Spring is a time of new beginnings, so it’s always a fabulous time to try the new 2024 fashion trends. There are so many great trends on the catwalks for women over 40, from high-rise pants to draping, prints to preppy. Let us walk you through our favorite 2024 fashion trends from the runways, how you can wear them, and why they could be a great look for you.
spring and summer 2024 fashion trends
Below, you will find 13 trends that we love, with designer looks and high-street options that are more wearable.
High rise pants
Loewe – Louis Vuitton – Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini
Starting with high-rise pants, wearing a pair of pants that sit high on your waist is a great way to ensure you don’t have any muffin top. Plus, what’s great about high-rise pants is they can make your legs look a million miles long.
This is particularly good if you want to look taller and slimmer, or if you have a long torso compared to your legs and want to balance up your silhouette. There’s more on that in our article on how to determine your vertical body type.
Wear your wide-leg pants with a shorter top, or with your top tucked in for maximum leg-lengthening effect.
For more inspiration check out our article on how to wear wide legged pants over 40
PAIGE Shania Peak Lapel Blazer – Vince Camuto Rumpled Satin Blouse – Open Edit High Waist Wide Leg Trousers – Donald Pliner Kamele Heeled Sandals – Kate Spade New York Katy Textured Leather Top Handle Bag – Swarovski Gema Floral Pendant Necklace
Ruching and drapes
Alexander McQueen – Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini – Issey Miyake
If you’ve been following 40+ style for a while, you’ll know we love ruching, drapes and asymmetry, so we were so happy to see lots of this on the runways. Not only do ruches and drapes add interest and a little bit of an edge to your outfits, but you can use ruching to ‘disguise’ any parts of your body that you don’t like to show off.
The styling of the ruched dress (below) creates a waistline and flattering drape. We love neutral colors too as you can wear them with any color of shoes and accessories.
Modern Citizen Torin Ruched Sweater Midi Dress – J.Crew Layne Ankle Strap Heels – Kate Spade New York Katy Textured Leather Top Handle Bag – Karine Sultan Hexagonal Hoop Earrings – Swarovski Gema Floral Pendant Necklace
2024 fashion trends – flowers
Ralph Lauren – Alexander McQueen – Balmain
Flowers are a spring staple, for obvious reasons. Roses are particularly on-trend. What we really liked on the catwalks this time around were the big, graphical floral prints. So, when choosing floral clothes, look for big, bold prints.
The DVF dress (below) combines the floral trend with ruching and a flattering v-neck. The sleeves are also a fantastic length if you prefer to cover your upper arms.
Diane von Furstenberg Valerie Floral Midi Dress – J.Crew Layne Ankle Strap Heels – Tory Burch McGraw Textured Leather Camera Bag – Nordstrom Molten Disc Drop Earrings
preppy
Loewe – Dries Van Noten – Miu Miu
Preppy was a big trend last season, too, so if you already have preppy looks in your closet, keep them out for spring. An easy way to add a little bit of preppy style to your existing looks is to choose a polo neck top to wear with your jeans or to wear a pair of loafers.
There’s more on this style in our article on how to dress the preppy style personality.
J.Crew Vintage Rib Polo T-shirt – J.Crew Pleated Midi Skirt – Tory Burch McGraw Textured Leather Camera Bag – French Sole Lilah Loafers – Nordstrom Pavé Cubic Zirconia Wide Square Huggie Hoop Earrings
gold
Prabal Gurung – Ralph Lauren – Blumarine
We’ve seen so many metallics in stores this season, so don’t shy away from adding a bit of bling. If you want to be particularly on trend, add gold to your spring outfits. We love the way that Prabal Gurung (above, left) added gold to neutral shades. Ralph Lauren (center) meanwhile gave the perfect lesson on how you can add a bit of bohemian style to your gold.
FRAME Rib-Knit Baby-Fit Tee – EB Denim Foil High-Rise Straight Leg Jeans – French Sole Lilah Loafers – Rebecca Minkoff Megan Leather Tote – Karine Sultan Hexagonal Hoop Earrings – ANDANTINO Mulberry Silk Scarf
2024 fashion trends – fringe
Ralph Lauren – Alexander McQueen – Gucci
Fringe is an outfit that can be as subtle or full-on as you want to. You can add fringing to your coats or your dresses. Look out for fringing on the bottom of the hems of jackets. You can wear a fringed duster over a swimsuit for summer or subtly wear the trend and add a fringed handbag or some fringed earrings.
Misook Fringe Ottoman Knit Jacket – Alice + Olivia Harmon Draped Satin Tank Top – Good American Good Legs Flare Jeans – Rebecca Minkoff Megan Leather Tote – Donald Pliner Kamele Heeled Sandals – Nordstrom Pavé Cubic Zirconia Wide Square Huggie Hoop Earrings
Graphic prints and color blocking
Victoria Beckham – Issey Miyake – Alexander McQueen
Graphic prints are another favorite at 40+ Style. So, if you opt for a print, make it a big, abstract one. We love Victoria Beckham and Issey Miyake’s print maxi dresses. Choose a similar style, and dress it up or down for your vacations this year.
Nordstrom Novelty One-Button Blazer – AllSaints Tia Colca Long Sleeve Midi Dress – J.Crew Zadie Leather Double Ankle Strap Heels – Tory Burch McGraw Textured Leather Camera Bag – Nordstrom Molten Disc Drop Earrings
stripes
Chanel – Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini – Ralph Lauren
Stripes are a perennial print that will always be on style, so you can invest in your stripes safe in the knowledge that you will be able to wear them year after year. Choose a striped summer dress, a sweater with your white pants, or a striped shirt or blazer with your favorite jeans.
Note that Ralph Lauren (above, right) mixed two different trends by combining stripes with florals.
We have more ideas in this article on how to mix patterns and prints like an expert.
Rails Stripe Wool & Cashmere Polo Sweater – Joe’s Jeans Honey High-Rise Boot-Cut Jeans – Nine West Erands Loafers – Rebecca Minkoff Megan Leather Tote – Kate Spade New York Drop Earrings
Summer suiting
Ralph Lauren – Issey Miyake – 3.1 Phillip Lim
Suiting is back for spring and summer. Choose a pale shade like white, cream, lemon or beige, and wear for your summer events. Then, of course, you can wear your suit as separates so you can get lots of wear out of it over this season and beyond. Wear your blazer with your jeans. If it’s warm where you are, or when heading off on vacation, you can wear a waistcoat instead of a jacket.
PAIGE Shania Peak Lapel Blazer – Nordstrom Double V-Neck Tank – J.Crew Pleated Viscose Long Trouser Short – J.Crew Zadie Leather Double Ankle Strap Heels – Tory Burch McGraw Textured Leather Camera Bag – st. Moran Geo Street Stone Station Curb Chain Necklace
Capri and cropped pants
Tory Burch – Ralph Lauren – Puppets and Puppets
Cropped styles and capris are very much on trend this season. We’ve seen many celebrities wearing this trend. Cropped pant styles are making their way down the designer catwalks, and into the high street.
What is great about cropped pants is that they show off your ankles so if this is part of your body you like, this hem length is perfect for you. If you have shorter legs, then you need to wear cropped pants with more caution. When the hem visually cuts across your legs, it can make your legs look shorter. You can get around this by wearing a high-waisted style or wearing heels.
Read our article on how to wear cropped and capri pants for more tips and style inspiration.
Nordstrom Novelty One-Button Blazer – Vince Camuto Rumpled Satin Blouse – AG Farrah High Waist Raw Hem Crop Bootcut Jeans – J.Crew Zadie Leather Double Ankle Strap Heels – Kate Spade New York Katy Textured Leather Top Handle Bag – st. Moran Geo Street Stone Station Curb Chain Necklace
2024 fashion trends – scarf prints
Roberto Cavalli – 3.1 Phillip Lim – Etro
Scarf prints have a luxurious, high-end feel, and you can wear them from top-to-toe or add a scarf print to your top. A scarf print dress works well for summer events, while a scarf print top looks great with jeans. Or, of course, you can always add a scarf print with a scarf!
FARM Rio Flower Scarves Cover-Up Wrap Dress – Birkenstock Gizeh Big Buckle Nubuck Leather Sandals – AllSaints Mosley Straw Tote – Panacea Raffia Fringe Hoop Earrings
drop waist
3.1 Phillip Lim – Louis Vuitton – Prabal Gurung
We’ve shown you high-waisted pants at the top of these 2024 fashion trends, but now let’s look at the opposite with some low-rise waists. We spotted lots of low waist silhouettes on dresses on the runways, and the trend has made its way to the high street, too. The smocked dress (below) comes in four colors. It is flattering as it creates a waist with the blouson style and isn’t as low as the dresses that designers showcased.
Just as high waists are great if you have a longer torso in comparison to your legs, low waists are good if you have long legs and a shorter torso.
rag & bone Cora Denim Jacket – Ramy Brook Audrey Smocked Waist Sleeveless Midi Dress – Lucky Brand Mofira Booties – AllSaints Mosley Straw Tote – Panacea Raffia Fringe Hoop Earrings
Utility dressing
Saint Laurent – Max Mara – Schiaparelli
Utility dressing can be very casual, but we love how designers (above) elevated utility and cargo dressing to make it very elegant. Choose cargo styles in luxurious, drapey fabrics like silk or satin, or mix your utility pants or jeans with a silk top.
Eileen Fisher Button-Up Crop Shirt – Veronica Beard Dari Cargo Pants – Cole Haan Grandpro Tennis Sneakers – Rebecca Minkoff Megan Leather Tote – Panacea Teardrop Earrings
Your spring 2024 fashion trends together in one capsule
Below, you can see all the trends in one capsule. You can mix and match the different trends to create lots of different looks during the season. Or just pick some key pieces from your favorite trends and combine with your existing wardrobe to make it feel fresh and new again.
You can add the blazers to any of the outfits and decide how casual or formal they are by wearing sneakers or heels.
shop the best pieces of the 2024 fashion trends
Continue reading:
- Wide Legged Pants: How To Wear Them In 2024 And Where To Buy The Best Ones
- How To Mix Prints And Patterns Like An Expert
- A Style Guide And Capsule Wardrobe For The PREPPY Style Personality
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Images from Vogue
Written by Sylvia
Sylvia is 40+style’s editor-in-chief and has been helping women find their unique style since 2011. An alumni of the School of Color and Design, she is devoted to empowering women of any age to look and feel their best. Read more about Sylvia and 40+style on this page.
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