TREND GIRLY
The TRend
Arguably the best trend to come out of 2014, ‘girly’ is now a thing. A wave of pink, glitter, fluff and rainbows has met our senses, and it seems that for once, the female population is happily bathing in it. The reason this trend has not been met with disdain and rejection by successful, smart and creative women is that it has arrived without intentions of dumbing things down or of turning adult women into little girls. No, this time it has arrived with intentions of letting women reclaim this traditionally female domain without guilt. It has been driven into our psyche by some of the most exciting and accomplished women, and men, working in the industry today; amongst them the likes of Petra Collins, Ryan Lo, Meadham Kirchoff, Julia Sarr-Jamois, Arvida Bystrom and Karley Sciortino. Whether their talents lie in fashion, art, writing or elsewhere, these young creatives are championing feminism and leading by example.
INSPIRED BY This trend has been brought about like most things in fashion are these days, a combination of nostalgia and internet #inspo. Tumblr has played its part in allowing people everywhere to create blogs covered in images of Gwen Stafani, Clueless, Britney, Paris and Nicole and more girly 90’s icons. The people that grew up with this type of pop culture are now in their 20s, and are the tastemakers of the industry. Designers and stylists are taking their childhood bedroom walls and subverting them to create thought provoking work. However it’s not just about the fashion, this trend has a feminist agenda to it which can also be attributed largely to the internet. Where 90’s girls may have been cutting, sticking and photocopying zines and posters, nowadays people can create
online zines or virtual ‘mood boards’, again with the help of blogging platforms. The internet allows today’s zines to be met by a much wider audience and to be turned into a conversation rather than a one way manifesto. We associate ‘zines’ with the 90s Riot Grrrl movement, and to an extent we can see the influences of these feminist punks leaking into this super girly aesthetic. Riot Grrrls are repeatedly referenced as an inspiration by the likes of Louby McCloughlin and Arvida Bystrom in ShowStudio’s series of interviews on the trend. The morals of Kathleen Hanna are not something we can imagine worn alongside a Hello Kitty backpack, but that is what’s happening here and it is new. Rejecting traditional femininity made sense to the Riot Grrrl movement as they were rejecting traditional views about what females should be, but now we are seeing traditional femininity worn with pride by strong, successful and confident women. Riot Grrrls didn’t appreciate what constituted feminism at the time, they couldn’t relate to highly educated individuals posing speeches or protests, so they filtered the same message through a medium they could enjoy, music. A similar thing is happening now, creative expression is an enjoyable way to indulge in a political message, if fashion can spread feminist values through certain aesthetics then that is a valuable asset.
The STyle
So if ultra-girly is the official title of this aesthetic, what exactly does that entail? Pink, ruffles, quilting, lace, silk, shimmery fabrics, glitter, hearts, ribbons, balloons, neon signs, lipstick, heels, trainers, fur, fluff, lollipops, unicorns, mermaids, tiaras, feather boas, cake, bubblegum, nail varnish, a bit more pink maybe. All of this and probably any images that just popped into your mind. However what really makes this trend work is the subtle but dark undertones. I basically just described a six year old’s birthday party, how can that translate into an adult woman’s wardrobe? What makes it adult are the elements that make it equal parts street and sexy. Nazir Mashar and Simone Rocha are two obvious references to explain this. Pink and gold quilted silk mini-skirts, very girly, what about with a logo-printed sports waistband and matching bra? Floral embroidery and frilly skirts with cute rain jackets, very girly, what about if it was all made out of transparent PVC with black lace stitched through it? The initial appearance of the clothes is very girly, but when you look a bit closer they are actually cool, strong, sexy and grown up, and that’s what the very essence of this trend is.
Often in fashion, when a strong trend emerges, there is a sort of opposite trend. In this case I believe it is ‘normcore.’ The trend which takes things that are so widespread we would describe them as normal, and wears them with pride. It’s not quite minimalism, not quite sporty, not quite 90s. It has received mixed reviews but by its very nature it can be described as the most boring trend fashion has seen for a long time. Again maybe it depends on the ideology behind it; do people know why they’re wearing it? However in a world where a t-shirt and jeans in neutral tones is now a ‘trend’, it is understandable that people are reacting by throwing some fur, glitter and colour on it.
The Antithesis
The people
A key element of this trend is the people behind it. Inside the fashion industry particularly; photographers, stylists, designers and whole brands are creating under this reign of the uber feminine. Take the girly frills of Ryan Lo, the twisted fairytales created by Meadham Kirchoff, the Carrie Bradshaw super heels of Sophia Webster, the rainbow fur of Shrimps, the badass girl in pink and gold silk by Nasir Mazhar. One thing is for sure, there is not a hint of androgyny featured in these looks. Then there’s the stylists and photographers who are presenting these looks to the world. The likes of Louby McCloughlin, Tess Yopp, Lola Chatterton and The Mushpit (a zine by Bertie Brandes and Char Roberts) are fond of this 90s inspired girl power and aren’t afraid to feed it endlessly into their style. Photographers such as Masha Mel and Charlotte Rutherford create a hazy pink world in their beautiful images, but then there’s Petra Collins and Arvida Bystrom. These girls aren’t fashion photographers so much as artists,
weaving feminism into everything they produce, be that magazine editorials, short films, art exhibitions, modelling, neon light installations or just cakes and instagram feeds. Famed for their images of unshaven bodies, period stained bedsheets and ‘Feminist’ branded underwear, these girls embody the movement with everything they do, juxtaposing a force of rebellion against female stereotypes in a candy coloured, rainbow stickered universe. Outside of fashion there are young women showing such inspirational honesty and power it would be wrong to not name them as key influences on the trend, and no, not Beyonce. Tavi Gevinson and Lena Dunham are the first that spring to mind, young writers bringing feminism to life. If feminism is not being ashamed to talk about issues that girls go through, then let me tell you there is a whole chapter in Lena Dunham’s book about vaginal itching. If you’ve seen Girls you’ll also have seen a lot of this discussed openly on screen. Tavi has conquered the worlds of writing, fashion, acting and more all by the age of 18, her story is one we’re all familiar with now but nevertheless, an undeniable hurricane of girl power. Finally
are the London businesswomen Sharmadian Reid and Alex Brownsell, creators of Wah Nails and Bleach respectively. Singlehandedly changing the game of female grooming, these women have built cool East London salons into brand empires and inspired worldwide trends with their bright beauty looks.
THE FUTURE The problem with this movement is that the message could easily get lost in the aesthetics and material elements of the trend. This particular juxtaposition of manifesto and aesthetics is original, a breath of fresh air in our age of nostalgia led fashion. However when this trend hits the high street or the ‘mainstream’, and the look is worn without any knowledge of the ideals behind it, it may easily lose its’ heart. As Lou Stoppard explains in interview with stylist Lola Chatterton, “...I think there is an element where if the trend is not worn in a considered way, it can look just like girls are dressing as little sex objects, with all the pink and the fluff.”
Journalist Bertie Brandes has expressed concerns about this, her views on the Moschino Barbie collection and the ‘feminist march’ Chanel show suggest that the message is not being taken seriously, “It’s offensively trite, particularly to those customers who really did fight for women’s rights at the end of the 20th century and probably aren’t that thrilled about seeing feminism sugar coated in the name of capitalism.” However she is not completely against the trend, stating, “...when girlishness is done intelligently, and with genuine complexity it is a wonderful, insightful thing,” and referencing Meadham Kirchoff’s Reject Everything show as a respectful interpretation of the movement. So how can this movement transcend the materialistic trend? Whilst the creative expression happening within fashion is fantastic, nothing is constant in fashion and the industry will soon move onto the next big thing. It is important that the message does not get lost in the back of the closet when the stylists hang up their glittery shoes. Essentially, the trend is opening new doors for self-expression and that is what’s important. Where
before anything pink and fluffy was synonymous with naivety or stupidity, it can now be worn with pride. Intellectual women can be more free with their style, sexuality, even their ambitions. The appearance of the trend may fade, but if we continue to hold people like Lena Dunham, Tavi Gevinson, Petra Collins, Julia SarrJamois, Edward Meadham and Benjamin Kirchoff in the highest esteem, then the principles should stick.
All images taken from Tumblr. Find related articles on ShowStudio and i-D.
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