The beginning of a new year typically serves as a time for reflection and pause – it’s a moment to take stock and decide what you want to bring with you into the next 12 months, and also what you want to leave behind. This doesn’t just apply to household habits and resolutions surrounding work goals – this also is a sensible moment to do an audit of your wardrobe before investing in anything new. Luckily, the spring/summer 2025 collections, which will arrive in a matter of weeks, have provided us with endless styling ideas for the year ahead.
We have combed through hundreds of catwalk images to find six looks that feel really modern and fresh, but will be easy for you to recreate with simple, classic pieces. There are several designers that lead the way when it comes to minimalist outfit ideas or new styling moves, including Miu Miu, Bottega Veneta and The Row. There can be an assumption that minimalist dressing errs on the boring side, however we find the opposite to be true, as pared-back looks can help put extra emphasis on clever styling and interesting construction. Lots of designers use one striking piece to spice up an otherwise simple look – at The Row, it was a statement checked shirt, while Khaite layered silk trousers underneath sleeveless dresses to create a more unique, layered look.
These outfits have also made us excited about wearing check separates, tailored trousers and sporty track jackets, confirming that these are the staples that minimalists will love in 2025 and beyond.
The Row’s take on a flannel shirt
The Row always dictates how minimalists will dress for the year ahead, and for 2025 it continued to add pops of red into the mix, as it did in 2024. One of our favourite looks was this pair of black barrel-leg jeans, with a classic red and blue checked shirt. Simple, but effective.
Silk trousers layered under dresses
There was a lightness to the Khaite spring/summer 2025 offering, with weightless fabrics and wisp-of-a-thing dresses. Catherine Holstein offered up a masterclass in elegance by layering white sleeveless shift dresses over champagne-hued silk trousers.
Double up on check
Moody check prints are having a moment for spring 2025, with contrasting plaids spliced together in a ’90s grunge fashion. This is a more polished take on the trend than we saw elsewhere, and it’s more refined than the Nirvana-coded styling that once appalled fashion critics. Instead of well-worn flannel shirts, if you stick to tailored pieces in a similar greyscale colour palette, your outfit will look cohesive, rather than anarchic.
Layered tailored separates
You can always rely on Bottega Veneta to set the styling agenda for the year ahead, and the spring/summer 2025 collection served plenty of new layering ideas. Skirts layered over trousers might give millennials flashbacks to TammyGirl skousers (or maybe that’s just me), however this is a polished take on the ’00s look. The colourways made these outfits look elevated (there were several iterations in the collection), while the tailored workwear pieces stopped it from being too “out there”. It might seem like a divisive proposition, but Matthieu Blazy managed to make it a crowd-pleaser.
A windbreaker will be a surprisingly versatile staple
Editors were obsessed with this look as soon as it hit the runway, as it nods to sportswear, without looking like you’re lost on the way back from the gym. Trust Miu Miu to do the impossible and make a windbreaker jacket the coolest thing to wear right now. Although the jacket is a curveball choice that might push minimalists out of their comfort zone, the combination of grey, black and white will keep it feeling suitably timeless.
Jeans and a tank 2.0
16Arlington always finds clever ways to reimagine established outfit formulas, and for 2025 a jeans and tank were re-energised via a clever use of texture and colour. Instead of blue denim, the outfit was grounded in slouchy corduroy trousers, and a sheer knitted tank (also realised in dark brown) spiced up the ensemble. Again, the accessories matter here, as the bag was nonchalantly tucked under the arm.
