6 Trends That Will Be Everywhere This Fall, According to PureWow Editors

Even though Gen Z may be appalled that we millennials are wearing heels at all, at least this fall’s iteration is slightly more comfortable…and warmer. Yep, get ready to rock your Mary Janes Clueless style by pairing them with frilly white socks, a la Taylor Swift at a recent London Era’s party. PureWow’s associate fashion commerce editor Stephanie Meraz has spotted this look all over the runway, from Valentino’s Resort 2025 show to Orseund Iris’s new neutrals collection. She’s also seen the footwear trend out and about, particularly on many of the guests at Copenhagen fashion week. “Come fall, I always dread the thought of stashing away my summer heels, so I love how this trend affords me an opportunity to sport them for longer than usual. Unique and fresh, the unlikely pairing is a sure-fire way to catapult you into instant coolness,” she says.

File this one in the category of things I didn’t know existed. But per Pinterest’s fall trend report, searches for “Cookbook Club” are up 130 percent. What is a cookbook club you ask? Well, it’s essentially a club where, instead of reading God of the Woods or Reese’s most recent pick, you pick a cookbook (one of Ina’s perhaps?), then assign each of your guests a dish to make and bring from it. PureWow’s books editor Sarah Stiefvater loves it as a cozy way to gather your friends in autumn and an easy alternative during a time of year when it can be hard to find time to read a full novel.

PureWow home editor Sydney Meister can’t stop raving about burl wood, aka a type of wood that shows the grain’s natural, knobby and irregular swirls—typically with a sleek, glossy finish. It was super-hot in the 70s and is, this season, popping up on everything from accent tables to storage cabinets to jewelry boxes. Architectural Digest predicts that designers and homeowners will begin using it in earnest in the coming months, and honestly…why wouldn’t you? It’s sleek and organic and modern, feeling both contemporary and just a little funky. “I think it harkens back to the idea that everyone wants to make a statement in a natural way,” says Meister.

Giant inflatables are out. Oversized skeletons are still in (phew). But this year’s biggest trend, says PureWow’s VP of Content (and unofficial Halloween expert) Candace Davison, is a hippie-ghost vibe. Think: Stevie Nicks lace caftans and décor that feels like a headshop, voodoo shop and Grateful Dead concert all in one. Michaels’ new “haunted forest” collection is full of table top animal skulls and snake-emblazoned poison bottles, but I’m partial to the large silver skeleton key, which could easily stay up after Halloween for a more general boho aesthetic.

With an election that changed candidates three months out, it makes sense that we’re operating at the speed of TikTok, and the prevalence of quickly adoptable (and often soon forgettable) memes and sayings speaks to this frenzy. Think: the rise of “brat,” camo hats, coconut tree emojis…not to mention band-aids on ears and the coded use of the words “weird,” “demure” and even “sofa.” As the campaigns kick into high gear this fall, expect more memes and sound bites to crop up. Enjoy ‘em. Use ‘em. Beware of the AI phonies. But overall, just make sure you also get out there and vote!