Halters have gotten a bad rep for decades thanks to their association with the “going out tops” of the early 2000s and the Paris Hilton-backed party-girl aesthetic that’s subsumed the category. But I’m here to rewrite the narrative around the silhouette because it’s currently being given a very chic new makeover—and I can assure you that the halters of the moment are far from tacky.
I feel 100% confident in saying this because for the past six-plus months I’ve been charting their boomerang and I’m finally ready to share the results of my findings. I first took note of the neckline when Bottega Veneta presented an A-line halter dress in their spring/summer 2023 collections that was worlds away from the thin-strapped iterations of the early aughts. In fact, the look was downright elegant and that’s not a term most will associate with a halter neckline. More designers including Khaite, Saint Laurent, and Alaïa have joined in and featured elegant halter numbers in their recent fall 2023 collections, proving that the new era is definitely happening.
Now, it’s infiltrated my social media feeds and my favorite retailers, who are offering everything from halter turtlenecks to beautiful knitted dresses that are ideal for the fall and winter. Ahead, see the trend on the runway and on Instagram and, of course, shop every cool iteration in the market.