From Orange Weddings to Rom-Com Core: 7 Styles and Trends to Rock in 2023

You might read “crown care” and assume we’ll all be wearing ruby-encrusted tiaras. Unfortunately for Ren Fair fans, crown care actually refers to an enhanced interest in maintaining and nurturing a healthy scalp and head of hair. In the past few years, eyebrows have dominated fashion and beauty. For 2023, it’s back to the roots.

Pinterest Predicts, a future-trends report from the online platform, anticipates that Generation Xers and Baby Boomers will prioritize “skinification,” a focus on the scalp and crown of the hair. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Pinterest believes that Gen Zers and millennials will be wearing bright, bejeweled colors in their manes.

Speaking of color, Pantone Color Institute’s Color of the Year for 2023 is Viva Magenta, a rich hue from the red family that fuses dark purple with crimson shades. The organization, which establishes colors for a variety of industries, describes the color as glamorous, fearless, joyful, and energetic. Pantone believes that Viva Magenta will be appearing on everything, from fashion to home décor.

Meanwhile, when it comes to weddings, Pinterest suspects we’ll be seeing bright splashes of orange amongst traditionally white dresses. Bouquets, bridal party attire, and decorations will boast big pops of orange next year, especially in tonal hues such as rust and burnt orange.

Angela Baidoo, a London-based freelance fashion trend forecaster and senior fashion editor at The Impression, says that “utility” is one of fashion’s biggest buzzwords for 2023. She points to “everything from multi-pockets to cargo pants and varying shades of green and greige” as examples of this emerging trend.

Baidoo, who studied at London College of Fashion, suggests that utility “speaks to fashion’s move towards a more gender-fluid mindset where clothes should be made to be worn by all, reducing waste by blurring the gender lines.” She also says that we can expect to see roomier silhouettes, repurposed vintage military wear, and “humble materials, such as cotton canvas.”

After years of pandemic lockdowns, 2022 was a year of much excess with “revenge travel” and dramatic silhouettes, but 2023 will see many opting for subtler pleasures when it comes to beauty in the form of “micro makeovers,” the term for a physical tweak to create big yet subtle changes in appearance, such as itty-bitty bangs, short bobs, and mini French nails.

Barbiecore is growing up. Many trend forecasters believe hyper-feminine touches from the early 2000s will be revived for 2023 in an aesthetic dubbed “rom-com core,” inspired by such looks as Jennifer Garner’s slip dress in 13 Going on 30, Gabrielle Union’s skirt-and-jacket sets in Deliver Us From Eva, and Kate Hudson’s patterned ensembles in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.

“Hemlines are rising, necklines are lowering, and the midriff is becoming the new erogenous zone,” says Baidoo, who points to Reese Witherspoon’s character Elle Woods from the Legally Blonde franchise as a style icon who has inspired people for more than 20 years.

In fashion, the slow movement — where sustainability and intentionality reign supreme— will continue to influence shoppers. “Keeping clothing for longer is very important for the majority of consumers,” says Dawn C.L. Pedersen, creative director of fashion forecasting service Trendzoom.

Pedersen believes there will be more purchases of investment pieces made of high-quality materials that endure and last longer, such as cashmere, denim, and leather — both faux and otherwise. “There’s also the growing demand for pre-loved products, as well as being good for the planet,” she adds. “It’s leading people to express themselves confidently in uniquely styled pieces.”

Pinterest Predicts’ trend report notes that searches for shimmery dresses on the platform have gone up by more than 300 percent. Baidoo speculates that’s because of the continued obsession with all things historical, citing the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the continued popularity of shows like Bridgerton and The Crown. “Attention will return to the waist with corsets and crinolines,” Baidoo suggests. “Fabric will also become much more decorative. Think: lace and embellishment.”

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Anne McCarthy is a freelance writer who splits her time between the U.S. and Europe. She has contributed to the BBC, The Guardian, Wired, Cosmopolitan, and Business Insider. Follow her on Twitter @annemitchmcc.

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