The Print Trends That Will Be Dominating Winter Fashion

The time has come to layer. If there's ever a season that calls for all the texture, color, and print magic of the world, it's the winter season. Perhaps it's because of all the festive glitz and glamour of the holidays or the excessive ornaments and bow-tying of Christmas, but one thing is for certain: 'tis the season to pack on color and print. As easy as it is throw on all black from pantyhose to boots to coat, winter fashion is truly all about bringing in thick fabric, fur, and, most of all, patterns.

The past few winter seasons have been all about neutral minimalism. With brands like Skims and Yeezy becoming the standard for basics and cozy street fashion, winter styling has somehow forgotten its patterned personality over the years. Thankfully, 2022 runways are seeing a return of bold prints, and we've narrowed down the five major patterns you can expect to dominate this holiday season.

Tartan, also known as plaid, has always had a place in winter fashion, but 2022 is definitely seeing an uptick in the Scottish and Celtic print. From Marine Serre mix-matching multi-colored plaid in ITS fall-winter ready-to-wear line to Vivienne Westwood bringing back boy kilts, tartan is easily one of the top prints of the season.

We can thank the Scots for yet another timeless print. The Houndstooth textile was originally created to act as camouflage for shepherds, according to fashion historians at See Rose Go. Now it's raging across runways everywhere from fuzzy hats by Miu Miu to menswear by Ami Paris. It has become the recognizable pattern of the preppy European and is quickly becoming one of the most popular patterns to flaunt this season. 

Fall fashion in 2022 has taken a hard left from the Y2K stylings we saw in the summer. Menswear vests, oversized blazers, and, most of all, pinstripes have become the next best thing in fashion. Similar to the prep class aesthetic the houndstooth is manifesting in, the pinstripe is emerging as part of the entrepreneurial girl aesthetic on the rise that emphasizes tailoring, gender fluidity, and schoolgirl fashion. Seen on Versace mini skirts and Sacai jackets, the pinstripe has a firm grip on fall-winter fashion this season.

It's safe to say zebra was a hard no for the past few years, taking a backseat to the classic cheetah and leopard. However, 2022 runways saw a massive animal print renewal including a return of tiger print, snakeskin, and even cow according to trend forecaster Veronika Lipar (via the Brunette from Wall Street). Zebra specifically is stealing the limelight this winter from glamorous foot-long coats at Dries Van Noten to Jeffrey Campbell's hidden-heel boots. Black and white is clearly the showstopper of the season.

Leopard or cheetah fur is almost always in style every winter. This year, however, we're seeing a major uptick in the print spanning more than just coats. From Dior bringing back its leopard print to H&M releasing the spots in menswear, expect to see black and brown everywhere as more enter their winter villain era.