The Haute Garbage Unofficial Fall 2025 Awards List
Who took home the coveted prize for "Gimmickiest Gimmick" and "I’m Not Mad, I’m Just Disappointed?"
G’day Hautties. If you caught up with the Spring 2025 Awards list, you should know what's coming. It’s that time when I put the latest batch of runway shows under the microscope and dish out my honest reviews in a cute award show format.
To be honest, I felt less enthusiastic about Fall 2025 than previous collections. The shows ran adjacent to a transitional period of my life, so perhaps I was less inspired and more disconnected than usual because other stuff was going on.
Additionally, the industry is in a bloody shambles. There’s the endless and chaotic game of creative director musical chairs that I’m sure we’re all sick of hearing about. All these changes are poising designers to copy and paste their already-established codes to a juxtaposing fashion house, further muddying brand identities (I mean, Demna for Gucci. We all know where this is going, right?).
Worse, it’s becoming more apparent that fashion is jumping into bed with right-wing politicians, a stark contrast to Trump era Vol 1. where the industry seemed to have more of an actual fucking backbone. Now, LVMH chairman Bernard Arnault and his family are cozying up with the dickhead-in-chief himself, while Zuhair Murad, Givenchy, Oscar de La Renta, and more designers were willing to dress MAGA elites for the January inauguration.
It sure is a weird time to be a fashion girlie, but I have zero experience in any other industry. So, I hope you’re all snuggled up somewhere cozy for some silly fashion week content.
A quick note to say no one pays me to write this, so all opinions are my own based on what personally turns me on or off. Feel free to buy me a coffee if you enjoy some good ol’ fashioned fashion criticism.
The “Hottest Fuzz” Awards
It is fall, after all, and that means fur. While London recently became the first of the big four to enforce a ban, it was easily the overarching trend of the season. You couldn’t view a single collection without seeing models swaddled in fluff and fuzz.
Exotic skins remain a lucrative business for designers, despite the harm caused to animals, though cheap synthetics aren’t a cruelty-free option as far as the environment is concerned. Meanwhile, the “shop vintage because you’re not contributing to demand” argument isn’t exactly sound, given the rate at which fast fashion capitalizes on trends, further driving consumption and waste, though this could be said of any material.
While these grey areas may make me check my moral compass and purchasing behaviors, I’m a big fan of texture. Usually, my favorite looks will always comprise some fur-like materials, and FW25 was no exception. Case in point:
Prada - We may have lifted the tank top and suckled Brat Summer green dry, but Miuccia’s signature sicky shade of chartreuse remains eternal. Reimagined for FW25 into a poncho with roadkill-esque fur trim. As per the Prada Playbook, it shouldn’t work, but it does.
Ferrari - It’s exciting to see fur injected into categories other than outerwear, done masterfully with this skirt at Ferrari. Also special mention to the hairy Schiaparelli pants. Everyone, welcome to your centaur era!
Marine Serre - After discussing fashion rinsing 20th-century references a few editions ago, I was excited to see nostalgia reimagined through a prehistoric and Jurrasic lens to showcase pelts in a primal and protective way. Marine Serre rose to the occasion.
Sacai - This is such a great twist on an aviator jacket. Not looking forward to the inevitable Zara knockoff to come.
Marni - So, I had some qualms with the Marni collection overall that I’ll touch on later for the “I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed” awards. However, I was obsessed with Look 23 - the clashing colors, textures, and the Cruella de Vil stole. Speaking of fur stoles (shameless plug), I recently spoke to Vogue Spain about the accessories’ comeback and democratization, which you can read here.
The “Bad Omen” Award
Military influences emerged in collections from big names, with Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, and Louis Vuitton showing army jackets, tailcoats, and camo prints. While I find these designs visually unappealing, their presence feels impossible to ignore. Mere aesthetic choice? Or, given fashion’s inherently political nature, a reflection of our current wartime era and a foreboding sign of conflicts to come?
The “Pointless Garment” Award
Let’s lighten things up a bit and take a look at Victoria Beckham, taking the ultimate piss out of workwear with dickies as tops.
The “MVP VIP” Award
Doechii was truly the best thing about fashion week. From walking at dsquared2 to going barefoot at Chloé (and potentially converting me to Chemena’s vision in the process), she is the ultimate style chameleon. You just KNOW she’s going to shut down the Met Gala in May, and I just can’t wait.
The “Viral Accessory” Award
Speaking of Chloé. I didn’t want to like FW25, but I did. I blame Doechii. As well as the accessories. Complementing Moth-Eaten Maximalism and our trinket obsession, fox tails, as seen on bag charms, dresses, and fur stoles, warmed my cold, anti-boho heart. Not to mention the cocaine vial necklaces, which were clearly designed with those obsessed with Cruel Intentions, Tumblr, and Lana Del Rey merch in mind.
The “Next Big Color Trend” Award
Ask, and you shall receive. For my 2025 Ins & Outs predictions, I forecasted dark, inky shades of green, and whaddaya know…the perfect rich hue to follow our burgundy obsessions.
The “I Hate This” Award
There was much to write home about for Sarah Burton’s Givenchy debut. The trinket top. The beautifully shaped coats in lemonade and abstract animal prints with the structured neck bows. But then came THOSE dresses. Dear god, what an eyesore. The fact that similar mesh styles appeared at Dolce & Gabbana should signal that this is a major red flag. Also, a not-so-special mention to Moschino’s closing look as the runner-up of the “I Hate This Award.” It’s 2025, why do fashion brands still think they can fight the climate crisis with Earth Month merch? (no shade to the divine Alex Consani, of course).
The “I’m Not Mad, I’m Just Disappointed” Award
As mentioned, I was disappointed with Marni. The brand usually balances off-kilter and put together so well, but this collection just felt messy. Loved the fur touches and the snake boots. But boy, oh boy, did they do Tracee Ellis Ross so dirty, putting her in what appeared to be a superhero costume from Wish.
The “I’m Surprisingly Not Mad Or Disappointed” Award
I’m not really the target audience for Versace, but I enjoyed the darker presentation of models walking in an industrial Milan tram station wearing the most perfect shade of black cherry lipstick. Following the hype surrounding Castlecore, medieval influences were a predictable trend. Donatella gave us the baby of Joan of Arc and Hellraiser’s Pinhead in her Fall 2025 superhero lineup, another nod to clothing and accessories with an element of protection. As Donatella’s last show, the collection felt even more poignant, as her departure means one less woman among fashion’s creative director roles, which are overwhelmed by male presence.
The “Model Cameo” Award
As discussed in Is the Rise of Mature Models Just Another Fashion Gimmick? there has been no shortage of older celebrities making cameos on the runways, which continued for FW25. I was delighted to see the inclusion of Fiona Shaw, who I’ve long believed was the unsung fashion hero of Killing Eve, albeit straight-jacketed, at Simone Rocha.
The “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Prada” Award
FW25 featured some of my favorite things to come out of Gucci in recent years. Probably because it all gave a very Prada-like quirk (anyone else do a double-take of that cardigan and skirt combo?). The post-Sabato, pre-Demna collection was created by the brand’s in-house studio and begged the question, “Do fashion houses even need a creative director?”. It would have been interesting to see where this “it takes a village” approach would have gone, helping the brand step back into its own rhythm, but that’s just not going to happen. Unless Demna surprises us all and doesn’t show tracksuits.
The “Outfits For My Innie” Award
Okay, please hire Jane Wade to do the costumes for Severance season 3.
The “Dinger” Award
The show notes for Alaïa read, “Clothes move like kinetic sculpture, living, animated with pleats and drapes. Hoods conceal and reveal, framing faces like a portrait of a woman, a portrait of beauty.” This is 100% spot on. It was an exquisite collection. Now I’m going to do it a massive disservice and point out the pieces that made the models look like walking condoms. Just another way to look at the protection element of fashion…
The “Bury Me Or Let Me Rule Over An Apoloclyptic Wasteland In This” Award
Dilara Findikoglu’s collection, entitled Venus From Chaos, gave me everything I ever wanted to be a post-apocalyptic warrior goddess. The tattooed naked dress, the shells that embody bones, and THE HAIR. Couture at its finest. Again, more women in top jobs please and thank you.
The “Gimmickiest Gimmick” Award
From Vaquera’s massive bra as a top to Miu Miu’s exaggerated nipples, everyone seemed to have boobs on the brain.
Then, Duran Lantink closed his Paris show with a male model wearing the breastplate that broke the internet. This won the “Gimmickiest Gimmick” award because the look, though a commentary on bad taste and subverting gender norms, was just that - a gimmick.
The overarching silhouettes of the FW25 runway season, which is running in conjunction with the age of Ozempic, were either boxy with no waistline (on thin models) or dramatic faux curves (also on thin models), the latter trend called out by
in Welcome to the Build-A-Body Era. Only sample-size models walked in Lantink’s show, with the singular inclusion of a diverse body shape made possible via silicone.I suppose in Lantik’s defense, AVAV pulled a similar stunt with bouncing breastplates (though covered with an adidas hoodie) in SS25, and the majority of designers also continued to do sweet FA in terms of size inclusivity. According to Vogue Business, only 2% of runway models were mid-size (US 6-12), down from 4.3% last season, while plus-size (US 14+) representation dropped 0.8% to account for a pitiful 0.3%. Reiterating my earlier point, fashion industry = bloody shambles.
Thank you all for tuning in to this later-than-planned runway roundup. I’m hoping to get back to a weekly schedule soon, but in the meantime, drop me your comments on anyone who was snubbed from this very prestigious awards list.
delicious content thank uuuuuu
Oh my gosh, this was an amazing read. Thank you so much for all of the work that you put in on this, Kayla.💕