There are more than 100 different fashion weeks that take place worldwide, whether it be from Fiji to Panama or Vancouver to Rio de Janeiro. Rather than listing every fashion show our planet has to offer, let’s narrow it down to the most popular fashion weeks of the bunch — the “big four” if you will. The big four fashion weeks consist of the world’s international fashion capitals: New York Fashion Week, London Fashion Week, Milan Fashion Week and Paris Fashion Week.

The top fashion weeks occur every February and September like clockwork in order for designers and fashion houses alike to debut the upcoming seasonal trends for buyers and the media. I suppose Villa-Vogue falls under the media category, therefore I feel that it’s my duty and responsibility to report the rundown on the big four spring and summer 2022 fashion weeks.

New York Fashion Week is always scheduled to kick off the big four runway debuts and never fails to disappoint. Overt femininity and an emphasis on partywear were two major themes for the NYFW Spring/Summer 2022 runways this year as pieces embracing womanhood and sexuality were readily apparent. 

Unlike its Parisian, English and Italian counterparts, NYFW impresses us with a more eclectic mix of young and upcoming designers. This focus provides viewers with a small glance at the future of fashion. “Who Decides War”did just that through its presentation at the Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum, which detailed models walking on a runway surrounded by jets and helicopter models. “Telfar,” destined to be one of the top up and coming luxury brands, turned heads with their new duffle bag line and Telfar TV announcement, which is the label’s own television channel. Other notable shows from New York Fashion Week include “Willy Chavaria,” “Tombogo,” “Connor McKnight,” and “Head of State.”

More than 90 runway shows took place over the course of the five day event, located from various boroughs in Brooklyn to the Empire State building. Amongst the 90 runway shows, five top trends have been predicted to take on the spring and summer of 2022 by storm, all of which representing different color pallets and patterns to take your closet to the next level: 

Bikinis – Yes, bikinis have always been worn during the summer months, but this year, swimwear is taking a streetwear approach. Rather than sporting a regular top and bottom set, pair a bikini top with a pair of khakis, pencil skirt or suit set.

Crochet – The traditional knitwork of crochet is back once against this upcoming season thanks to brands such as Gabriela Hearst and Ulla Johnson. Whether they be a pair of shorts, a dress, skirt or even pair of socks, crochet is back by popular demand in all shapes and color schemes.

Gingham – The gingham pattern is back once again, folks. However, this time around, gingham is being incorporated in both sporty pieces as well as chic.

The Naked Dress – If it’s not see-through, we don’t want it. Black mesh or loose laced dresses dominated NYFW. Favorite examples of this trend can be seen through Khaite’s collection, which paired the see-through floor length slip dresses with high waisted black underwear. 

All White – High-gloss white is the new nightwear. While black pieces have always been the go-to color after the sun sets, and it’s time to give an all white ensemble a shot. Many designers introduced the trend with dresses incorporating midriff cutouts in order to add a sense of edge to the cleanliness white clothing brings. 

The second of the big four fashion weeks is London Fashion Week, whose main focal points this year focused on innovative, forward designs. Designers for LFW strayed away from utilizing the health crisis theme that has been fashion’s focus for almost two years now. Instead, they highlighted a diverse array of themes as designers embrace their newfound freedom of presenting fashion that has been absent during the pandemic. 

While the British heavyweight brand Burberry was absent from this year’s schedule, designers such as Richard Pyo, Simone Rocha and Roksanda carried London Fashion Week through their notable shows. Top trends reported from LFW for this upcoming spring and summer include:

Neon – The color neon comes and goes in cycles with a rampant bang, followed by a prolonging dead period. Rather than being represented through athletic wear, brands like Molly Goddard and Roksanda are bringing the bright hues back through modernity and sophistication. 

Necklines – LFW represented a collection of dresses with a common theme being strappy halter necklines. Designers like Dojaka and fashion house Givenchy represented the halter silhouette dress with extreme class and timelessness. 

Loose Denim – Baggy jeans have been trending for as long as I can remember. However, this spring and summer, expect baggy denim but to the extreme. 

Cape Dresses – Cape dresses were by far a favorite trend on the London Fashion Week runway. And no, I do not mean the superhero kind. Instead, designers embodied elegant Grecian gowns. Loose fitting and floor length, this style dress includes a drape of fabric that stretches along the backside, covering the shoulders. 

While the city of Milan is renowned for its aspirational luxury, many designers focused on integrating practicality and streetwear. Milan Fashion Week came back full throttle for the spring and summer 2021 season as runways used up-beat positivity as a focal point in celebration of fashion shows making a comeback. 

While New York Fashion Week puts more emphasis on up and coming designers, Milan is known for broadcasting larger fashion houses. The most iconic house collaboration being Prada x Raf Simmons. For any fashion guru, this collaborative showcase is straight out of a dream. Via a live feed, audiences in both Milan and Shanghai watched Prada and Simons’ take on femininity through their showcase of bra cups and corsetry reimagined with a highly contemporary slant. Short lengths, sleek lines and contrasting hard and soft fabric combinations, offered a modern vision of womanhood.

Other notable shows from MFW include Jil Sander, whose show focused on the emotional reasons for making purchases, and Marni, who not only dressed their models but their audience as well. A multitude of trends were forecasted through the runways presented in Milan that should be on everyone’s radars for the following months which include:

“All Weather” Partywear – Designers including Ermannus Scervino incorporated an array of ensembles that embodied a mix of partywear and outerwear. While the idea may seem strange at first, the sporty anoraks paired with sequence floor pants and the water proof mini dresses scream practicality. We certainly cannot forget about the showing of ponchos too. Thanks, Max Mara.

New Prep – Milan brought back preppiness to a whole new level with a “dark academia” twist. Runways included looks adorned with rugby collared shirts, plaid mini skirts and blazers. This preppy fad is not to be mistaken for the stereotypical Vineyard Vines go-to. Think more “private school uniform, but make it trendy.”

Early 2000s – The early 2000s have been making a slow return through Tik Tok during recent months, but MFW had an ode to the double o days. Whether they were sad low rise jeans or extremely cropped party tops, many looks came straight from early JLO and Beyoncé’s closets to the runway.

Finally comes Paris Fashion Week, the conclusion of the month-long fashion marathon. PFW entailed a mix of practicality and sophistication through a collaboration of streetwear and high fashion as many shows were fixated on understanding the reality of our current era. 

Iconic presentations include Rick Owens, Raf Simons, Balmain, Acne Studios, Saint Laurent, Dior and the list truly goes on. Each show was unique in its own sense and brought many new spring and summer trends to the table including: 

Mellow Yellow – Along with the neon color palette from London Fashion Week, Paris introduced soft buttery yellow and dusty rose tones to look forward to in 2022. Givenchy was certainly a powerhouse on the runway when it came to the light pure yellow accompanied by a dijon undertone. 

His Becomes Her – Ambiguous fashion is becoming more and more of a frontrunner for the runway, the star being baggy suit sets. Thom Browne is an example of oversized suit sets presented at PFW with the absence of an undershirt, solely keeping the top as the blazer by itself. 

80s – It appears the spring and summer of 2022 will be all about time travel this year as runways hop from the early 2000s in Milan to the 1980s in Paris. Balmain displayed an amazing presentation focusing on high volume pieces with statement accessories as an ode to this fashionably bold time period.

And just like that, the spring and summer 2022 fashion season has come under wraps. Despite the differences in trends presented at every fashion week, each show held the underlying commonality of hope for the future. Catwalks have officially woken up from their two year hibernation and haven proven to come back as if fashion never left. Although the fashion marathon September brought has come to an end, fashion takes no days off.