Total white is the new total black

It could be the fault of the heat that started unusually early (thank you, climate change), or maybe it’s because over the past two months the Pope’s photos have been circulating everywhere on our phones, but the total white trend, inspired as much by Wes Anderson’s nun as by the prairie-girl outfits of Ballerina Farm, is making a comeback. On the streets of Europe’s major cities, tourists are easily identified by a long white skirt made of linen or cotton, a sleeveless top quickly covered by a plastic shawl at the Vatican, and a pair of thin sneakers. In Hollywood, the new-generation lolitas like Addison Rae, Sabrina Carpenter, and even Julia Fox are experimenting with sheer tunics, the adorable softness of babydoll dresses, and the boho sensuality of lace bras. While it’s true that total white is a timeless summer classic—the best answer to the Mediterranean heat—it’s interesting to note how consistently the color is appearing on runways even for the colder seasons. Moreover, with the return of conservative fashion (thanks recession, thanks Nara Smith), modest, versatile, and covering looks are winning over even fans of more revealing outfits.

The undisputed champion of the total white trend on the runway has been lace, a definitively dated material that in 2025 has been reinterpreted by several brands. For Resort 2026, Chanel, Gucci, and Dior have experimented with lace designs inspired by their own archives, maintaining the romantic and regal silhouettes of the past and letting transparency make white less pristine. While you might expect total white outfits in full Mr. Ripley and Jackie O’ style from historic luxury houses, the same can't be said for young, notably daring brands like Di Petsa, Hodakova, and Blumarine. For FW25, Greek designer Di Dimitra Di Petsa included several all-white looks in an otherwise dark collection, with lamb shawls, newspaper miniskirts, embroidered thigh-highs, and pearl bikinis. The Italian brand now directed by Georgian designer David Koma, Blumarine, for the same season presented a collection similar in spirit to Di Petsa’s, with long-sleeved dresses with romantic necklines, corsets and completely sheer lace petticoats. Finally, Hodakova, with a direct nod to 1990s Margiela designs, created total white sets with skinny jeans, fitted shirts, and a t-shirt tangled with a bunch of wire. Through the total absence of color (except for Blumarine’s all-red looks), it’s as if each of these brands wanted to place the body at the center of the narrative, even before silhouette and fabric crafting. In this paradox between purity and provocation, fashion manages to make even the most covered shirts feel sensual.

The monochrome look continues in France thanks to Courrèges and Alaïa, two brands that have made the body an active element of every collection. For the upcoming winter, Courrèges has designed long asymmetric trench coats and oversized white minidresses—pardon the contradiction—that reveal the legs but wrap the upper body up to the chin like a scarf. Alaïa, now under the artistic direction of Pieter Mulier, sent a long dress down the runway made of fabric bands knotted over an exposed midriff, high-neck boleros to be worn with nothing underneath, and an enormous fluffy white fur coat. Even at Chloé, winter turns white, with the brand’s signature boho chic spirit: the FW25 collection features flowing dresses and shirts, lace sets decorated on the sides with thick fabric ruffles, and tops with light transparent satin details. The body is on display and free to move however it pleases, in all the carefree spirit of the '70s. In short, whether it’s meters of lace, silk, or fur, fashion has decided to prepare us for a white winter—though never a modest one.