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!

Very Peri

You might have noticed I've been gone for a while. I pumped the brakes on fashion blogging because, honestly, who's reading? However, I just can't give up my tradition of the New Year's Day Pantone-Color-of-the-Year-themed outfit!

The Color of the Year for 2022 is a newly invented color just for the occasion: Very Peri — or, as the less lyrical among us like to say, just plain periwinkle.

Pantone calls it a "blue hue," but it veers dangerously close to lavender. The only thing in my wardrobe that walks that fine line between purple and blue is a pair of sweatpants—convenient, since my only plan for New Year's Day was to not leave the house. Periwinkle sweatpants were just the ticket for a day of lounging, loafing, and laundry.

I really had no idea what I'd wear with these pants, but at the last moment, I peeked into my workout clothing drawer and found a pastel purple tank top that coordinated beautifully with the sweats.

The sporty tank top was sufficiently warm for doing chores, but I got chilly when I set about the proscribed loafing, so I topped off the outfit with a white zippered hoodie. And then I bottomed it with white sneakers.

A simple ensemble, hardly worth blogging about, but tradition is tradition!

Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Birthday

All I wanted was some black and white striped pants. I can't say why I wanted them, but I'd been on the hunt for some for months. My requirements were very strict. All the stripes had to be the same width—none of that pinstripe nonsense for me—and I strongly preferred a dramatic, wide leg cut. 

I finally found what I was looking for on ThredUP, an online thrift store that I don't frequent often because their prices are rather steep (but if you want to give them a whirl, here's a referral code for 10 dollars off: https://www.thredup.com/r/Y4HCK2). However, desperation calls for desperate measures. I spent 15 dollars on these pants! They didn't even fit! 

I had to take two inches off the waistline before I could wear these trousers, but that was all for the better, because when you size down a pair of pants, the leg openings are proportionally wider. And that means an even more dramatic effect!

I figured I'd be saving these pants for a crisp fall day, but as luck would have it, the weather turned a little cool on the day of my (joint with a friend's!) birthday party, so the tropical getup I'd had planned for the occasion was going to have to wait.

I paired the eyecatching pants with a purple crop top and black platform sandals, and my party ensemble was made! A connection was made, too: apparently thought of Beetlejuice when they saw these pants. I guess I'd prefer if my lovely outfit did not remind people of a half-rotted corpse, but pop culture references always garner more views, so I'm gonna run with it!

Oh, and I'm also gonna drop a dog photo in here, and my shameless attempt at boosting my online popularity will be complete!

I went to a concert!

Finally, finally, the moment arrived when I could cast off my COVID caution, put on my colorful clothes, and go out dancing with few hundred of my closest friends!

I was going to see Vini Vici, and I thought the colorful embroidery on the pants was a good choice to evoke the kind of music they often play. Everything else was just black, so as not to clash! Easy peasy! And that's good, because I barely had time to snap a picture in my huge rush out the door. I didn't plan for bits of my hair to be standing out like that—really.

The outfit isn't really one of my best, if you ask me, but the point is, I got to dress myself up for a show for the first time in 2 years!

I also promptly caught a cold, but it was worth it.

I got dressed up!

A momentous occasion occurred this weekend: I wore a dress for a public occasion for the first time since before COVID! It's not like I never wore a dress during the pandemic—I occasionally put one on just to work from home or for special occasions with my boyfriend, but this was the first time that I got all gussied up and stepped out beyond my front door! And so, I went for the cutesiest, most festive dress I could find!

The occasion was a friend's birthday party, so a party dress, complete with tulle petticoat, was in order! But because I was in the mood for something truly one-of-a-kind and avant-garde, if you will, I decided against the traditional and safe sandals, and went with calf-high white boots!

On top, some dogwood flower earrings in a matching aqua hue finished off the look. I was pretty pleased with this one. The party host told me I looked beautiful, and I even matched the balloons!

Pearls before Wine

 

A lot has happened since I made my last Unfashion post: In March, I had an upsetting breakup which triggered insomnia which just never resolved, so I haven't had much energy for blogging. Other things that happened, though, were that most COVID closings and restrictions started getting rolled back, and I began dating again, which means I've had lots of opportunities to go out and get dressed up. So it's not for lack of outfits that my blog has been a desolate wasteland—just lack of motivation!

I have been taking a lot of outfit photos and then feeling too tired to share them. I probably wouldn't have posted this one either, but for one reason that I'm going to withhold for a few more paragraphs.

The focal point of this outfit is the shirt, a pearl-studded affair with a choker-like strip across the neckline. Pearl-studded everything, along with this style of shirt, both had their heyday around 2017, so it's appropriate that the ever-late Unfashonista finally got to try both of them four years past their prime. I was almost too embarrassed to wear such an obvious throwback, but I needed some fresh new tops for all the dates I've been going on, and I figured most men aren't aware enough of fashion to notice.

I ended up not wearing the shirt for a date at all, but for a winery visit with some friends—and the sole reason for this choice was so I could use the phrase "Pearls before Wine" as a title on a blog post. The shirt is even wine-colored, so it works on many levels!

Phew! I'm glad I achieved that goal and somehow managed to hammer out this narrative! Now back to my regularly scheduled sleep-deprived daze!

Naturally I had to wear pearl earrings!

"The R3fashion"

From a useless pair of leggings to a scarf, some boot toppers, and a headband, this 3-way refashion was a great way to get into the DIY groove after a long absence!

The feedstock was a pair of metallic printed leggings that I got from Swap.com.

Even though they were nonreturnable, and even though they cost $3.20 (more than I normally pay for a nonreturnable item), I took a chance on them because I figured leggings are stretchy, so they'd almost certainly fit! I was wrong. These leggings were so tight, I knew I'd never be able to sit comfortably in them.

As with most of my failed purchases, I chucked these into a donation box...and couldn't stop thinking about them! Such shimmer! What a pattern! I couldn't just let them disappear from my life like that!

These days, when faced with a fabric item that looks gorgeous but isn't quite usable as-is, my first thought is, "Can I turn it into a face mask?" In the case of these leggings, while there was more than enough material for several masks, the non-printed parts were too sheer to provide adequate filtration, and the printed areas weren't breathable at all!

Another option was just to use it as a loose-fitting mask cover, purely for decoration. I've been experimenting with scarf-style masks, and I thought the long legs of the leggings would serve that purpose admirably!

So into the fitting room (that's also my office, closet, and crafting room,) I went! The goal was to find a shape that would hang off my nose without immediately falling down from the weight of so much fabric.

I folded the leggings in half and marked a spot on the front seam, then stitched a line.  

It took three tries to find the right fit, but once I did, I could fold them in half the other way, and have a nice face cover with a center seam! Is it weird that I'm using the crotch of a pair of pants to cover my face? Maybe, but they'd never been worn, and no one else needs to know, right?

From there, I cut off the excess from the top part of the leggings, reversed the nose seam so that the stitches were all on the inside, and turned the pair of pants into one long tube with the ankle holes at either end. 

I swear I took more pictures of this process, but they don't seem to be anywhere in my camera. I think either the camera or the XD card is beginning to die, because this isn't the first time I've lost photos in a mysterious way.

In any case, once I had created a scarf-like object, I attached some ear loops to it so it would stay on my face. 

For the finishing touch, I hand-stitched over the nose seam, to hold the two layers of fabric together.

A shiny scarf mask sounds fun, but when I tried it on with clothes, I realized I wanted a little something more to make it outfit-worthy. So, with the remains of the top portion of the leggings, I set out to make some accessories: boot toppers and headband.

I was able to use two strips of the original waistband on my legs, held in place by the original elastic. They look pretty silly as I'm modeling them here, but I think they tied the outfit together nicely when I tucked them into my boots.

With the remaining strip of fabric, I made a headband. I remembered my lesson from the first headband I ever sewed from scraps, and gave it tapered ends with elastic at the bottom. The number of times I had to turn this tiny tube inside out and back again while trying to construct it, I'd rather not remember, but it was worth the effort.

It's a perfect fit! 

I wore the scarf mask and boot toppers this weekend on a date with my boyfriend (who said I looked like I was trying to be a ninja, and not in a good way. Sigh—we can't please everyone!). We were planning to go ice skating, but my best-laid plans, like my photos, went all asunder! I think the boot toppers would have looked adorable with ice skates, but I guess we'll never know!