The 12 Most Viral 'It' Items of 2023

Due to the cyclical nature of fashion, there will be a slew of unpredictable trends dominating the zeitgeist on any given year. In 2023, phrases like "Barbenheimer," "bow tax," "quiet luxury" and "girl math" made their way into our sartorial lexicon — and into our closets, via a steady stream of products that embodied each of them.

Online, balletcore had the strongest pull, leading to the resurgence of ballet flats, headbands and, most noticeably, bows, bows and more bows in our wardrobes, as well as an embrace of hyperfemininity and playfulness. Meanwhile, Taylor Swift and Beyoncé's world tours left an indelible impression not just on the economy, but on how we dress.

Typically, viral fashion items fall out of style just as quickly as they entered our radar, but that wasn't necessarily the case for some of the most talked-about products of 2023. Quite a few of 2022's biggest trends followed us into this year (for example, over 8 million items uploaded for sale were tagged "Y2K" on Depop in 2023), which speaks to their staying power.

Ahead, we reflect on the top 12 items the public loved most this year.

Loewe Anagram Logo Tank Top

Out of all the covetable logos countless brands have to offer, Loewe's was the most-wanted symbol this year, according to Lyst: It named the brand's Anagram tank top as the hottest product of Q2, with searches up 132% year-on year.

This was only one of a handful of viral moments for the Jonathan Anderson-helmed label. The other big one: when Beyonce wore a custom "hands" bodysuit on stage on the "Renaissance" World Tour, which subsequently skyrocketed searches for Loewe by 140%, according to Lyst.

Miu Miu Pocket Bag

Between its celebrity fans, covetable collection after covetable collection, Miu Miu had another blockbuster 12 months. Miuccia Prada's label defended its title of brand of the year on Lyst; among its list of coveted items — which included branded knickers, buckled boots, ballet flats and eyewear — has to be its utilitarian leather shoulder bag, seen on the arms of "It" girls including but not limited to: Emily Ratajkowski, Sydney Sweeney, Rihanna, Anna Dello Russo.

Alaïa Mesh Ballet Flats

Ballet flats were one of Google's most-searched fashion items of 2023. And like shoppers embraced the "naked dress" trend last year, they  were all over sheer footwear from a number of beloved designers, like The Row, Loeffler Randall, Khaite and Le Monde. It was Alaïa's netted ballerina flat, though, that made the biggest impact: It landed in seventh place on the Lyst Index's ranking of top products of Q2 2023, and saw the highest volume of searches (up 56%) in February.

Bottega Veneta Drop Earrings

Minimalists and maximalists alike fawned over Bottega Veneta's raindrop earrings, made of polished sterling silver and 18K gold plating. The easily-recognizable face framers (which are available in both small and jumbo sizes) debuted as part of the brand's Fall 2022 collection — creative director Matthieu Blazy's first — alongside the headline-making printed leather garments. Upon selling out, the ear candy returned once again on the Fall 2023 runway, only further cementing its must-own status. (That, and the fact that the pricy style has been widely duped on TikTok.) Launchmetrics assessed the earrings' monetary impact at $9.2M across the web in 2023.

Adidas Sambas

Surprising absolutely no one that has stepped out in major metropolitan areas in 2023, Adidas' Samba — a 73-year-old shoe style — has been named "the sneaker of the year" by Lyst. (Users have searched for them on the platform every 1.7 minutes.) It has been adopted by "clean girl aesthetic" influencers, and has been reimagined through collaborations with Sporty & Rich, Pharrell Williams and Wales Bonner. (The latter caused a 13,227% jump in searches upon its release, according to Lyst.) Celebrities like Harry Styles, Bella Hadid, A$AP Rocky and Hailey Bieber wearing the style over the past four month has led searches for Sambas to go up 43% on Lyst.

Uniqlo Nylon Shoulder Bag

Contrary to what some of trends may suggest, practicality and functionality continue to be important to shoppers in 2023. The public's unending love for Uniqlo's under-$20 nylon bag proves this.

The half-moon shoulder bag benefited from the help of TikTok — garnering over 119 million views on the app — which repeatedly sold out the genderless style in several colorways, as well as the faux-leather rendition from Clare Waight Keller's collaboration with the Japanese brand, in 2023. As a result of its popularity, it became the most affordable item to ever be included in Lyst's The Year in Fashion report this year.

Mschf Big Red Boots

What would a list of "it" items be without something questionably impractical? Those cartoonish red statement boot inspired by "Astro Boy" from Mschf went extremely viral in 2023, earning an estimated media impact value of $55.5 million by Launchmetrics and over 115 million views on TikTok. While outlandish, it does go right on par with playful, toy-like runway moments, like Loewe's Spring 2024 "Polly Pocket"-esque ensembles and J.W. Anderson's molded clay garments.

Bows, Bows and More Bows

Bows were simply everywhere, from pet clothes to accessories to outerwear, in 2023.  Pinterest dubbed the more-is-more embrace of the adornment "bow stacking"; this year, searches for "bow outfits" were up 190%, "bow necklaces" 180%, "bow aesthetic" 55% and "bow heels" 40% on the platform. (By the way, we fully intend on riding the bow train well into the new year, with a plethora of our favorite picks worth shopping here.)

Maison Margiela Tabis

Departing from its once niche corner of fashion, Maison Margiela's Tabi shoes took center stage this past year, largely thanks to the Tabi Swiper debacle on TikTok, which perfectly summed up how an explosive moment on social media can organically affect a brand in real time. (Depop tracked a 150% increase in searches for the shoes amid the whole saga.) This, paired with the resurgence of ballet flats, really pushed the toe-accentuating style to the top of people's minds and feeds. Olivia Rodrigo, Dua Lipa, Elsa Hosk, Rosalía and Kylie Jenner wearing them helped, too.

Designer Underwear

Underwear-as-outerwear took on new weight in 2023, as influential dressers embraced the trend IRL, after years of designers pushing it on the runway. (In some ways, it's a natural progression from the micro mini skirt.) Lyst found that searches for "hot pants" increased by 133% from last year. It kept going on a number of Spring 2024 runways (Miu Miu, GCDS, Khaite, Tom Ford, Chloé, Stella McCartney), and was co-signed by Emma Chamberlain, Jennie Kim, Bella Hadid, Rihanna and, of course, Emma Corrin, who caused a 257% spike in searches upon walking Miu Miu's Fall 2023 show in a pair of gold sequined bottoms.

Ganni Buckled Eyelet Flats

Ganni generates plenty of buzz generally, but, in 2023, none were as meteoric as the shoe that simply couldn't stay in stock: On this episode of This Thing's Everywhere, the buckled eyelet flats quickly took the fashion world by storm. It helped that it hits a few trends at once, with its hyper-femme silhouette and edgy details.

"Renaissance" Silver

Last but absolutely not least, we wonder if Bey had any idea that requesting fans to wear silver to her birthday "Renaissance" World Tour show would cause on the metallic fashion market. Pinterest named "Heavy Metal" as one of its biggest themes of the year, noting "metallic nail art", "silver necklaces" and "metal corsets" as "leading searches" on the platforms (up 295%, 50% and 35%, respectively).

Shop 2023's biggest "It" items, below.  

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