Late 2021, the song “Material Girl” by Saucy Santana went viral on the social media platform TikTok, with about 265.3k video posts using the sound. New songs have become trendier on TikTok since then, but the idea of becoming a “material girl” on the platform stuck.
Every time I swipe, there is a new “Shopping Haul” or “What I Wear in a Week” video. I see new viral videos every day of users wearing unique outfits and every other comment begs to know where it is from. Thus, another “Microtrend” is born. Microtrends are short-lived trends created by the fast-paced nature of social media.
When season one of “Euphoria” released in 2019, everyone was obsessed with the makeup. The inclusion of vibrant colors, elaborate glitter and elusive crystals sent the world running to copy its looks. Now, everyone is obsessed with mimicking the show’s fashion.
When the cottagecore aesthetic videos reached their peak on TikTok, I was beginning to explore fashion. I enjoyed the flowy, floral fabrics that often accompanied the aesthetic and began searching for clothes that matched. I found my fashion comfort zone wrapped in gauzy silks and sparkly jewelry, and for a few years, that was all I needed. But as time went on, my eye started to wander.
The theme’s usage of the word lexicon is ironically apt, considering that the majority of the looks that ascended the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s steps require some sort of tool other than fashion as language to decode their substance and raison d’être. Perhaps a better theme for the amalgamation of fabric and stitches donned that night would be: “In America: A Lexicon of Confusion and Calamity”.
Within the fashion industry, many factors cause anxiety or worry in consumers. Some stores only cater to a specific body type or a small size range. Brands like Lululemon, Torrid, Victoria’s Secret and more are blatantly geared towards specific women and they prove it through their marketing and models.
Increasingly though, since his death, I have begun to associate him with my clothing infatuation, and some of my most vibrant memories connected to clothing come from during his battle with stomach cancer.
The 2000s are right now’s fashion moment. As the industry is abruptly forced to reflect on itself, it must emerge from the pandemic in a direction that innovates Y2K modes with contemporary creativity.
Comfortable and cute seem like the last words you would use to describe a pair of sweatpants, right? You would be surprised. Loungewear has been one of the biggest trends for the past year, and people are finding the most creative ways to be comfy.
