Fashion says the oversized look is on the way out. Here's what's replacing it.

high-endThe fashion cycle moves so fast these days that one scroll of TikTok will give you whiplash. Attach "core" to the end of something and you've got yourself the micro-trend of the week: ballet-core, cottage-core, gorp-core, grandad-core…

But thankfully, some trends have actual staying power. The oversized look — that is, wearing clothes that are intentionally roomy — tracks all the way back to before the pandemic.

Watch: See how many outfits we can create with 3 tops, 3 bottoms, and 3 pairs of shoes. Post continues below.

From season to season, high end brands like Balenciaga, Stella McCartney and The Row have been telling us to go bigger — to upsize. You can't walk into H&M or Cotton On without bumping into a pair of wide-leg jeans or a loose tee, and the baggy look is so popular among Gen-Z it's basically a uniform.

For some people, there's an ease to wearing clothes that don't cling. For others, there's freedom in abandoning traditional ideas of what's "flattering" for what is simply comfortable. And many of us are just addicted to styling oversized blazers with everything (guilty as charged.)

But if there's one thing fashion loves to do, it's change the game right when you get the hang of how to play.

Take footwear as an example. The reason we're now seeing things like kitten heels and thongs in fashion is that our feet got so used to those puffy sneakers and chunky sandals, we needed a refresher — cue the "thin" footwear styles that are suddenly everywhere.

You can apply the same theory to fashion.

Now that oversized clothes have become de rigueur, the style set needs something new to look at: a fresh challenge.

The writing is on the wall, folks. In 2025, clothes are set to… shrink.

We first saw the signs of the impending shrinkage when Brat took over the internet. With Charli XCX's culture-shifting record came the rise of an early 2000s style aesthetic favoured by her gang of alternative style icons: think baby tees, low-rise miniskirts, capri pants, and other items from a fashion vernacular we haven't revisited since The OC was on the air.

Image: Instagram/@charli_xcx

Fashion's early adopters took note. Emily Ratajkowsi wore a fitted Miu Miu denim jacket and matching skinny jeans, and with every paparazzi photo, Bella Hadid pledged her allegiance to corset tops and pencil skirts.

Image: Getty

Their outfits might feel dated, even looking at them now, but the irony is that they're actually ahead of the curve.

A look at the recent Spring/Summer 2025 runways tells us that the "shrunken" silhouette is about to come back in a big way, and next year will be all about bodycon.

Yep — bodycon.

Micro-mini dresses and sheer pencil skirts were absolutely everywhere. At Balenciaga, those gigantic suits from seasons past gave way to fitted denim tuxedos, lycra boob tubes and tights. Despite the boho vibes at Chloe, models wore micro cotton playsuits with cropped jackets. And at the Prada show, designer Miuccia Prada made a case for longjohn-style leggings — paired with shirts that look like they were left in the dryer too long.

L-R: Spring/Summer runway looks from Balenciaga, Prada, and Chloe. Image: Getty.

So what does all this mean for your wardrobe?

There were still plenty of roomy 'fits on the runways, too, so don't despair. It'll be a few months before shrunken styles start hitting the high street, but next year we'll see more options for slim-fitting pants and jeans, and everything up-top will start to get more tailored and tight. You'll probably see a bunch of influencers doing capri leggings and tube tops, too.

That doesn't mean you have to part with your oversized blazers or the comfy jeans you've been living in all year. Instead, you may want to style those pieces back with more form-fitting options and play with the proportions. It might be a super gradual transition; no need to go full Bianca Censori overnight.

At Copenhagen Fashion Week, attendees' outfits showed the shift towards more fitted proportions. Image: Getty

Ultimately, it's all about what works for your wardrobe, your body and your lifestyle. If it's not for you, as always, feel free to sit this one out.

Because if the return of skinny jeans can tell us anything, you should never trust fashion to cancel a trend.

Feature image: Getty.