Winter 2025’s Top Trend: The Rise of Monochrome Dressing

Image: Farnaz Bh / Unsplash

Amidst a world overwhelmed by excess and visual chaos, simplicity commands attention like never before. Monochrome dressing, the art of assembling an entire outfit from one harmonious hue, whether muted and subtle or deep and vibrant has emerged as Winter 2025’s most commanding fashion philsophy.

The Global Cue: Minimalism, Refined

On the international Fall/Winter 2025 runways, monochrome returned with newfound nuance and quiet precision. At Gucci, the post-Sabato De Sarno collection unveiled sleek, sculptural silhouettes rendered in rich shades of chocolate brown, charcoal grey, and muted plum. Each ensemble felt meticulously composed—a study in controlled elegance.

Hermès channelled quiet luxury with longline coats and leather pencil skirts in uninterrupted shades of pine green, ivory, and charcoal. Meanwhile, The Row reaffirmed its minimalist ethos, presenting fluid, architectural forms in desaturated hues, less a colour story, more a contemplative mood.

These were not merely styling choices, but expressions of design integrity, encouraging us to look beyond print and embellishment, and instead to attune ourselves to texture, proportion, and the emotion colour evokes.

A Local Lens: Monochrome, Reimagined

Images: All runway images from The BAM Collective AW25 collection, courtesy of South African Fashion Week.

Local designers have approached the global monochrome conversation with vivid individuality, infusing it with story, spirit, and soul.

At South African Fashion Week AW25, The BAM Collective offered a technicolour take on minimalism. Known for its fusion of contemporary design with local heritage, the label showcased tonal ensembles in sunlit yellow, crisp white, and denim hues. Architectural silhouettes—bubble skirts, pleats, and statement shoulders—brought drama, while embellished tights and inclusive casting emphasised a broader, bolder beauty. The result? A joyful, high-impact homage to one-tone dressing with unmistakable South African flair.

Image: Look from SIXX6 | E_mania, AW25. Image courtesy of South African Fashion Week.

SIXX6, led by creative director Mimangaliso Ndiko, delivered a powerful reimagining of monochrome black. For Ndiko, who approaches fashion as a sixth sense, texture became the focal point. Glossy finishes and fabric manipulation transformed the all-black look into something sculptural and sensorial—emphasising form and emotion over ornament.

Meanwhile, E_mania, the sustainable label by Kuhle Phumzile Zondo, brought a softer take on the trend. A standout piece—a crocheted, high-neck dress in dusty mauve—featured puffed sleeves and tactile volume, offering a monochrome moment rooted in heritage and slow fashion.

In each of these collections, monochrome wasn’t about restraint. It was expressive and intentional—proof that minimalism in the South African context doesn’t mean less; it often means more.

Texture as Narrative

Image: Strvnge Films | GlassesShop / Unsplash

When maximalism steps aside, texture takes the lead. Across both global and South African runways, designers used rich, tactile fabrics to add depth and interest to their monochrome looks. Felted wool, brushed mohair, structured twill, and buttery leather didn’t just look luxurious, they shaped the silhouette and grounded each outfit. The balance of colour and texture brought a quiet, sensory richness so compelling, it might just convert even the most committed maximalist to the quiet power of monochrome.

How to Wear the Trend: Elegance in Restraint

Monochrome is not about blending in, it’s about curating with intention. Here’s how to master the look:

• Choose Your Base Hue: Go for earthy elegance—think espresso, bone, dove grey or lean into Pantone’s 2025 Color of the Year, Mocha Mousse, a rich, warming brown with universal appeal.

  
  

• Play with Texture: Pair matte with sheen, soft with structured. Mix corduroy with cotton, suede with silk. Let texture do what pattern usually does.

  
  

• Keep Accessories Tonal: Echo your outfit’s colour story with matching or subtly shaded accessories—berets, leather gloves, boots. Monochrome magic lives in consistency.

  
  

• Tailor Everything: When you strip away embellishment, silhouette becomes the statement. Focus on clean lines, defined waists, and perfectly cropped hems. The right proportions elevate the entire ensemble.

Why It Matters: A Conscious Aesthetic

Monochrome dressing is more than a stylistic preference, it mirrors fashion’s shifting mood. In a time of sustainability and sensory overload, one-tone dressing offers clarity. It invites slowness, mindfulness, and refinement. To dress in one hue is to make a deliberate choice. One that invites us to buy less, but better. To find strength in subtlety. To focus on quality.

And, perhaps, a gentle reminder that less couldn't just be more. It could be everything.