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The Summer of Micro Trends
Ballet sneakers, denim that deceives and charms that have too much to say.
Trends may start small, but all it takes is a buzzy runway show or a viral Tiktok to bring them into the mainstream. In 2025, there’s not just one, but a handful of styles have found themselves at the center of the cultural conversation. What do they have in common? A sense of nostalgia for the peak Y2K era, paired with a modern individuality seen through the lens of social media — buying into what’s cool while doing it in a way that feels tailored to an individual POV. Yes, everyone’s wearing it, but on their own terms. Explore the ways in which three trends have broken out over the last few years, and why now is the perfect time to embrace them.
Dylan Blanco wears Acne Studios Loose Fit Denim Shorts.
Trompe L’œil
Trompe l'œil, which translates to “deceiving the eye” is a trend in which the clothes worn are not quite what they seem — with graphic designs that offer a sense of surprise. Yes, your eyes are playing tricks on you. Y/Project and Jean Paul Gauiltier resurrected the trend in 2022 in bold colors and graphic prints, but it wasn’t always the most wearable. Our Legacy ran with the aesthetic in a way that was more applicable to everyday, tricking the eye with distressed denim, its tears and seams printed on instead of actually being ripped. Their take spurred a range of follow-up takes on the aesthetic from brands like Acne Studios. 424 interpreted the look through a sportswear lens — an avant garde way of making something old feel fresh again. The brand’s January 2025 show in Paris debuted a collab with Nike, reimagining classic styles like a soccer jersey and Air Foamposite Ones through the 424 lens — things are not what they seem. But, trompe l’oeil is not all clothes on clothes — the Magic Eye-coded designs can also replicate the shape of the body, or someone holding it. The trend, which took off in the ‘90s is perhaps most famously known in the work of designer Jean Paul Gaultier, whose iconic Spring/Summer 1996 muscle-print top made it appear as if the wearer had a 6-pack. Martin Margiela, who worked under Gaultier from 1984-1987, made trompe l’oeil a signature of his own brand, including splashing slips onto dress silhouettes, his famous trompe l’oeil tattoo shirt from 1989 sits in the Met’s collection. Dior (under John Galliano) also found ways to explore this trend, which at the time offered something playful and subversive — Fashion that didn’t take itself too seriously. While the return has been permeating for a few years now, it was particularly prevalent on current runways. Bottega Veneta embraced the trend in 2023 with leather separates painted to look like jeans and plaid shirts. For Spring/Summer 2025, Prada sent a pair of belted wool trousers down the runway, only to discover up close that they’re actually made of lightweight cotton, while KidSuper created puppet on the runway, wearing clothes printed to look like wood bodies. As a new generation of Gen Z shoppers are embracing some of the Y2K era’s more avant garde designers, they’re also helping to spearhead a return of this trend. At a time when over half of teens want to be influencers, and success online is dictated by an algorithm that thrives on controversy, sharing snaps in something that’s made to make you stop and question what you’re seeing is a way to instantly stand out.
Amare Davis wearing the Gymnasium Technical Ballerinas from Miu Miu.
Ballet Sneakers
For years, chunky, sport-inspired sneakers dominated the trend cycle. But over the last year, a new collection of slimmer silhouettes has started to tip the scales. Based on running sneakers of the ‘70s and ballet flats, and driven by the popularity of Margiela Tabis — in flat and Mary Jane iterations. Nike Air Rift (which debuted in 1996) and Adidas Taekwondo (which was big in the early aughts) have both seen an uptick of interest as a new generation of shoppers discover them for the first time. Besides a flatter, more streamlined silhouette, other ballet-inspired details like a Mary Jane strap and bow details define this era.
Designer players are also helping to steer the trend — Louis Vuitton debuted the sleek Sneakerina in April, Acne Studios and Simone Rocha put their own spins on the trend. Cecilie Bahnsen and MM6 partnered with traditionally sporty sneaker labels Asics and Salomon for ballet-inspired riffs. Miu Miu debuted the Gymnasium Tech Ballerinas for Spring/Summer 2025, building off of both the ballerina flats it showed in 2023 and its ongoing collaboration with New Balance, which first launched in 2022. While Prada Sport pioneered the style back in the ‘90s, the brand continues to reinvent the minimalist style via the Nylon Collapse Sneaker.
In the menswear space, the rise of the “soft boy” aesthetic has led to the inclusion of leather ballet flats — appearing on the runways of Bode, Jil Sander and Dries Van Noten in 2020. Now, the style has continued to attract mainstream attention, making the intersectional ballet sneaker an ideal evolution. Dries Van Noten’s slim sneakers have dominated the group chats of fashion editors and stylists since it debuted for Fall/Winter 2024 — a luxury silhouette for both women and men. Following suit, for 2025 Adidas announced a partnership with singer Bad Bunny debuting a suede ballerina sneaker.
As trends have skewed toward the more subdued quiet luxury aesthetic, a more pared-down sneaker, that draws inspiration from a minimalist ballet flat, feels more in line with the khaki coats, neutral sweaters and high-waisted trousers than their bolder and more attention-grabbing predecessors. But, don’t mistake these shoes for something boring. Building on their retro influences and the frankensteined details borrowed from ballet shoes, these shoes have an innate ability to morph stylistically from sporty to feminine, which is why you’ll also see labels like Simone Rocha and Wales Bonner buying in.
Katie Xie wearing the Stickers Bag Charm from Marc Jacobs.
Bag Charms
Jane Birkin, the namesake of Hermès' iconic Birkin bag is known to have accentuated her oversized black bag with a collection of beads, bows and decorations — a woman ahead of her sartorial time. Though she wasn’t the first to adorn a purse with a collection of personalized charms, her styling has perhaps become one of the most iconic examples.
Today, bag charms have infiltrated runways. Momentum took off after Miu Miu’s Spring/Summer 2024 runway, when women carried lived-in totes, loaded with Birkin-esque necklaces and nylon ropes. At Fendi’s Fall/Winter 2024 show, lollipop cases were swinging from the sides of bags. Loewe has embraced cuteness with everything from veggie charms to felted animals, an extension of the flora and fauna-inspired bags he’s sent down the runway in recent seasons (including that viral Tomato clutch). Coach’s New-York inspired taxi cabs and apple charms went viral after their appearance on the Spring/Summer 2025 runway. Brands like Brunello Cuchinelli, Marc Jacobs, and Prada are even creating miniature bags to keep the real thing company.
Even more prevalent have been the ways that trendsetters have found ways to put their own personal spin on designer bags, layering a mix of luxury charms, handmade keychains and other personalized details to create a DIY explosion of chotchkes. Those that purchased Fendi bugs or Prada robot charms a decade ago, have reason to wear them again).
In direct opposition to the austerity of quiet luxury, charms offer a chance to add a custom touch to a simple staple and infuse a little bit of personality into a look. Though some handbag styles, like Balenciaga’s Spring/Summer 2025 Rodeo bag and Prada’s Soft Sound bag come with charms already a part of your purchase, other brands offer charms that allow fans to buy into a designer label that they might not otherwise be able to. For decades Hermes even created their own spin on the charm trend, since 2013 by way of leather Rodeo Pegase, which let the wearer add a little bit of Birkin in their own wardrobe, at a fraction of the price.
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