to wonder if there is really such a thing as fashion anymore

[miniaturepixieonacid]

I know, technically, there must be. From small evidence such as the existence of the style board on here where some posters seem very knowledgable and opinionated what is and is not in fashion to big things like the existence of fashion designers, fashion weeks. But, day to day and around and about, it just seems like anything and everything goes quite happily.

I was in Central London just people watching the other day and literally all styles, all types of clothing, all decades of fashion were represented. All styles of jeans, tops, skirts etc. All colours and cuts of everything in all materials. And on lots of people, not just that most people were in one style and there was the odd outlier. There doesn't seem to be a dominant fashion or style at all any more. Or is there?

I freely admit that, if there is an 'in' style, I'm not it. I only buy from vinted and vintage fairs/shops and everything I own is a) at least second hand and b) made between 20 - 75 years ago. The majority of the time I wear vintage dresses and skirts. But I don't feel out of place like that. Maybe less common but not 'weird'.

So, what do you think? Is the fashion industry still as dominant as it was and I'm just missing it. Or have we moved out of there being a '2020s look' in the same way that there is a 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, Y2K 'look'?

(I know it doesn't matter either way, btw. I'm just randomly musing because nobody I know in real life would care either!)

Hopefully not

I think if you look at groups of teenagers they mostly have a similar “look” depending on area, financial bracket etc.

But I do agree adults’ clothing is much more varied than it used to be in my Mum’s or Grandmothers’ day.

As in, you hope there is still a look that's clearly in fashion or you hope there isn't? Not sure which way you're thinking.

@CherryYellowCouch Yes, I was just thinking of adults actually, you're completely right. Teenagers will always be tribal, I'm sure.

I hope "fashion" is going and people will choose what they like and reject what they do not. I appreciate it is a big bit of the economy but it is also responsible for pollution and waste

I think “fashion” has just become grouped by “aesthetic” now. For example, I’m 26 and I think a lot of people would say I’m in the “clean girl” aesthetic - but it’s more of an entirety than just clothes. So hair, makeup, clothes, shoes, etc.

All I can say as an oldie is, if I like the look, fabric, and shape (on me) of an item I'll wear it, and I don't give a damn about whether it is fashionable or not. Maybe it is I don't know! I'll shop in any shop that will give me what I will feel good in, from Primark up to well.... whatever I can afford for say a special occasion.

The Pashmina effect I call it. I see on this board the horror of anyone even contemplating the use of a pashmina or wrap for a wedding cover up. Sometimes they are the most suitable and often beautiful additions to a wedding outfit. Instead we get - try this blazer, that cardigan, this overshirt, that long coat, most of which are absolutely awful and detract so much from the outfit itself. But I digress.

Fashion is for young people, as pp said, follow the herd. It's hard to find a person under 18 who doesn't have long straightened hair, oversized tops and various iterations of jeans, leggings, sports wear, short shorts etc.

Fashion to me is looking and feeling good about what you're wearing. We are not all built the same so to be an individual is a good thing, whether that conforms to society's view of fashionable or not. Who the F cares really?

I think in the past you were more aware of what was a current trend because you were young and trends tend to be watched and followed more by the young

Back in the day when women in particular got older and had dc they adopted a mum uniform. Then when they got to 40 they cut their hair and adopted a middle age uniform and so on.

but now people tend to find a look they like and carry on with it as they age. Some really successfully and get develop a style that suits them. Others perhaps not so successfully and they just look dated and stuck in a rut. But it does lead to a street view of many looks.

I’ve always liked wearing the same old comfy clothes skirts tops jeans dresses etc I don’t really tend to buy new anymore last year or so I’ve been buying off of vinted more.
I also actively avoid fast fashion like shien, primark and Temu can’t stand crap clothing quality and I will openly admit I prefer supermarket clothing over likes of those shops quality is good and I have items years old and still in good condition.

I think we just have groups like we always have done - in the 60s, we had mods and hippies.

Or we might call it an “aesthetic” nowadays.

I think the internet is creating its own tribes and source of inspiration - which means that out and about, it all looks quite eclectic. You don’t have to dress like your neighbours or colleagues now because you get inspiration from someone you follow online.

But if you went to a common interest event like a gig/ store event, suddenly everyone looks the same again.

I was looking through old photos at the weekend. Lots of photos of me wearing waist high stone wash jeans with seams down the front, polo shirt tucked in with a thick leather belt, dangly earrings down to my shoulders, white trainers with big logos and a strangely oversized tongue (on the trainers, not on me 😜).

At the time I thought I was just wearing what I wanted to and expressing myself, not following a trend. But in hindsight it was so VERY 90s that it was definitely “in” at the time.

If there was no such thing as fashion now, it could just as easily be worn today, no? Any yet … I think it might attract a few giggles and second glances.

Therefore I conclude that yes, there is still such a thing as fashion, but we don’t recognise it because we are immersed in it.

You could be looking at photos of today in 30 years time and you could probably place it to within 5 years.

There is an exponential trend towards pre-owned clothes right now - which effectively scribbles over the edges of what is currently deemed fashionable (as in informed by this season’s catwalk shows.)

But even so there’s a hierarchy. For every thrifty MN poster declaiming the joys of getting a five year old Reiss dress for £20 from Vinted, there’s a nepo-baby with an unlimited budget who only wears vintage Chanel and Balenciaga from one trusted source. The latter shopper will be shaping the idea of What Looks Good Right Now rather more than the former, even if neither is consuming current fashion via Cos.

I'm old so seen lots of fashions come and go over the decades and yes I'd agree, this does seem to be an ' anything goes' period in time. There's still Goths who were around in the eighties, combat trousers that were big in the nineties, choice of hem length on both skirts and trousers, older and younger women all wearing trainers. Leopard print seems to come back in style every few years! Personally I think it's fab and very freeing.

If you see a lot of the high street ‘fashion’ like Zara, H&M, Mango, River Island, even M&S to a degree, you can see a set of shapes, lengths and aesthetics that have filtered down from high fashion. So for example the barrell shaped cropped jeans, resort shirts, those weird looking fishnet type flat sandals, androgynous relaxed separates and simple A line silhouettes. There is also a return to the 90s CBK aesthetic which I personally love (but no longer have the figure like I did in the 90s 😭).

I think the world has changed since covid and a lot of us don’t really dress up any more. People have got used to a slouchy comfort way of dressing and gymwear seems to be more ubiquitous than it used to be. People are far more casual even at occasions and events these days. All to be styled with flats and the ‘right’ trainers. So I think the trends, if there are any, tend to be around easy, breezy, subtle and urban leaning.

There seem to be trends still but as pp has said, since Covid, things are much more casual now.
If I buy clothes now I always look on Vinted first as chances are it’ll be on there - either vintage from last time round and better quality, or current.
I used to love shopping but don’t anymore as it’s so hard to find good fabrics. Even high end labels are using pretty crap fabrics these days.

I agree that aesthetic is considered more important now. People also seem more influenced by Love Island types than high fashion - a trend I noticed developing in the early 2000s when young people were beginning to get more interested in what reality TV 'personalities' and Z listers like Jordan were wearing rather than fashion models.

I'm old and past it, but I couldn't name one current super model. Are there even any super models these days? High fashion seems to be losing its grip.

There’s a few - Kendall Jenner, the Hadid sisters, Hailey Beiver modelled for a while. But I agree that social media is more influential now - personally a lot of my style comes from WAGs and social media!

I think, even allowing for Vinted, there are a lot of things that have come and gone in the last few years and would be considered unfashionable currently:

• gladiator sandals (particularly the knee length ones with a zip at the back).
• cross body camera bag with a “funky” leopard print strap
• cold shoulder tops

I just can’t see anyone successfully wearing these without being seen as unfashionable.

I hope there isnt

Fashion and trends can go in the bin

I think a lot of it is down to how clothes are fitted now. You say you wear things from 75 up to 20 years ago. 20 years ago was 2005 and I have an Adidas track jacket from a couple of years early than then, but roughly 20 years old. It fits very differently to a similar jacket now as it's designed to be shorter and tighter fitting all over as that's how tops were then. Now everything is a bit boxier and relaxed. It wouldn't look strange on though as it is now (unfortunately) old enough to be vintage. If I hunted around and dug out some tops from ten years ago, they would just look dated as they are not in fashion but too recent to be 'vintage'. I think hairstyles and make up make a difference too. Heavy dark, drawn on brows look unfashionable like you are stuck in 2016. A strong line of blusher up your cheeks and short perm will always look like the 80s.

I think that it’s hard to grasp a current look in the moment.
Give it 20 years, and it will be easy to “describe “ a 2020’s look.

So, @araiwa- casting aside the last two thousand years of humanity constantly refining the ways we can sign to strangers who and what we are / believe in / possess / know through our clothing - you will personally be responsible for the single grey boiler suit in which (if sci-fi is to be believed) we are all collectively to meet our futures?

There are definitely items that are trendy. If 5 women under 21 walk past my front door and it's not boiling hot, I'd say at least 2 will be in a White Fox hoodie and one will be in a similar cheaper version with a logo on the back.

I've lived near Bath for nearly 20 years and it's as eclectic as they come. Some who look like they fell out the back of a VW camper at Glastonbury, tourists in everything from Joules stripes to Chanel suits, loads in their 20s wearing Sweaty Betty and Lululemon.

I've not really changed my style in that time. I've had brief periods of following a trend (Lucy and Yak dungarees anyone? Those sweatshirts with HELLO on them?) but ultimately I wear a trending shape of jeans, stripes, and Converse/Docs. From that description I could be anything from 30 upwards.

There are certainly fewer 'scenes' defined by music and associated fashion, which has changed things a lot.

Really interesting thoughts, thanks. 'Aesthetic' is definitely a new term to me. Not sure if I have one or not, I might research!

I like the freedom to wear whatever, whenever. But part of me does worry that, in amongst feeling good about helping the environment and saving money with not buying anything new, I also feel bad about not contributing to the economy. I worry that if we all stopped buying new things then we'd be in trouble. But also think we all ned to stop buying new things. A conundrum!