Fashion theory predicts comeback of the 2000s
Courtesy of Dolls Kill and Boohoo
October 3, 2019
Walking through most stores nowadays you’re met with a parent saying, “I used to wear something like that.” This isn’t just them reliving their youth. e truth is a lot of style now comes from the 90s and 70s, this rebirth of trends goes back to something called the “20 year rule.”
The rule comes from James Laver’s Law of Fashion which states that: 10 years before it’s time the trend is “in- decent,”one year before its “daring,” and once the trendnally arrives it’s “smart.” It states that the more a trend ages the more people like it, which becomes a catch 22 as most fashion is a call back to other time periods for the very reason that things become better with age. Vintage al- most always becomes the style. Nowadays it’s common to hear people brag about having gotten their clothes at thrift stores for the purpose of wanting to look vintage.
Look at the popularity of Fila to consider the reality of this trend theory.
In the 90s, as tennis players and rappers began wearing Fila, we see it skyrocket to become the pinnacle of street fashion. As they enter the early 2000s, we start to stray from street wear causing Fila to have to sell a majority of their stock in 2003. They stayed as a brand that created chunky ugly and cheap sneakers until we get the 90s revival. 2018 sees Fila have its own fashion week runway at the peak of this resurgence. It takes the streetwear and dad sneaker trend and completely redefines of the brand.`
It only makes sense there’s a revival of the brand with the way the 90s have become popular again.
The Delia’s brand shared this fate. It was best known for its platform shoes, a defining feature in 90s fashion, and their cute pencil style skirts. They were huge among teens in the 90s but as the early 2000s hit they began to struggle, in the 70s revival began to die down. They got purchased by a larger company and had a steady decline in sales until they declare bankruptcy in 2014. Although, 90s fashion was slowly and surely making a comeback so they opened an online store and gain much success.
They are even featured on Dolls Kill, a website that focused on bringing in vintage-inspired fashions as is what’s popular. On their site, you’ll see DJ Tanner, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and Baby Spice just about everywhere on their pages.
The 90s seem to have made a full come back in a post 2010 era but now as we approach 2020 we seem to inch closer and closer to an early 2000s comeback. With TikTok trends and denim on denim, ala Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears, we are getting more and more of these looks. Think of Anne Hathaway’s Oscars outfit in which she wore a red slip dress over boot cut jeans with sandals. This style was emulated in an elevated manner by Maria Moscone at New York Fashion Week.
A lot of time on the Internet is spent making fun or reminiscing about the early 2000s and the 90s. It’s a type of nostalgia accessed by Gen Z that is truly unique and fashion seems to consistently capitalize on this. So grab your jelly shoes, tall tees, your cargo capris and forget your Motorola flip phone.
