Fall fashion trends at Yale

Kate Soo Hyun Kim

The cooling temperatures and a festive essence escorts in a noticeable transition in fashion. Yale’s unique vogue is evident every season, but this year’s fall introduced some remarkable trends.

As a New Haven local, the Yale student’s fashion has inspired many of my own outfits. In my sophomore year of high school, a gorgeous camel leather jacket strutting down Cross Campus inspired a four-year long search for my own; I finally found my Cross-Campus crush — pictured above — in a Buffalo Exchange in Brooklyn this fall break. 

For the first time in my life, I’m not looking as an outsider into the Yale bubble — I’m now a part of it. With my student identity, I have a new-found appreciation for style and fashion, whether it be taking inspiration from passersby on the intersection by Schwarzman or watching the runways during Fashion Week. 

While the most recent Fashion Week — Spring/Summer 2025 — took place in early September, this week’s edition of YWear covers my inspiration for the column: Yale fall fashion, and — a short but necessary review of the Fall/Winter 2024 runway, because runways steer what the average consumer buys, wears, and deems fashionable. 

Practically an ode to the ’90s, the current Yale student combines the sleek, minimalism of the early to mid-90s with an eclectic modern influence which is characterized by an age of fashion that is not defined by one silhouette or style of clothing. Whether it be a fusion of different cultural styles, inspiration from vastly different eras of American fashion or the embrace of​ more alternative, creative cuts on social media, the digital age cultivates the very different styles we see every single day.  

But trends are trends, and they are always evolving. 

The top trending accessory at Yale for Fall 2024 is the Longchamp Le Pliage bag. 

In its variety of colors, the Le Pliage bag seems to be taking over Yale’s campus. The bag’s distinct shape and leather flap makes it recognizable even from across Beinecke Plaza. If you’re interested in a profile on the bag, stay tuned for the next edition of YWear! 

The top trending shoe at Yale for Fall 2024 is a knee-high boot in all types of silhouettes: cowboy boots, riding boots, moto boots, rain boots. 

Whether it be the Frye Harness or the Original Hunter Rain Boots — of Princess Diana fame — a knee-high boot seems to be the calling card of a Yalie fashionista. 

Often paired with a mini-skirt and topped with a leather jacket to make the simplistic yet impactful silhouette of the chic Yale student’s uniform, knee-high boots have made their mark on the fall fashion scene. 

The top trending textile at Yale for Fall 2024 is leather.

I know, maybe too broad of a choice to be worth mentioning as a “trending” textile but everyone and their mother has been wearing leather jackets and toting around leather bags! Moto jackets or oversized bomber jackets are especially trendy for the chic-stylists of Yale, and bigger leather bags — hobo, shoulder, crossbody — have been showcased around campus. 

Bringing it back to the runways, the trend of leather jackets — oversized, moto, biker — and bags can be traced back to fall/winter 2024 collections. 

While I wish I could write about all the fashion houses’ runways, to spare this article from being longer than it already is, my short review will be on my favorite runway from fall/winter 2024: Ralph Lauren. 

Ralph Lauren’s 2024 fall collection featured an abundance of furs, suede, glitzy floor-length dresses, natural leathers and a western flair to belts and bags. With some models strutting down the runway with a cowboy hat and clad in shimmery gold gowns, the juxtaposition of the sleek garments and the rugged frontier suede bring out a laid-back aura to the classic Ralph Lauren cut. Cinched waists are also in for Ralph Lauren, with all blazers and coats having a natural stitched cinch or utilizing a belt to create the hourglass silhouette. Overall, Ralph Lauren’s 2024 fall collection effortlessly plays between powerful office wear and attire for glittering holiday parties.

So what’s next for fashion at Yale? While we’ve covered trending items for fall, the transitional season is known to be unpredictable in New Haven, so we may be transitioning into winter attire much sooner than we wish. Winter predictions? A-line silhouettes, dark dark brown — which pairs so well with Yale Blue — and double breasted coats.

For me, campus fashion has always been a reflection of self-discovery and identity. For many students, college is the first time we’re not bound by a small-town mentality or stricter parents and can fully come into our own styles.   

Ultimately, campus fashion isn’t just about trends; it’s a celebration of individuality and expression. So whether you like bold colors, or a minimalist color palette, wear what makes you confident and true to yourself. 

Fashion is often industry-driven and seasonal-based, meaning cultural shifts, designers, and fashion houses more or less control the ebb and flow of trending silhouettes, colors, and articles. If you’ve noticed an influx of bows (on sweaters, in hair, on bags) or youthful, a-line silhouettes, you’ve seen the lasting impact of the Miu Miu ballet flats, one of the main components of the “coquette aesthetic” 

The ballerina-inspired shoes, which made its first appearance in the brand’s 2016 spring/summer collection were brought back for Miu Miu’s 2022 fall collection.

While the ballerina-flat silhouette was certainly not started by the brand, the flats – along with the embrace of soft pinks and bows by houses such as Sandy Liang – brought the rage of the “coquette” aesthetic to mainstream fashion.