NEW YORK DESIGNERS REJECT THE MINI SKIRT TREND FOR FALL 2023

Did Miuccia Prada understand the international implications of her Spring 2022 Miu Miu collection? Specifically, the micro mini skirts that went on to reappear in future seasons, reignite our collective interest in super-short hemlines and spur countless other versions seen on runway after runway across fashion weeks? While it may have just been written off as a nostalgia play back then, the mini skirt came back in full force, establishing itself once again as a staple. But could the hold it's had on fashion now be loosening?

If the Fall 2023 debuts in New York Fashion Week are any indication, designers are rekindling their interest in knee-and-longer lengths. On the runway, we saw a greater emphasis on long full skirts, pencil skirts and A-line skirts, styled with blazers, overcoats, bra tops and corsets alike. Now, that might not seem that surprising, given that we're talking about cold-weather collections, but seasonality hasn't stopped brands from incorporating micro minis into their autumnal lines (or people from wearing them in the winter) before. 

This also isn't to say that the mini skirt is gone, by any means — there were still plenty of new riffs on the style among New York designers. (Also, is any item ever "gone"?) The tide does seem to be turning, though, with long hemlines reentering the chat. Here's a small sampling of the looks we saw on the Fall 2023 runways in New York that support longer skirt lengths for Q4, from Puppets and Puppets and Sandy Liang to Tory Burch and Brandon Maxwell.