Have you ever looked at what someone was wearing, thought it was really cool and interesting, then a few weeks later find that everyone is wearing it? Trends come and go all of the time, but where do they come from?
When I was in England over the summer, I sat in front of Buckingham Palace with some friends. While we rested for the first time after walking for hours, I simply people watched. As I looked around, I noticed that every other teenage or twentysomething girl was wearing roughly the same exact outfit. It isn’t necessarily out of the ordinary; we all can remember the high waisted shorts and crop top summer gatherings (not that it’s totally out of style now, but you get the point).
Here are some of the trends I observed, not only during that people watching experience, but also throughout my summer in Europe.
1. The white sneaker.
I’m not exaggerating when I say that everyone was wearing a white sneaker. I bought a pair of white Stan Smiths by Adidas sometime around this past Easter. I saw a couple of the celebrities I follow on Instagram wearing them and loved how clean and simple they looked. However, I didn’t end up bringing them with me to England over the summer because I thought they were too clunky to pack. Instead, I opted to bring more sandals (bad idea).
OPEN, a speaker series available to watch on YouTube, interviewed Jon Wexler, the global director of Entertainment and Influencer Marketing at Adidas, as he explained the steps made that caused the Stan Smith’s epic comeback. He said that they have been planning this for three years! I never realized how much thought and energy went into creating a trend.
Here’s the link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWUyeI5TAns
2. Dark, ripped jeans.
Ripped jeans came back into style from the 90s sometime around 2011. From the boyfriend, skinny, straight leg, etc., there have been many different ways to wear distressed jeans. According to various fashion bloggers, the skinny jean with the single slit across the knee, or the knee-cut jeans, became popular because they have a more sophisticated look about them. Instead of wearing baggier jeans, forced to dress more casual, the skinny jeans can easily be dressed up with a heel. This observation picked up even more popularity when celebrities started wearing this seemingly more refined style of the ripped jean.
3. The pom-pom keychain.
In the beginning of the trend, fashion bloggers claimed that the pom-pom phenomenon wouldn’t outlast Christmas 2015. The fluffy poms first appeared on hats and gloves. However, after Fendi launched their own take on the pom-pom, this signified a stamp of fashion-worthy approval. Appearing on the runway, many celebrities, such as Kendall Jenner, sported their pom-pom key chains dangling off their simple, yet edgy backpacks and handbags.
The fun, multi-colored pom-poms can be found in almost every clothing and accessory store ranging from as cheap as a few bucks to a thousand dollars or so. It started off as being a quirky, fun accessory to add onto a bag. However now, the trend has since picked up speed and pom-poms are not only appearing everywhere, but are evolving. From sandals and shirts to bracelets and necklaces, the trend is still around and isn’t showing signs of becoming dead anytime soon.
4. The bomber jacket.
Kanye West can be thanked for making the bomber jacket a must-have in 2016. Alpha Industries first made the trendy MA-1 bomber jacket back in early 60s. After West made a partnership with the company, they have since dominated prospective, long-lasting trends in the fashion industry. Recently, “bomber jackets” topped the Google Fashion Trend Report this year.
Most of the time they are shown draped across the shoulders embroidered with colorful detail. The Kardashian-Jenners sported these jackets after West debuted his Yeezus tour.
6. The off the shoulder.
It has become agreed among various fashion blogs that this trend became successful quite simply as a result from great marketing. There aren’t many women out there who have a problem showing off their shoulders. Personally, I hate showing my arms. So, this trend is great because it completely covers the tops of my arms, my least favorite spot to “show off.” However, many women, like myself, don’t care if we show the tops of our shoulders. Off the shoulder maintains a desired unique and pretty look. Retailers took note and used this multi-million dollar observation to market to their advantage. Like most trends, this one began on runways in the spring and picked up attention throughout the summer season.
7. The Statement choker.
Chokers have been around for over 500 years! Evolving over time through different cultures and groups of people, in 2016 they achieve an edgy, unique look. Other than these past two years, we remember the black, plastic chokers from the 90s. However now, they play off of different metals, textures and colors. With the huge variety, chokers are not only used to create an edgy look but can make a softer, glamorous look as well. Since there are endless choker combinations and styles, many people don’t see this trend dying anytime this year.
Sources:
http://www.goldenagebeads.com/blog/the-fascinating-history-of-choker-necklaces.html
http://www.esquire.com/style/news/a48026/google-fashion-trends-report/
https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2015/dec/17/pom-trend-how-the-pom-pom-won-christmas
Photo Credit: Stock Photo