While it's true everyone with good taste is wearing boots with jeans and a jacket, those with even better taste are opting for one of these "dated" dress trends. Not a barrel leg, not a trouser, the fall-appropriate dress is the style set's secret to a fashionable fall. 2025 fashion has proved that trends once thought to live only fondly in memory are back: skinny jeans, bandage dresses, capri pants, kitten heels—the list goes on.
Fall classics like the oversized trench, cashmere crewneck, double-breasted blazer, and dark-rinse denim will hold their place in every fashion person's wardrobe, but it's time to make room for these seven dated fall 2025 dress trends. Think chunky knits circa 2017, dusty tartans and plaids, boho-chic ruffles, flirty florals, a Victorian throwback, and so much more. Scroll on to see which out-of-date trends have found themselves back in vogue.
Sweater Weather
A shameless throwback to the súper chunky turtleneck sweater dresses from 2017. Reminiscent of simpler times and simpler outfit formulas, one of the chicest fall 'fits this season is a knit dress paired with knee-high boots. The multi-hyphenated Anouk Yve has paired her mocha cable-knit midi dress with chocolate patent-leather boots for an elegant monochrome look.
Shop Chic Knits
Checkmate
If you've followed our plaid trend coverage this season, then this "dated" dress trend won't come as a surprise. The stuffy tartan print has once again found its place in the forefront of the style set's fall wardrobe. Whether it's on a dress, this one spotted on Mandy Lee, or in the form of a shirt tied casually around the fashion crowd's waist.
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Peekaboo Lace
A once-hated and ill-remembered memory of the early aughts, the dress-over-pants combo has rebranded itself as effortlessly chic. That is, if you style it with a lace-trim slip for a flirty, romantic feel. The delicate lace trimming peaks out from under Dina Hansen's mocha-brown turtleneck and drapes elegantly over her dark, cuffed denim. If you're looking to get more wear out of you're silky slips this fall and winter, try wearing them over your favorite pair of jeans.
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Denim Devotee
I could never say to ditch your jeans, but it might be time to opt for a more sophisticated silhouette. Throw on any of these chic denim dresses with a pair of ballet flats, clogs, or suede knee-high boots, and you'll rethink everything you thought you knew about denim. Denim dress outfits are my new go-to for fall 2025.
Shop the Dark Denim
Micro Florals
Ever since I saw the Old Navy X Anna Sui collab, I knew micro floral was making a comeback. Totally on par with the boho-chic revival we're witnessing right now, the delicate and flirty print is one of fall 2025's most unexpected trends. If you're hesitant to open your heart to the blossoming print because of its spring ties, then may I ask you to scroll on and shop these four chic picks? I've got a feeling you might be convinced.
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Bohemian Ruffles
One of the biggest fall trends of 2025, boho-chic consists of romantic ruffles, flowy silhouettes, and an effortlessly elegant look that only comes with a free-spirited attitude. Channel your best vintage Chloé and Isabel Marant with these flirty boho-chic dresses below.
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Victorian Throwback
The Basque waist-dress isn't "dated" in the sense of being out of style, but its dramatic silhouette has been turning heads since the Victorian era. This paisley moment from BCBG is the absolute fall dress of my dreams. The colors look rich, and the fit is downright perfect. I styled it with a pair of brown suede knee-high boots to bring out the dress's chocolate tones. Shop the exact style below and more beautiful basque waist dresses.
Shop the Basque Waistline
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