It was a year of power shifts and moments that mattered beyond the clothes.
2025 wasn’t a year you could sum up with hemlines or color trends. Fashion feels heavier than that because it is more tied to people, positions, and long-standing systems being adjusted or passed on.
Black style and tailoring took over at the Met Gala. Anna Wintour stepped back from her editor-in-chief role at AmericanVogue. A record-breaking Birkin sale reminded everyone how deeply fashion is tied to history, money, and mythology. Designers debuted at major houses, others exited after shockingly short tenures, and creative control shifted faster than the industry could comfortably keep up with.
Film, too, became part of the conversation. The Devil Wears Prada 2 blurred the line between costume and commentary, while Gucci skipped the runway altogether and chose storytelling over a runway show.
Taken together, these moments didn’t just define the year. They revealed what fashion is paying attention to now, what it’s letting go of, and what kind of future it’s quietly preparing for.
Met Gala reframes power dressing
In May, the 2025 Met Gala shifted the conversation around menswear and what power dressing actually means. The 2025 theme, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” placed Black fashion history at the center of one of fashion’s biggest nights. Inspired by Monica L. Miller’s book Slaves to Fashion, the exhibit traced how Black men have used tailoring, detail, and personal style as a way to claim space, identity, and authority across centuries.
This wasn’t about traditional tuxedos or just red carpet looks. The dress code, “Tailored for You,” pushed guests to think about intention, culture, and personal history. The result was a red carpet shaped by sharp suits, rich fabrics, bold silhouettes, and meaningful references. With co-chairs like Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, A$AP Rocky, and Pharrell Williams, the night stood out as one of 2025’s most thoughtful fashion moments.
Anna Wintour steps back from American Vogue
In June, Anna Wintour announced she would step back as editor-in-chief of AmericanVogue, ending a 37-year run. The move didn’t mean an exit. Wintour retained her roles as Vogue’s global editorial director and Condé Nast’s chief content officer, continuing to oversee the company’s major titles worldwide. What changed was the structure. The editor-in-chief role at Vogue was replaced with a new position, head of editorial content, which will report directly to her.
Wintour joined Vogue in 1988 and quickly changed how fashion magazines worked, mixing couture with denim, introducing celebrities on covers, and spotlighting emerging designers. Her decision to step back marked a leadership shift in fashion media and signaled a handover moment, even as she remains firmly in control of the bigger picture.
Jane Birkin’s original Hermès bag breaks records
In July, the original Birkin bag made fashion history again. The very first Birkin, made for Jane Birkin in the mid-1980s, was sold at auction by Sotheby’s in Paris for €8.6 million, making it the most expensive handbag ever sold. The black leather bag, designed after a chance meeting between Birkin and Hermès executive Jean-Louis Dumas, set the blueprint for one of fashion’s most sought-after pieces. Here are interesting facts about the most coveted bag.
Miley Cyrus becomes the first-ever face of Maison Margiela
In August, Maison Margiela did something it had never done before. After nearly four decades, the fashion house fronted its Autumn/Winter 2025 campaign with a celebrity, naming Miley Cyrus as its first-ever face. Shot by Paolo Roversi and released on the brand’s official Instagram, the campaign stayed firmly rooted in Margiela’s visual language. Cyrus appeared in stark portraits, her body covered in white paint, referencing the house’s bianchetto technique first introduced in 1989.
The passing of Giorgio Armani
In September, the fashion world lost Giorgio Armani, whose influence reached far beyond the runway. He died peacefully in Milan at 91, just weeks before the brand’s planned 50th anniversary celebration. From launching his label in 1975 to building a global fashion group, Armani changed how men and women dressed by making clothes feel lighter, easier, and more wearable. He softened the suit for men and gave women an option that felt confident without being restrictive.
Armani also reshaped Hollywood style. Long before stylists and viral red carpet moments became the norm, he worked closely with actors to create looks that felt timeless on screen and off. The 1990 Oscars, often called “the Armani Awards,” cemented his place in red carpet history, with Julia Roberts’ oversized gray suit becoming one of his most talked-about moments.
To honor that side of his legacy, we’re looking back at some of his most unforgettable red carpet looks. Read our visual tribute here.
The Devil Wears Prada 2
We couldn’t talk about fashion in 2025 without mentioning The Devil Wears Prada 2. Filming picked up this year, and between on-set photos and carefully staged appearances, the sequel gave fashion fans plenty to talk about. Andy Sachs’ updated wardrobe hinted at a character who no longer dresses to fit in, while Miranda Priestly returned looking less rigid but just as in control.
One of the most talked-about moments came during Milan Fashion Week in September. Miranda Priestly and Nigel Kipling appeared in character at the Dolce & Gabbana Spring show, sitting front row alongside Naomi Campbell and hairstylist Chris Appleton. It was playful, self-aware, and perfectly timed. With the film set to hit theaters just before the first Monday in May, consider us fully invested. Gird your loins.
The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show returns
The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show was staged in October in New York. The 2025 runway brought back favorite Angels such as Adriana Lima, Alessandra Ambrosio, Candice Swanepoel, Behati Prinsloo, and Doutzen Kroes, but placed them alongside the new generation of angles like Precious Lee, Iris Law, Barbie Ferreira, and Yumi Nu.
And for the first time, professional athletes also walked the show. WNBA star Angel Reese and Olympic gymnast Suni Lee marked a shift in who gets to be seen in this space. Performances came from Madison Beer, Karol G, Missy Elliott, and TWICE.
Jonathan Anderson takes over Dior
Jonathan Anderson’s arrival at Dior became one of 2025’s most closely watched fashion shifts. In June, he debuted Dior Homme Spring/Summer 2026 at Hôtel des Invalides, introducing his take on menswear. The clothes leaned classic but slightly off in proportion or finish with baggy trousers with sharper tops, cravats with oversized coats, fisherman sandals paired with tailoring. The palette stayed soft, with faded blues, cream, and green, grounding the collection in everyday wear.
By October, Anderson presented his first Dior womenswear collection for Spring/Summer 2026. Shown at the Tuileries, the collection revisited house codes like the Bar jacket, bows, hats, and historic references, but reshaped them with lighter fabrics and more movement.
Gucci skips the runway with The Tiger
For Spring/Summer 2026, Gucci chose not to stage a runway show. Instead, the brand introduced the collection through The Tiger, a short film directed by Spike Jonze and Halina Reijn. The project marked Demna’s first official collection as Gucci’s creative director and immediately set a different tone. Rather than leaning into spectacle, the film unfolded like a darkly comic family drama centered on power, image, and control.
Starring Demi Moore as the fictional head of Gucci International, the film featured an ensemble cast including Elliot Page, Keke Palmer, Kendall Jenner, and Alex Consani. Ahead of the premiere, Demna released Gucci: La Famiglia, a digital lookbook shot by Catherine Opie that introduced characters tied to the film’s world. The clothes leaned into Gucci signatures, from monogram and bamboo to metallic gowns and sculptural boots, signaling a clear shift in how the brand wants to be seen.
Matthieu Blazy opens his Chanel era
Matthieu Blazy presented his first collection for Chanel with the Spring 2026 show at the Grand Palais, marking the beginning of his tenure as the house’s new creative director. The show was his first opportunity to set a direction for Chanel after officially taking over the role earlier this year.
The clothes referenced Coco Chanel’s use of menswear, with tailored jackets, wool trousers, and oversized shirts. Classic Chanel pieces such as tweed suits, pearl details, and the 2.55 bag returned, but were styled to look worn, softened, and less rigid.
Fashion’s biggest game of musical chairs
If 2025 felt confusing to follow, it’s because fashion barely stood still. Leading into Spring/Summer 2026, major houses changed creative directors at a rapid pace, sometimes after just one collection. Announcements came back to back, reshaping brands almost overnight.
Jonathan Anderson took on Dior’s menswear, womenswear, and couture. Demna left Balenciaga for Gucci, while Pierpaolo Piccioli moved into Balenciaga. Glenn Martens stepped in at Maison Margiela, Matthieu Blazy was named Chanel’s next creative director, and Louise Trotter took over at Bottega Veneta. Loewe tapped Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, Celine appointed Michael Rider, and Balmain named Antonin Tron.
These moves will affect what shows look like, what stores sell, and which designers set the tone for the next few years.
