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!
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I even featured a few split-hem and stirrup styles, which were additional pants trends that made an appearance last year.
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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).
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Mom jeans took a backseat to other styles like slouchy straight-legs, wide-legs, and flares.
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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.
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!
