as Niccolò Pasqualetti, take a more avant-garde approach to the fabric.
1970s Austerity – Handmade
With hard times comes resourcefulness and the necessity to make things rather than buy. This attitude, also a holdover of the DIY elements of hippies’ clothing, shows as the Fall 2024 trend of handmade clothing and details.
This is also an example of street style and popular trends trickling upwards – the influence of people taking up knitting, crochet, and other handcrafts during the lockdowns can still be felt, although it is now firmly running out of steam, and the amount of handcrafted items and details overall is much less in Fall 2024 than it was in Pre-Fall 2024.
1970s Austerity – Sweater Vests
Sweater vests were one of the staple knitwear trends of the 1970s and have made an appearance again as one of the Fall 2024 trends. Worn either layered (see Prada and Des Phemmes) or alone (as at Duran Lantink and Seafarer), sweater vests may be plain, cable knit or feature fair isle or intarsia. Lengths vary from cropped to long this season, adding to the versatility of the style.
1970s Austerity -Tailored Trousers
High waisted, and either straight leg or flared, tailored trousers may be paired with a slim belt for a smarter look (see Rachel Comey and Veronica Beard), or a more boho-style one (see Bode). They often feature a traveler’s crease down the legs.
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London College of Fashion alumna (PGCert Fashion Buying & Merchandising). 15 years in fashion across styling, buying & merchandising, trend forecasting, e-commerce, and marketing. Includes roles at Vivienne Westwood and multi-brand retail stocking 50+ brands including Adidas, Nike, and Puma.
