Empty Space Is an Accessory

Image Courtesy: L’Officiel 

Fashion trends come and go, but one that seems to stay this season is the skin itself. Whether the clothing item is a dress, skirt, pants, or oversized blazer, showing some skin can be an accessory. Designers like Victor Glemaud and Christian Siriano stunned on the runway with cutouts during New York Fashion Week. Celebrities have followed suit with cutout looks of their own. Notably, Saweetie wore a cutout top with a long skirt to an Oscars after-party just days ago, leaving little to the imagination while maintaining a classy look. 

Image Courtesy: Pop Sugar 

The trends of micro-mini skirts, tiny crop tops, and low-rise pants are far from new and original. Cutouts were largely popularized by mod fashion in the 1960s, with a revival of retro in the 1990s giving way to even more daring wardrobes. The mod looks, while now outdated, largely influence designers today. Low-rise pants and skirts were at their peak in the early 2000s, with celebrities pairing the item with cropped shirts that showed off their toned stomachs. With the recycling of early 90s fashion coming to an end, it’s no surprise that we’re seeing an uptick in late 90s and early 2000s fashion.  

Image Courtesy: Vintage Fashion Guild  

We’ve seen a call back to Y2K fashions online and in micro trends over the past few years, but it hasn’t seemed to make its way onto the runway—until now.  

The implications of this revival are yet to be seen—how will showing more skin affect the way we view bodies in the era beyond the body positivity movement? Trends right now, especially in the world of high fashion, pay homage to the late nineties and early 2000s- a time when there was not much acceptance of body types other than “thin.” Could this be a revival of heroin chic?  

Image Courtesy: Vogue 

We’ve seen an uptick in smoking cigarettes and looking disheveled as a new trend alongside these revivals on the runway. Under-eye bags, unkempt hair, and the “just rolled out of bed” are all returning in the name of honesty and authenticity—but is that their true purpose? The call back to the early 2000s seems to be presenting itself in an all-too literal way.  

Image Courtesy: Strike Tallahassee

Although I enjoy the styles that are becoming popularized as of late, I would like to see more cutouts and micro-mini skirts on people other than high fashion models and skinny celebs. I believe that we can redo the era of empty space as an accessory by incorporating inclusivity. Anyone should be able to play around with showing skin without being only skin and bones. The styles of ultra-short skirts and cutouts should be accessible to anyone who wants to wear them, not just those with typical model bodies that we have glorified so much in our culture.  

So, while I accept the return of early 2000s fashion and accessorizing our outfits with our bodies, I don’t accept the return of the same body norms that we had in that era. I think we can do better each time we recycle a fashion trend, and empty space is no exception.  

Strike Out, 

Writer: Lydia Coddington 

Editor: Noelle Knowlton 

Graphic Designer: Andrea Wolfe

Tallahassee