Flip-flops, Labubus, and Pamela's Pillbox hat — These are the 15 fashion It items of 2025

Was 2025 the longest year or the shortest year of our lives so far? We continue to live in an era of micro-trends, but even so, a few special items cut through the constant noise and became firmly embedded in the fabric of the year—even if some aren’t entirely brand new. Last year people were embellishing their bags and belt loops with clusters of toys, and this year it was the Labubu. From the Adidas Samba supremacy rose the so-called “sneakerina,” a minimal sneaker that has more in common with the ballet flat than with athletic ergonomics. And it’s impossible to consider Timothée Chalamet’s Marty Supreme merch without Jonathan Anderson’s iconic “I TOLD YA” t-shirt from 2024’s Challengers movie. Another thing with staying power? Miu Miu’s spring 2022 collection, vestiges of which have been seen in many places since: the preppy influence, the return of the low-rise, and exposed underwear and underpinnings, which this year reached their trad-wife pinnacle when Miuccia Prada brought back the bullet bra. Did you dare try out the style? You still have a couple weeks left in the year to experiment. Here are the 15 items that defined 2025.

Related: SS26 Trend Report: The 11 trends defining spring 2026

If there’s one item that will symbolise 2025 in the years to come, it’s got to be the Labubu. The little monster charms—with outsize personalities—were created a decade ago in Korea, but became an international sensation after Blackpink’s Lisa and Dua Lipa were seen embellishing their bags with the furry creatures. The Labubus, sold “blind box”–style to encourage collecting and trading, are now so fashionable that people have started making tiny designer clothes for the dolls to match their own.

Tied around the head in the boho fashion, wrapped around the chest as a triangle bandeau “going-out top,” or cinched at the waist like a belt—silk scarves were inescapable in 2025. And that was before the one-two punch of Julian Klausner’s debut menswear collection for Dries Van Noten, with its long sarongs, and Michael Rider’s Celine launch where silk squares were generously featured throughout. Rider doubled down for his Celine women’s in October, using them to line trench coats and turning them into blouses and dresses, so this is one accessory likely to make the list next year too.

We used to live in a society and in that society hats were a requirement for both men and women. Now society is maybe crumbling, but at least we’re trying to bring back jaunty vintage-inspired hats. At the spring 2025 collections, everyone from Yohji Yamamoto, to Marni, to Loro Piana, to Chloé put pillbox hats on the runway. But it was intrepid ladies like Pamela Anderson and Jennifer Lawrence who found ways to easily incorporate them into their real-world wardrobes that just might make the look catch on.

Related: Explore Vogue Scandinavia's 2025 Holiday Shop

At Jonathan Anderson’s Dior debut, the Irish designer brought a dose of American insouciance to the French-iest of all French labels, with polo shirts on both his runway and the Internet Boyfriends that lined the front row. A few days later another French label got a different kind of American makeover when Michael Rider, a Washington D.C. native—and literal Polo Ralph Lauren alumni—took the reins at Celine, and trotted out some very chic striped polos. By the time Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez made their Loewe debut, with oversized polo shirts layered underneath big sweaters and peeking out from underneath leather shorts, or sculpted out of wire-woven fabric, the polo’s triumphant return was official. That McCollough himself took a bow wearing an actual long-sleeve red Polo only sealed the deal.

Lorde released Virgin, her fourth album, this year, introducing with it a sartorial language that signalled freedom and independence, via baggy jeans, plain white T-shirts, men’s boxers, and, crucially, duct tape. In her “Man of the Year” music video, she is seen taping down her breasts with the silver stuff before thrashing around a dirt-filled room inspired by Walter De Maria’s iconic Earth Room in New York. Although binding the breasts with duct tape is not actually recommended, we’re signed off on her newly liberated, DIY punk rock spirit.

Perhaps because the rise of AI means people are reading less, this year, designers went out of their way to prove their literary bona fides by sharing some of their favourite books at their shows. At Proenza Schouler, Rachel Scott packed her models’ bags with copies of Hélene Cixous’s The Third Body, while Paul Bowles’s The Sheltering Sky could be spotted inside a woven leather tote bag at Michael Kors. Joseph Altuzarra, who traditionally leaves a copy of the book that inspired his collection on his guests’ seats, chose Yoko Ogawa’s The Memory Police in September. Want to prove you’re a reader even when you’re bookless? Consider Jonathan Anderson’s take on the appropriately-titled Dior Book Tote, which he printed with titles including Françoise Sagan’s Bonjour Tristesse, Baudelaire’s Le Fleurs Du Mal, and Christian Dior’s 1956 autobiography, Dior by Dior.

Oasis, the biggest band in the world, had the biggest gigs in the world this year, when brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher finally put their (entertaining, beloved) feud aside to embark on a massive reunion tour. The Gallaghers were always known for their great personal style, and it translated into killer merch in the form of T-shirts, jackets, and yes, bucket hats produced by Adidas, that befit the legendary status of the band.

Related: Introducing Pamela 'Hyytiäinen' Anderson: The icon bares her Finnish soul

Last year it was the humble jelly sandal, this year flip-flops got “the bump” from The Row. Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen can’t seem to go a summer without releasing a viral shoe. Their “Dune” style wasn’t their first venture into flip-flop territory, but the new red-sole/black-thong proved to be an irresistible combo. Yes, the $650 sandals sparked a minor outrage online when their extravagant price was revealed, but that didn’t stop people from getting on waiting lists to get their feet in a pair. It was a good year for classic Havaianas (which the Olsens have also been known to rock), too.

The number one rule of the internet may be “no free foot pics,” but this summer that went out the window when influencers began posting close-ups of their sparkly toe-rings. Everyone from Rihanna to Sasha Obama to Bad Bunny was spotted taking the trend for a test drive. A few months later, they made a cameo on Pierpaolo Piccioli’s debut Balenciaga collection, so get those tootsies ready because the toe-ring trend is here to stay.

Up next on the list of Y2K revivals is the return of the Chloé Paddington bag. The east-west style with its recognisable gold lock embellishment was a staple of early-aughts It girls, and Chemena Kamali smartly brought it back for Chloé’s fall 2025 collection. We remember what a workout it was carrying the Paddington in the crook of our arm at the turn of the millennium, so you’ll be happy to hear the new version is reportedly lighter than the original; but whether you go for the OG version or the remake, this boho classic is forever.

Was the slouchy grey crewneck sweater layered over a slip, bootcut jeans, and flip-flops from The Row’s spring 2025 collection the most important look of the year? Signs all point to yes. As we’ve already detailed, flip-flops were the shoes of the summer, and bits of lingerie satin and lace, whether worn as delicate tank tops or dresses, went on to become just as crucial a styling trend. For those with a bolder spirit, it was Miu Miu’s bullet bra that was the year’s must-have item.

Marty Supreme, in which Timothée Chalamet plays a ping pong wizard, is generating Oscar buzz even though it’s not officially out until Christmas, but right now, nothing is buzzier than the merch Chalamet and A24 produced alongside LA-label Nahmias. Emblazoned with the movie’s title, the collection’s polo shirts, soccer kits, and windbreakers sold out at a surprise pop-up in Soho a few weeks ago, and the jacket, in particular has been spotted on Hailey Bieber, Kid Cudi, Kylie Jenner, and perhaps most importantly, Bill Nye, the Science Guy. Good luck getting your hands on one, upcoming drops are likely to go faster than a ping pong smash.

After Demna supersized sneakers at Balenciaga, it was only a matter of time before the pendulum swung back in the other direction. Enter the “sneakerina,” the sleek, über-flat sneaker that became the de-rigueur silhouette this year. Dries Van Noten’s colourful style—available in nylon, leather, and embossed finishes—was popular, but everybody did one, from Puma’s Mary Jane–ish Speedcat to the Ballerina Bad Bunny introduced as part of his ongoing collaboration with Adidas, which even features a split sole, just like the ballet shoes that dancers actually wear.

A pink fair-isle J.Crew sweater went briefly viral in late November after a conservative account called it out on X, formerly known as Twitter, declaring it an affront to masculinity. Although we’ve moved past declarations of colour belonging to any one gender—and pink and other pastels have long been a staple of American men of all persuasions, from New England WASPs to Southern gentlemen—it was a reminder that ragebait will always be fodder for internet discussion. On J.Crew’s website, meanwhile, the sweater is sold out in four out of six available sizes.

The bumster, when Lee Alexander McQueen first introduced it 1993, was a sensation. Never before had a designer made a fetish of the intergluteal cleft, or, as it's colloquially known, butt cleavage. Of course, Sean McGirr would reclaim it as his own as McQueen’s creative director. Exposed hip bones were also big in 2025.