Holey dressing trend returns
Autumn runway chatter is flagging 'holey' looks—strategic cutouts and ripped panels used for sensual emphasis at houses like Balmain and Roberto Cavalli. (x.com) The framing in social posts treats cutouts as an intentional design language rather than accidental wear. (x.com)
Cutouts are back on the autumn runways, but the new version looks less accidental than engineered: exposed skin is framed with slashes, keyholes, and ripped panels placed with precision. (wwd.com) At Balmain, Olivier Rousteing showed his Fall 2025 collection in Paris on March 5, 2025 and called it the start of “a new era,” with softer silhouettes and a more sensual line than the house’s older armored shoulders and heavy embellishment. (balmain.com) (wwd.com) At Roberto Cavalli, Fausto Puglisi’s Fall 2025 show in Milan on February 27, 2025 used devoré velvet, gold detailing, and body-revealing dresses in a collection built around Pompeii and volcanic textures. (wwd.com) (showstudio.com) Fashion editors tracking the season have described Fall 2025 as a moment of darker, sharper dressing after the softer romantic mood that dominated many Spring 2025 collections. W Magazine said the four-city fall shows ended earlier in March 2025 with clear themes linking New York, London, Milan, and Paris. (wmagazine.com) (whowhatwear.com) That shift helps explain why holes read as design language now: the opening is the point, not damage to be disguised. On these runways, the missing fabric works like a seam or neckline, directing the eye to the waist, ribs, hip, or shoulder. (wwd.com 1) (wwd.com 2) The look also has a red-carpet tailwind. WWD’s roundup from the 30th Critics Choice Awards on February 7, 2025 said cutout dresses were one of the night’s dominant motifs, worn in multiple variations from small keyholes to larger side openings. (wwd.com) Cutouts are not new to either house. Roberto Cavalli’s own Fall/Winter 2024-25 show description highlighted “cut-out dresses,” which makes the 2025 version look more like an escalation than a surprise revival. (robertocavalli.com) The difference this season is tone. Balmain paired sensuality with cocooning knits and slouchier outerwear, while Cavalli fused exposed skin with ash, lava, and ruin imagery, turning the body into part of the set design. (wwd.com 1) (wwd.com 2) If the autumn collections hold, the next wave of “holey” dressing will not look distressed or improvised. It will look measured, expensive, and very much on purpose. (wwd.com 1) (wwd.com 2)
