When you think back to past fashion trends, a few questionable ones always arise. Leggings under skirts is one which I find particularly offensive. People might defend their excessive, nylon legwear with a simple “it was all in at the time” but in my eyes, they should have known better. Fortunately, my perusals through social media since the start of 2021 have shown me no potential regrets surfacing in the fashion world. In fact, what I see is quite the opposite. It appears that trends are arising that are meant to last. So in fact, not trends at all, but updates. These are the three updates for your wardrobes that will be in place for the foreseeable future.
Vintage Finds
The only response I have to an Instagram story of a brand new Gucci Dionysus is- did you keep the receipt? Unless you’re going for the ‘straight off of love-island look’, being dressed from head to toe in generic branding screams ‘I will advertise your teeth whitening kit.’ The legitimate fashion bloggers seem to be leaning towards original designer pieces, ones that they actually like and have been on a hunt for. After a five year search, I finally came across the specific Burberry coat I wanted on Vesitiaire Collective, for a fraction of the original price. I imagine the feeling I got when it was delivered to my door is similar to that felt by completing a marathon. Another trustworthy vintage site we would recommend is Farfetch.com. That or thevintagebar.com. Le sigh! Plus, buying vintage pieces is a step in the right direction towards a more sustainable fashion world.
Sustainability
Speaking of the word sustainable, this is the focus of our next wardrobe update. From outrageous living wages and working conditions to blatantly steering the world into environmental disaster, fast-fashion companies are, dare I say it, cancelled. Sustainable fashion is all about taking a long-term approach to the design, making, and use of clothes and accessories. It doesn’t take a genius to realise that if an item of clothing costs less than a coffee, it won’t last a wash. Realistically, it will also look its value. You’re fooling nobody. We all know our preferred components of our wardrobe, so leave the flimsy pieces of material to one side and focus on building your style with sustainable brands. An up and coming brand we love is Shara Sustainable Fashion, who upcycle and naturally dye clothes. With bright pinks from avocado skins and neutral tones from turmeric, you can rest assured knowing that you’re doing your bit for the world with your unique, wardrobe staple. They also share tutorials on how to upcycle your old clothing to give it a new life. Let’s face it- we all need an activity to get into while we wait for this lockdown to pass.
Comfort
Lastly, is comfort. Comfort has been given an increasing amount of emphasis for quite some time now and has finally reached its pinnacle. That’s not to say that people have stopped caring about their appearance, but are rather styling their appearance around comfort. For example, a tracksuit on its own can be hit-or-miss. A tracksuit with a tailored coat and some sleek accessories, however, is perfectly chic. The grabbing a coffee/popping to the shop/taking the bins out look-inspiration is thriving and with the right ensemble, can be worn anywhere. Replace all heels with white runners immediately. What’s more, fashion hoarders will be delighted to hear that old comfortable favourites from the early 2000’s are re-surfacing. Emily Ratajkowski has recently put Ugg boots back on the map and Juicy Couture tracksuits are creeping back into the shops (I’ll need some extra convincing on the return of the velour).
That concludes the three wardrobe updates that we would recommend getting on board with this year. Friendly on the pocket, good for the planet and comfortable to wear- at least the fashion of 2021 is something to be positive about!
