Karl Lagerfeld once said "trendy is the last stage before tacky," which is a valid point- by the time something gets trendy it's usually not long before it goes out of style. But what Lagerfeld didn't mention is that trends are cyclical. Six months after a trend hits the mainstream it might be considered absolutely hideous but give it another 10 years and people will be dying to get their hands on it. Here's a look some of my favorite trends from fashion's past.
1. Grunge (early 90s):
Grunge fashion got it's start by young adults as a response to the "economical upswing" taking place in the U.S and then spread to other places that were seeing similar happenings. Similar to previous counterculture trends like punk and hippie, grunge was anti-establishment. Members of the grunge counterculture despised "the Man" and working 9-5 jobs. They did not believe that a human's worth should be valued by money. Grunge was heavily influenced by music and early pioneers of the style included Nirvana's Kurt Cobain and Hole's Courtney Love.
At the time, grunge was thoughtless, anti-fashion. Characteristics of the look included ripped jeans, flannels, tees, and combat boots, Grunge was considered a trickle-up trend, starting with young adults and rock musicians but made it's way up to the runways. In 1993 Marc Jacobs sent grunge down the Perry Ellis runway, however the high fashion critics didn't have the same reception to the look, fashion critic Suzy Menkes stated "grunge is ghastly," and Jacobs was fired from Perry Ellis.
Grunge is a trend that always seems to be floating around, although some seasons it much more popular than others. Yves Saint Laurent's S/S 16 runway was titled Surf Sound and grunge staples like denim and Cobain inspired sunglasses made their way down the runway, while 2018 brought back Marc Jacobs' infamous grunge collection.
2. The Juicy Couture Tracksuit (early-mid 2000s):
When I was little I begged my mom for a Juicy Couture tracksuit. It was one of the first trends I remember following and obsessing over. What began as Travis Jeans, a maternity clothing line founded by Pamela Skaist-Levy and Gela Nash-Taylor in 1995, became Juicy Couture a year later. Their iconic tracksuit debuted five years later and won the hearts of celebrities like Madonna, Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan.
While velour tracksuits existed before Juicy Couture, Juicy Couture made them cute. They were fitted instead of baggy and bedazzled. People couldn't get enough and Juicy tracksuits could be seen on everyone from Britney Spears to soccer moms and even middle schoolers. Soon velour tracksuit began to trickle down to more affordable retailers like Old Navy.
Unfortunately Juicy Couture didn't grow with its customer, leading to a decline in sales and eventually closing all their shops in 2014. However, about 20 years after the brands initial launch, Juicy Couture and the tracksuit made a comeback, with vloggers and influencers and even the Kardashians/Jenners hopping on the trend.
3. The Teddy Coat (2018):
In December 2017, Marie Claire UK called the teddy coat "the coat everyone will be wearing in 2018." The teddy coat first appeared in A/W 13 on the runways of Tommy Hilfiger and Max Mara and soon was adopted by celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Alexa Chung, but its appearance was brief. A few seasons later, fur jackets and stoles had their moment but before we knew it, teddy coats made their triumphant return on the Chloe and Miu Miu A/W 17 runways . The teddy coat became popular because it was a more casual way to wear fur. They were also warm and didn't sacrifice style.
From the runways the teddy coat went down to the high street shops like Zara which would run about $80. Then social media went mad for the I.AM.GIA Pixie coat, the practically unknown Australian brand became an international phenomenon overnight when influencers and even celebrities like Bella Hadid and Selena Gomez were spotted with the coat. With it's $110 price tag, the jacket wasn't cheap, especially when you can find similar styles in Forever21 for under $50, but it wasn't too expensive either. Similar to the Juicy Couture tracksuit, the teddy coat became an attainable symbol of status and luxury.
I see the teddy coat sticking around for quite a bit of time. The simplicity of it makes it easy to style and update each season and the boho vibes make it perfect for fashion inspired by the 50th anniversary of Woodstock. Although once the boho trend dies down a bit I see the teddy coat fading away for a bit, but i definitely believe that variations of it will continue through the fashion cycle.