Flying Under Orange and Blue Skies

Looking Back for Forward Fashion

Story by Cassandra Dergins and Kaliope Dris

Photos by Melissa Hernandez De La Cruz

Fashion is an inescapable art. It is the clothes we wear, the magazines we read and the pictures we post. Everywhere we look, we are surrounded by the styles that help us decide who we are. But how do these styles and trends come to be?

Trends never truly go out of style. Give it enough time, and the natural cycle of fashion will start over again.

You may notice the jeans your mom used to wear are popping up in storefront windows and on every ad on your phone. This is not some weird coincidence: It is the fashion cycle.

According to “Fashion Marketing & Merchandising” by Mary Wolfe, there are five different stages to the fashion cycle. But don’t be fooled, it’s called a cycle for a reason. Once a trend makes it to the final stage, it will find its way back into our closets once again. You are not alone if you think today’s newest trends are giving you flashbacks. As we fully dive into the '20s, prepare yourselves for early 2000s styles to make their way back into the cycle.

It starts in the introduction stage when a trend makes its first appearance. In September and February, models for New York Fashion Week strut the runway and introduce the new trends. Through shows and exclusive events, you get a peek at what is to come this season. “Fashion and clothing aren’t always meant to be comfortable, but there’s a sense of comfort to be found in the fresh and new,” Oh said. “It’s why we love vintage and old movies and costumes and dressing up for different decades — it's why fashion will never die.”

Once the grand entrance has been made, the trend will slowly popularize through the rise stage. Instagram influencers, celebrities and models are suddenly seen sporting the newest style everywhere they go, and people begin to pick up on the trend. For example, after Meghan Markle was seen with a new bag in 2017, the Strathberry purse sold out in 11 seconds. Yes — 11 seconds!

By the time the trend reaches the general public, it has completely saturated the market in its peak stage. It can be found at just about every retail store, allowing all ranges of buyers to sport the most popular new vogue, as long as it does not sell out.

Trends don’t stick around forever. Some are around for a few months, while others can last years, but once a trend has successfully taken over, people get bored. It reaches the official decline stage and hits the clearance racks as fashion fiends keep an eye out for the next big thing.

Finally, the trend becomes “so last season” and reaches the obsolescence stage. If you're caught wearing it at this point, you either live under a rock or you’re incredibly fashion-forward and preparing for its next run in the cycle. You heard that right: It will be back. Give it about 20 years.

At the 20-year mark, we start to look back at these long-forgotten fashions with a feeling of nostalgia. Longing for what we used to be, designers tend to pull these trends back into the front line — with a little bit of a revamp of course.

“Nostalgia for past decades always makes its way into upcoming trends. It’s indicative of how we tend to revisit and cling onto the familiar despite how each season brings iterations of trends,” said Hannah Oh, bridal stylist and fashion blogger with over 85 thousand followers on Instagram and TikTok.

Millennials and Gen Zers love to stay on top of the trends, so you’re bound to see these looks soon. When a new fad emerges, social media fills up with inspiration on how to style it.

Older looks have also come full circle. High-rise jeans, scrunchies and bright colors are all from ‘80s inspiration. Chunky shoes, small shoulder bags and animal print started in the ‘90s. We have the 2000s to thank for butterfly clips, shiny lip gloss and other iconic makeup looks.

It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly why trends come back years after going out of style.

University of Florida student Nadia Schmaler first noticed this when she purchased a pair of Doc Marten boots in 2014. Her mom had the same pair in the ‘80s. As a fashion lover, she often searches for cool fashion finds in her spare time and notices when they are a blast from the past. Recently, Schmaler was ecstatic to find a great deal on a pair of vintage Jones New York houndstooth dress pants.

“My mom swears she had the exact same pair from Macy’s and that she donated them years ago,” she said.

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“Fashion and clothing aren’t always meant to be comfortable, but there’s a sense of comfort to be found in the fresh and new.”

Trends come back in a cycle, but they’re not worn the same way they were decades ago. Wide leg pants may be back in closets but won’t be paired with the same top that they would have been paired with in 2000. Those same pants may have been a low-rise fit. In 2021, high-waisted pants are much more popular. While Levi’s were the original baggy jeans decades ago, Hailey Bieber was seen on the streets in baggy jeans made by Natasha Zinko. She paired them with a cropped Urban Outfitters cardigan and Nike sneakers, as seen on Who What Wear.

Animal prints have circled through decades. According to Harper’s Bazaar, leopard fur coats were popular in the 1920s. In the ‘50s, actress Ava Gardner was photographed in a leopard print bodysuit while posed on a leopard staircase. According to Vogue, in 2020, celebrities were taking to the streets during New York Fashion Week in cow print, snakeskin and tortoise shell patterns. While animal print as a whole has made a comeback, the exact types and looks have shifted.

Biker shorts are another apparent comeback piece. Sarah Jessica Parker was spotted on the streets in the '80s wearing black biker shorts, paired with a chic black blazer for a more formal look. Emily Ratajkowski was seen more recently on Harper’s Bazaar wearing black Khaite biker shorts that sell for $760 paired with a tan blazer designed by The Row.

You might not realize that your new favorite mom jeans, biker shorts or leopard print tee are pieces that used to be popular. Believe it or not, Kendall Jenner didn’t come up with your new favorite trend. Your mom probably wore it first. It just found its way back to the beginning of the fashion cycle.

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