ELLE

Spring 2023 was one of the most boundary-pushing seasons in recent memory, and the spring fashion issue you hold in your hands is a celebration of the inventiveness we saw on runways around the world. To bring the magic of the season onto the page, we called on a host of top-tier talents: Mario Sorrenti photographs our cover star Gigi Hadid; Ezra Petronio and Anastasia Barbieri take us on a trip to ’70s Paris; Brigitte Niedermair and Karen Langley rev things up with the motocross trend; Christian MacDonald and ELLE Fashion Director Alex White showcase the new “soft power” dressing against the rainy backdrop of New York City streets; Sharif Hamza and White bring a punk twist to the season’s lingerie motifs; and Richie Shazam and the legendary Patti Wilson…

1 The BAG Proof positive that Matthieu Blazy has the Midas touch: Bottega Veneta’s new gold-tipped medium Solstice bag. Shoulder bag, Bottega Veneta, bottegaveneta.com. 2 The NECKLACE Chain-link styles continue to trend, but Nikos Koulis steps things up with his 18K yellow gold and white diamond Together style. Necklace, Nikos Koulis, Bergdorf Goodman, NYC. 3 The BOOT Try a new twist on the beloved Hermès equestrian staple with this version, featuring artfully perforated leather. Boot, Hermès, $3,025, hermes.com. COURTESY OF THE DESIGNERS; FOR DETAILS, SEE SHOPPING GUIDE.…

What happens to fashion when it’s sprinkled with a puff of pixie dust? The house of Etro, synonymous with finely tailored caftans, layers of paisley chiffon, and billowing beach ensembles, was long the wardrobe for high-toned hippies traveling the world. But with Marco De Vincenzo, the brand’s first creative director from outside the Etro family, the Italian fashion house is going on a very different journey—a trip to a dream world of the designer’s own imagination. “My vision has always been about fairy-tale fashion,” says De Vincenzo, surrounded by racks of his hallucinogenic-print creations at the brand’s Milan headquarters. His method? Start with the familiar and warp it into something more chimerical, and more startling. Case in point: a clog transformed from humble to fantastical with a towering platform and heel…

Broccoli dangling from a chain. Sickly-sweet pearlescent flowers. A miniature house hanging from a handle. These random assortments of art objects are the latest lineup of conversation pieces in fashion. Just look at Gucci’s mesmerizing Gizmo and crystal-covered bear charms—not meant to be adored from afar or sit on a shelf, but to be worn with expressive impact. Novelty is thriving. Lately, fashion is being filtered through an absurdist lens, and in a world that seems to have hit peak luxury, nothing feels more joyful than wearing a bag that doesn’t take itself so seriously. Who would have thought the most in-demand clutch of the season would resemble a literal pigeon? Designer Jonathan Anderson’s 3D-printed version of the city-dwelling bird has been seen on street-style stars and donned by one of…

Hailey Bieber presumably has access to every piece of designer clothing she could possibly want. Yet when given the opportunity to flex her design skills, she skipped the sequins and ball gowns and instead dreamed up double-breasted overcoats, long-sleeve tees, and pleated trousers. Her capsule collection with Wardrobe.NYC came about because even she felt like she was missing “forever go-to essentials,” as she told Net-a-Porter. It’s not just Bieber. Many in her cohort—like Kendall Jenner, Emma Chamberlain, and Kaia Gerber, as well as plenty of non-celebrities—have been drawn to wardrobe staples from contemporary, minimalist brands created in the past decade, such as Anine Bing, Toteme, The Frankie Shop, and Raey. They’re doing big business, too, with The Frankie Shop pulling in over $40 million in 2022 net sales and 100…

When Kate Moss made a surprise appearance on Bottega Veneta’s spring 2023 runway, perhaps the biggest shock was what she was wearing. The icon who launched a thousand Pinterest boards had traded her glam It Girl ensembles for simple, oversize jeans and a Kurt Cobain–worthy flannel-print shirt. The moment turned out to be a trend indicator of sorts, as the season hummed with white undershirts, reimagined denim (rendered in leather at Bottega Veneta or comically oversize at Vaquera), and quirky dad caps on street-style stars. Welcome to the new era of normcore—and all the 2010s nostalgia that comes with it. We’ve been living in a period of maximalist fashion during the pandemic, and now that more-is-more approach is starting to rub off on even the humblest of garments for spring. Just…