Every Going-Out Trend You'll See on the It Girls in 2024

Hear that sound? It's the streets calling your name. Sure, we're only a few days into 2024—hell, some might still be in recovery mode from the festivities—but don't let that deter you. If one of your resolutions is to make a conscious effort to put yourself out there more, then you have to start stacking your calendar. Let's be clear. I'm not saying you should go on a bender, as the "bus, club, another club" ethos is only something a few can commit to doing. However, if you were flaky about making plans last year, now is the time to step out on the town.

Of course, that's easier said than done, as the motivation to leave the house can be elusive. The prospect of dealing with fluctuating temperatures? Eh. Putting on a full face of makeup? Tiring. The most draining part of the process is picking the perfect going-out outfit. Speaking from personal experience, I'm far more likely to cancel any engagement if I don't have the proper eveningwear. I know I'm not the only one guilty of doing this! Therefore, the best way anyone can be coaxed into committing to getting off the couch is to invest in the right clothing. Having a few trend-forward items on hand can make the prospect of getting all gussied up alluring. If you have yet to find those items, don't fret. 

To help you emerge from your shell this year, I've combed through fall/winter 2023 and spring/summer 2024 collections to identify the party trends that are worth purchasing. Ahead, you'll find a breakdown of the six going-out trends that will surely be spotted on the It girls this upcoming year—including you, dear reader. Whether you're planning on going out dancing with the girls, going on a date night, or securing a reservation at the buzziest spot in your city, these trends are sure to make stepping out on the town a lot easier. 

Slip dresses have long been an unsung going-out staple because they can be worn for almost every occasion. Date night? Checkmate. Drinks? Approved by the girls. Weddings? Brides love them. It's no surprise that we see the slip dress carry over from season to season. But make no mistake. Designers didn't just send any old slip dresses down the runway in their spring/summer 2024 collections. This going-out staple was given a significant upgrade with textiles, opacity, and appliqués.

Designers experimented with textiles by opting for unique pairings. Givenchy's F/W 23 collection featured slip dresses made of sheer chiffon and satin draped down the body. Similarly, at Gucci, Sabato De Sarno's debut collection featured slip dresses made from patent leather with lace bodices. Others upped the visual intrigue using opaque materials like sheer crystal mesh or adorning chiffon with colorless sequins, as seen in Stine Goya's, N°21's, and 16Arlington's collections. Possibly the best example of all was the slip dresses spotted in Coperni's collections, in which excess lace was transformed into 3D floral appliqués all over the body. Each subtle tweak made to the slip dress this season was a reminder that changing into something or someone entirely new isn't necessary—you just have to upgrade to the 2.0 version. 

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Unless you've been off the grid, chances are you're no stranger to the rise of the no-pants fashion trend, which first arose in 2022. At the time, it might have seemed like it would be a fleeting trend, but the in crowd quickly took to cementing it as a signature part of the going-out arsenal. It girls like Kendall Jenner, Hailey Bieber, and Bella Hadid have worn their "panties out" on the regular. With every season since this trend's debut, we've seen it subtly evolve. Spring/summer 2024 collections were not immune to this pattern. Unlike previous versions of this trend, which focused solely on the shock factor of exposed panties, we saw designers take a more modest approach to the look by experimenting with tailoring, layering, and textiles. For the latter, hot pants came in materials that didn't necessarily feel lingerie adjacent. For example, Miu Miu's F/W 23 collection had briefs made from wool. In contrast, ACNE Studios' S/S 23 collection featured leather-made ones. 

If textiles weren't how designers aimed to make the exposed-panties trend more polished, they did so through layering. From Nensi Dojaka to LaQuan Smith to Alaïa, we could see exposed bodysuits, thongs, and briefs peaking out underneath sheer skirts, gowns, and catsuits, adding just the right amount of coverage. However, the greatest way in which designers managed to make this risqué trend more wearable was by using tailoring to create the illusion of exposed underpinnings without actually having them all out there. Just reference Henne's collection, in which a low-slung draped skirt perfectly emphasizes the V-cut of a bodysuit, or the overlay thong detail in the jaw-dropping gold runway look from Diesel's S/S 24 collection. They're proof that pulling off the whole "panties out" look is very possible and worth celebrating. 

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It's no secret that many going-out trends transform into the territory of lingerie essentials, such as corset tops, slip dresses, and even the panty party trend. For many designers, underpinnings have always been the basis for sultry going-out looks, so it is no surprise that we'd see many designers turning to the hosiery department for inspiration too. With fall/winter 2023 and spring/summer 2024 collections, we saw an unprecedented embrace of tights on the runway. But it wasn't just that more eveningwear looks featured hosiery on the runway, but that the tights were often the focal point of the entire look. To back that point, one merely needs to look at Gucci's F/W 23 collection, in which bright-green fishnet tights peeked out underneath a sheer black lace gown. You could also look at how other collections paired the party minidress with every tights style imaginable, including fishnets at Victoria Beckham, black sheer tights at Missoni, and colorful ones at Blumarine, LaQuan Smith, and Christian Siriano. Although hosiery styling was varied across the board, designers all seemed to understand a universal truth—great going-out looks begin from the legs up.

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Oh, you thought the naked dress would be left in 2023? Think again. Like it or not, we've seen varied forms of sheer separates continue to dominate the eveningwear category for the past few seasons. Before you decide that you're ready to move past the concept of sheer clothing, you'll want to look a little closer at the fall/winter 2023 and spring/summer 2024 collections. Anyone willing to spend a few extra moments zooming in can immediately see how the concept of the naked dress on the runway has subtly shifted because of designers' emphasis on techniques, silhouettes, and textiles. With the latter, for instance, it was all about using materials that would immediately catch the eye. For example, we saw the usage of an ultra-sheer gauzy knit at Coperni and crystal netted materials at Georges Hobeika, Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini, and Christopher Esber.

Others used appliqué techniques to add visual intrigue to their opaque textiles, like Prabal Gurung. In the brand's S/S 24 collection, a sheer cowl-neck blouse was embellished with raindrop-like sequins that immediately caught this editor's very own attention. However, the most prevalent way designers made this trend one to watch again was through tailoring. After all, is there a better way to keep one's eyes focused on the look than with excellent tailoring? I think not! That emphasis on form was well represented through the gorgeous sheer black gown with a twisted bodice at Givenchy and the draped chocolate-brown dress in Stine Goya's S/S 24 collection. Although seemingly small, the subtle tweaks designers made to sheer separates this season are enough to make anyone want to give the whole naked-dress trend a second glance or chance. 

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Let's be honest. One of the hardest things about committing to going out is changing into overly revealing clothing. Yeah, I love the idea of a naked dress, but I love my cozy sweatshirt more. Luckily, there's one trend that will appeal to even the laziest dressers… hooded clothing. It's worth noting that head covers have always been an essential part of modest dressers' wardrobes, but early last year, we began to see going-out apparel with hoods trending. In part, the rise of this trend can be attributed to Saint Laurent's S/S 23 collection, in which numerous gowns, catsuits, and bodysuits had attached hoods. The collection was met with critical acclaim, quickly gaining a spot in the closets of celebs like Dua Lipa and Miley Cyrus.

Since then, the "hooded figure" look has been spotted in other collections shown during the fall/winter 2023 and spring/summer 2024 seasons in every form imaginable. We've seen everything from a cutout bustier top in Di Pesta's F/W 23 show to gowns with built-in hoods at Bronx and Banco's and Huishan Zhang's S/S 24 shows. If designers didn't create pieces with built-in head covers, then they opted for accessories that would give the appearance of models wearing a hood. For example, a model donned a crystal-embellished hood in David Koma's S/S 24 show. In Buci's and Diesel's S/S 24 shows, beautifully draped silk and chiffon pieces were styled with long scarves that billowed down the body. With so many variations of hooded clothing found on the runway over the past few seasons, there's no shortage of ways to embrace this trend in a way that speaks to you. 

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Lastly, I'd be remiss if I didn't share at least one "shocking " trend because that's the name of the game when it comes to eveningwear. Over the last few seasons, the shock factor around going-out clothing has been tied to how much skin each trend shows. Think of cutouts, exposed g-strings, and even naked dresses. But who said all party trends had to be overly revealing to surprise us? Occasionally, a few trends shake us to our core just because we never expected them to make a comeback. Such is the case with capri pants. Considering how much these pants used to make us all cringe, it's almost confounding to see how designers have managed to make them—dare I say—cool again. Before you pass me off, hear me out. Capri pants can be chic. My case rests not merely on the fact that there were so many capri pants in the spring/summer 2024 collections but on how designers added modern touches to these "dated" pants.

For example, some designers chose to make capri pants contemporary through crafty details like rhinestone embellishments, ruffles adorned with zippers, and even metallic-coated materials. See Retrofête's, Coperni's, and Blumarine's S/S 24 collections. Others leaned on styling to bring these pants back to relevancy, including Andreadamo, which styled black capris with a sheer halter top in its S/S 24 collection. Similarly, at Mirror Palais, cropped carpris were paired with a micro-cardigan. The chicest example of all, though, could be found at Balmain—a white double-breasted blazer was paired with cuffed capris and patent pumps—showing that these pants can indeed be posh. Sure, capri pants won't make it onto everyone's 2024 bingo card, but the trend proves that the best party clothes are the ones that can surprise us and make the prospect of dressing up for the evening delightful. 

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