Our First Vogue Runway Year-End Poll—It’s Like the Group Chat Come to Life

December arrives with the inevitable serving of roundups summarizing the year. Here at Vogue Runway, we interviewed the owners of independent boutiques across the U.S. to find out what sold best, identified 2023’s most covetable fashion items, and unpacked 18 of its most memorable fashion moments. What’s new this year is that we wanted to hear from you.

For our first-ever anonymous poll, we reached out to our colleagues—fellow editors, designers, stylists, publicists, creative directors, and more—and asked how you really feel about the year that’s coming to a close. We inquired about your favorite designers, who you were surprised to see in the front row, and even what your 2023 “Roman Empire” was. We received over 100 responses, which we believe shed some light on what the folks behind the scenes really think of the industry today.

Spoiler alert: Some answers may surprise you, and others will make you laugh. Shoutout to the editor who said their 2023 “Roman Empire” was the Paris Fashion Week bed bugs. “I just want to know where they went?” they said, and, trust us, we’d like to know, too, ideally before the fall 2024 collections in March. Another tidbit: Phoebe Philo figures here not just as a top designer, but also as a Roman Empire and as a trend in her own right (based on how heavily she’s been referenced in the past, we’re not going to argue with that).