The Return of 2010s Fashion (Spoiler: Twee Is Back)
Image Courtesy: Strike Tallahassee
Don’t deny it—in the age of Tumblr fashion, we all wanted to wear galaxy print leggings with tossed up space buns and dresses with Peter Pan collars that mimicked Suzy Bishop’s posh style in Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom. No outfit was complete without the thick-rimmed black glasses that were more reminiscent of IMAX movie frames as opposed to actual eyeglasses.
Looking back, none of this looked good, but it was a simpler time. I wasn’t constantly inundated with ephemeral fashion trends and social media posts laden with brand-name clothing and accessories. There weren’t hundreds of aesthetics and their subsequent sub-genres—there was just hipster, vintage, and twee, but even then these styles all overlapped. Longing for this lost era of nonconformist simplicity, it’s no secret that 2014 Tumblr-era fashion is coming back, but did it ever truly leave?
Fashion is meant to follow a 20-year wash cycle; for example, what was popular in the 1970s will be popular again in the 1990s, and so on. Nowadays, and with no thanks to social media, we cycle through fashion trends at alarmingly rapid rates. 2010 was only 12 years ago, but she’s coming back with a vengeance. While it’s true a lot of 2010s fashion trends were nothing short of atrocious, here are some revived trends that are versatile enough to incorporate into your current style.
Image Courtesy: The Telegraph
A-Line and Skater Skirts
It’s no secret that in our current day and age, we’re straying further and further away from gender norms, especially in the way we dress. Experimenting with clothing styles that are perhaps more androgynous and blur the line between masculinity and femininity is fun, but I’ve got to admit there’s a certain thrill from wearing something absolutely “girly.” Perhaps nothing screams “girly” to me than a good old-fashioned skater skirt, snug at the waist and flaring perfectly at your mid-thigh. To keep things less conspicuous, though, you might try pairing this traditionally feminine silhouette with a casual sneaker or oversized graphic tee.
Funky Patterns
Gone are the days of wearing color-blocked tops and tees. Bring back the polka dot and stripe renaissance. While some prints are certainly tacky, they can be paired with neutral pieces to achieve tasteful feng shui. For example, I have a pair of blue flared jeans covered in leopard print. They’re fun, but I downplay them with a simple white tee to balance out the boldness of the pants.
Image Courtesy: Spotern
Peter Pan Collars
This trend, a la Alexa Chung and Suzy from Moonrise Kingdom, feels so timeless to me. It fits with a plethora of different style aesthetics if that’s your thing: dark academia, light academia, cottage core, and the like. A blouse with a heavy Peter Pan collar layered beneath it can even be incorporated underneath a more casual tee. It easily elevates any sweatshirt, top, or dress you’ve decided to throw on to balance grunge with prep.
Fishnets and Tights
Tights have never gone out of style. The 2010s were all about incorporating tights into every sort of outfit imaginable: tights with shorts ripped black tights under your white American Apparel tennis skirt, or thicker tights with unusual colors like neon green or even the tragic aforementioned galaxy print.
Flat Shoes and Knee-High Socks
Don’t get me wrong, I love my platform shoes. In fact, I don’t think I own a single shoe without a heel (I’m only 5’3, so I need all the help I can get). While this is not my particular cup of tea, something is enticing to be said about a shoe that’s easily slipped on and off, and that requires no extensive lacing or zipping up. To create the illusion of longer legs, knee-high socks (not the Arctic Monkeys song) never hurt, either.
Strike Out,
Writer: Gillian Bennett
Editor: Noelle Knowlton
Graphics: Samantha Lawless
Tallahassee