2021 Fashion Recap

Another tradition I just can't give up, no matter how small my audience, is the year-end trend report. Hey, maybe I should actually start doing it at the end of the year instead of the beginning of the next one—what do you in my small audience say?

Whatever you say about that, here's what I have to say about the fashion of 2021, beginning with what some even more knowledgeable folks had to say about it.

Rib knit pants

Every fashion publication in my inbox (Who What Wear, PureWow, and Vogue) all spent the early part of 2021 forecasting that rib knits in various forms would blow up over the course of the year. I was most captivated by the idea of rib knit pants, which I'd never seen before, but which sounded comfy and stylish and right up my unconfining-pants alley. Now, a forecast trend doesn't necessarily mean an actual trend, but during my journey through the year, I saw my fair share of the legwear style, even trying on a pair at Uptown Cheapskate (you know a trend has gone mainstream if you're already finding versions of it at the consignment store!). Unfortunately, they didn't look great on me, so I passed, but I still fancy that some day I'll be able to find some of my own...maybe even as part of a matched set (another 2021 trend) like this cute one I found while looking for images for this post!

I even featured a few split-hem and stirrup styles, which were additional pants trends that made an appearance last year.

Non-skinny Jeans

Early in 2021, supposedly some TikTok-ers of Gen Z decided to trash-talk Millennials for wearing skinny jeans even though they're out of fashion, and Millennials took offense. (Hey friends, welcome to the age when everything you do is uncool!) I wouldn't know, because I had to get all my information about this hullabaloo through old-people media like the New York Post and MSN. But nonetheless, the last holdouts still feeling trendy for rocking skinnies like it's 2009 can no longer pretend not to notice. It's official: skinny jeans are out. Here are some other denim styles that have a little more edge (although admittedly are not nearly as useful for showcasing a pair of statement boots).

Mom jeans took a backseat to other styles like slouchy straight-legs, wide-legs, and flares.

Flared heels

Besides jeans, another thing that got flared last year was the heels on shoes. Whether the flare was subtle or dramatic, angular or curvy, short and squat or elongated, heels that got bigger at the bottom were all the rage.

Gargantuan platforms

If big pyramids at the base of your stilettos didn't provide enough stability for you, you had another option: chunky platforms. These aren't the sleek, slim, lady-platforms that were trendy back when I first became shoe-nuts—no, I'm talking massive, splayed-out Spice Girls platforms so big they get their own Zip code (PS. Everything turn-of-the-millennium — or as it is more popularly called, Y2K—is all cool again, but big shoes were my favorite back then and probably will stay that way the second time around).

 

 

Other trends worth a passing mention

Tie dye was forecast to make a splash as early as 2019 (and I proudly claim to have been riding the crest of the wave!). But I never saw enough of it in the real world to give it a nod in my trend report. The following year, it apparently blew up during quarantine and the summer following, but I somehow didn't notice. Do I blame my debarkation from the fashion bandwagon? Most definitely. In 2021, though, tie dye was on its downswing but still unmistakably popular, possibly even peaking for late adopters this year (my employer had us tie-dye T-shirts at an early fall social event). Better late than never, the Unfashionista always says! Tie dye happened. I talked about it.

Sometimes, a trend is so ubiquitous and pervasive, it's hard to nail down a single thing that defines it. Such is the case with the "official teen uniform" that changes subtly every year, but is always homogeneous among its adherents, because it is still social suicide to stand out too much. This year, that uniform was a pair of high-waisted shorts and a plain white camisole. Every girl on campus was wearing it this summer.

 

A look forward

About those shorts: they're growing longer inseams! Micro-shorts have been the go-to for most younger women as long as I can remember, but this year, I noticed fashion publications pushing Bermuda shorts, and even regular stores selling mid-length shorts to the masses. I couldn't find a lot of photographic evidence of this trend, but I think it might be gaining momentum in the upcoming year.

Another thing I'm excited about this year is the return of yoga pants (or as they're now being called, flared leggings. I always loved a good flare in my pants, and now I can finally be stylish for wearing them!