The Needles in a Haystack: Niche Fashion Trends You Need to Know About

The world of fashion is broad and has layers to it. Like a light switch, it feels like trends just come and go. Every now and then people get tired of one trend and immediately move onto the next. Because of the constant flickering of the lights, on and off, we tend to miss certain fashion trends. Trends that go under the radar, unnoticed by most but found by some. Hence why they are what we like to call Niche fashion. You may not know about them but some people do and some niche trends are taking the fashion world by storm. Let’s take a look at some of these niche looks and see why they remain under the radar.

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The Whipstitch:

Noemi Merlant from Vogue.com

Whipstitched fashion (or sometimes Laced-up fashion) has been a trend that has been under-appreciated for many decades now. In recent years the popularity of vintage and old style has become a rising trend for many reasons, mainly because everyone loves that era of pop culture; the music, the movies, and the fashion have taken a new liking to the 2010s. Whipstitch seems to date back from the ‘70s when punk rock and goth culture grew into its infancy. It only became more popular in that genre until recently when certain brands started putting whipstitches into blouses and dresses. This was done notably in 2014 and 2016 during numerous runways and catwalks.

DKNY, Fendi and others are among the companies inspired by this once punk and goth look. The trend recently made another appearance in Vogue on September 20th, 2020 when Noemie Merlant reinterpreted the classic whipstitch look at the Deauville American Film Festival.

Camp:

“Camp is always presented with an invisible wink to the audience”

- Susan Sontag

Lady gaga at the 2019 met gala

You can’t go wrong with standing out. But, is there such a thing as standing out too much? Not according to Camp fashion, that is. When people think of camp in fashion, most would probably think back to the iconic Met Gala of 2019 where this grand fashion category spiked in popularity due to this event. However, camp is an ancient fashion choice that covers many trends over many centuries. The idea of camp can date back to the era when Louis XIV reigned over France. His style is considered camp because of the over-the-top garments, which he was well-known for. Oscar Wilde was also very renowned for his “Low-Camp” stylistic choices; though his type of camp was toned down, he still stood out from most men with his fashion choices.

Today, camp can be seen in so many different places in fashion. From numerous catwalks, festivals, award ceremonies, and RuPaul’s Drag Race seasons, camp is still widely in our culture.

Celebrity Fashion:

Harry Styles From vanityfair.com

Bjork from Vogue.com

And Speaking of award ceremonies, there have been many fashion choices over the years in pop culture that have shaped the eye of the beholder. From TV, movies, web shows, and even literature, so many styles have stained our vision and might’ve even influenced what you or others wear. One celebrity, in particular, that is hitting the fashion eye right now is Harry styles. Even before the infamous November Vogue issue, Harry Styles has been influencing fashion for a good five or six years now. From his music videos to his talk show and red carpet appearances, this man has graced audiences with spectacular styles every time. 

Another celebrity who possibly would have the Midas touch would have to be Lady Gaga. There isn’t much to say here other than she is yet another reason why the style of camp is so appreciated even today. There is genuinely nothing in the world that Lady Gaga cannot touch.

However, there is still one stylistic choice made almost 20 years ago that still has people talking about it and this is Bjork’s infamous swan dress. Worn during the 73rd Academy Awards, Bjork made many heads turn from the dress that looked like a swan. It was voted as one of the best fashion dresses of all time by many magazines and articles; some designers incorporate the idea in their dresses to this day.

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Nick’s Bio

Nick is a second year professional writing student at algonquin college, hoping to pursue work in either journalism or scriptwriting. Nick hopes to become someone that makes his readers ponder about the many things in which life has to offer. In his down time, you can find him playing on his nintendo switch, organizing his many pokemon cards, or obsessively writing one of his many stories--most notably Radio Heads, a young adult drama about musicians.

What Women Want: 100 Years of Women's Fashion

From Burst

There’s no denying that fashion will forever shape the way we all wear things or express ourselves. Fashion - especially for women - has changed so much throughout the years. It’s hard to keep track of what came and what went away. Every trend brought a new definition to the words expression, diversity and fluidity; so, let’s take a look at how much women’s fashion has changed throughout the last 10 decades and see what was popular and why these trends were so… trendy!

The Roaring ‘20s:

From crfashionbook.com

After the first World War ended in 1918, women felt more empowered than ever due to their right to vote, which came along the previous year. Because of this, the younger generation tailored their attire to more rebellious wear; showing your legs were frowned upon for girls back then, which made the infamous flapper dress a rambunctious but also perfect choice for young girls to shift the traditional convention of what a girl wears.

The Slow ‘30s:

During the Great Depression, fashion wasn’t as accessible to many people. So, instead of wearing the clothes themselves, everyday people watched actors & actresses wear the golden fashion of that decade. Old Hollywood stars wore long, dark silk dresses with a low back cut. This made the women look desirable, showing off the fortune and fantasy that most desperately wanted in their own lives. Elegant and classy were the styles for this decade.

The Combative ‘40s:

Rosie the Riveter From crfashionbook.com

The Second World War crept up the world during the forties, which meant men once more going out to fight while women went back to the workforce. Because of this, fashion took a huge left turn when it came to traditional styles. More conventional styles like DIY jumpsuits, rompers and others were made from old clothes and materials made from denim or cotton. There’s a reason why Rosie the Riveter wears denim--because women were reinventing the fashion norms drastically! Women also needed to wear versatile, durable clothes - short skirts of velvet or silk were out of place in a steel factory.

The Booming ‘50s:

With Christian Dior’s fashion taking a bit of leeway at the end of the forties, they took the spotlight in the fifties when the Second World War ended. Christian Dior’s fashion line included large petticoats and wide-cut skirts (much like the infamous poodle dresses of the era.) Women were expected to look polished and perfect all the time during this decade, which is why pearl jewelry was a big influence. 

The Swinging ‘60s:

Jacqueline Kennedy From crfashionbook.com

Simplistic fashion was the central theme for women’s fashion in the sixties. This theme swung into the mainstream when first lady Jacqueline Kennedy was in the public eye. Many women wanted to embody the elegance and own the infamous pillbox hat. The second wave of feminism also made women wear more colourful dresses in a way to visually express their liberation as women. skirts became shorter as the miniskirt took centre stage.

The Groovy ‘70s:

Possibly the most memorable era of fashion, the hippie fashion trend conquered the seventies. Taking inspiration from the colourful dresses of the late sixties, the hippie era included some liberating fashion choices. Women let their hair down and wore loose-fitting clothes. These included tank tops, crop tops, bell-bottoms and a lot of tie-dye! 

The Far Out ‘80s:

While the seventies exuded colorfulness, the eighties exploded colours with neon jumpsuits and scrunchies. Since more women were entering the workforce during this decade, they wanted to compete with men by feeling more empowered. This is when the birth of shoulder pads came along so that women could stand beside men as equals.

The Grungy ‘90s:

While earlier decades were very colourful in their styles, the nineties decided to stay dark with the grunge era. Leather jackets, inspired by bands like Nirvana was the big face of fashion during that time. Britney Spears also inspired some looks with her famous school-girl look. But the main slogan for this decade was “More is more”. Never before was such diversity present in fashion and it only got crazier from here on out.

The Innovative 2000s & 2010s:

The 2000s and 2010s were pretty similar when it came to the traditions of fashion. Leading up to today, fashion seems to become more and more of a blurred line, with everyone doing whatever they want. Fashion companies, social media influencers, singers and anyone with a platform showcases their personal touch. This has made fashion more fluid than ever. Some women now wear male clothes; some men now wear female clothes. And somewhere in between, there is no male or female fashion. The way people choose to wear their clothing has never been so blurred, which makes things very interesting in what will happen in the decades to come. The question stands: will things continue to be blurred or with there be a rebirth with something new taking up the new conventions of fashion? Only time will tell.

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Nick’s Bio

Nick is a second year professional writing student at algonquin college, hoping to pursue work in either journalism or scriptwriting. Nick hopes to become someone that makes his readers ponder about the many things in which life has to offer. In his down time, you can find him playing on his nintendo switch, organizing his many pokemon cards, or obsessively writing one of his many stories--most notably Radio Heads, a young adult drama about musicians.

The Psychology behind Your Favourite Colours and Patterns

Trends come and go; their lifecycle may not always be long, but in some weird way we still remember a good chunk of them. Some we like to keep alive because we like them so much, others we wished never happened. The brain’s main focus in life is to remain stimulated. It likes to keep itself interested by keeping an eye out on things that pop. And when it sees something like a piece of clothing or a certain pattern or colour, it gains familiarity. So the brain creates a link to what it sees often. It creates a liking or a disliking to it. The brain is a map, connecting things to where they need to go; it either puts the familiar stuff it sees in a “like” or “dislike” pile in your head. However, this all depends on one thing: perspective. This is the word that we’re going to focus on today--how the fashion industry creates our perspective and what tends to pop out the most to us.

You Are What You Wear!

If you’ve ever heard that saying before, it is absolutely true. The clothes we wear say a lot about each other, whether it’s to express uniqueness, self-confidence or because we like a certain style or colour. However, there is a large majority of people that seem to stick to the norms that fashion establishes. To explain this we look at Fashion Psychology, an entire field based on, you guessed it, the psychology behind fashion. Surprisingly, this doesn't always refer to clothing, but also makeup, tattoos, room decor and even our cars. Self-identity obviously plays an important role in this type of subject. 

But this norm that people like to stick to… what does this mean? Well, it means yes, we do like to self-express, but not so much as to attract too much attention to yourself. The fashion industry has already established these certain norms throughout society and time that shows what is normal/common and what is abnormal/uncommon. So the goal, for most people, is to be unique, but not too unique. We like to improvise every now and then but to the point where it conforms to the social normality. 

What Makes Things Pop!

It’s pretty interesting to think that the majority of people want to feel unique but not be too unique. But, within that “uniqueness” there is something else that people like to cling to: perspective. The word mentioned at the very beginning is what matters most to people, in terms of identity and self-expression. Think of your favourite colour of your favourite pattern; why is it your favourite colour? How does it speak to you? What makes it stand out rather than the rest? Can’t exactly think why? Well, most people would say “I just think it looks nice,” or something along those lines. That’s because, unfortunately, there is no real answer to this, except familiarity. 

In our childhood, we experience a lot of things, and nine times out of ten, these things shape our perspective of what we like and dislike. For example, maybe you were exposed to a lot of blue colours as a child and because of this, your favourite colour is blue. Have you ever noticed that most people’s favourite colours are blue and green? They also happen to be two of the most common colours out there as well. We attach our fashion with not just expression, but also emotion. If you felt like a certain pattern gives you happiness due to a fond memory, or once again familiarity, you tend to gravitate toward that kind of fashion choice. For example, your mom wore a nice plaid coat when you were younger; now, plaid might remind you of your mother and you’ll probably like and wear that pattern yourself, too.

Self-expression is important to everyone in this day and age. After reading about this, you can either be one of two things: follow the norm or be different. Most people want to be different but in the end, choose to be normal. It all goes back to perspective. Of course, we’re all different; we all look, talk, speak, differently. But when it comes to fashion there’s the box. It confides us. It traps people into thinking their style is different but most of us conform to the norm. Break the box. Be who you wanna be without society having to tell you how to dress. No one can tell you who you get to be, except you.

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Nick’s Bio

Nick is a second year professional writing student at algonquin college, hoping to pursue work in either journalism or scriptwriting. Nick hopes to become someone that makes his readers ponder about the many things in which life has to offer. In his down time, you can find him playing on his nintendo switch, organizing his many pokemon cards, or obsessively writing one of his many stories--most notably Radio Heads, a young adult drama about musicians.

Social Media & Reachability: How Fashion Companies Thrive

It’s pretty hard to imagine modern life without social media. From what started as a tool to be able to reach out to friends from the comfort of your own home, to empires and influencers dominating and shaping the digital world as we know it, social media has changed into something that most people cannot truly understand anymore. Older generations may use it as a tool to show everyone what they’re up to on Facebook and younger generations might use it to pass the time during quarantine on Youtube or TikTok but, for some people, it’s their career to stay on top.

Social media influencers like Youtubers do everything they can to use platforms to remain relevant. Companies like Wendy’s and others use social media to promote their products, giving them more of a reach with their audience. Social media has created multiple different communities because of the reach it has. Writers can now share their work on Wattpad, comedic brains can share their memes or the memes they find on multiple websites and gamers can interact with each other around the world through Steam and Discord.

Advertising

The rules of social media also apply to fashion. When you go scrolling through your feed on Instagram or on Facebook, you will commonly find ads that tailor to you. Everyone has one thing in common, we all wear clothes, and nine times out of ten you will find some kind of fashion ad on Snapchat, Instagram, or Facebook when scrolling through your feed. These options can vary from shaving, jewelry, clothes, aesthetics and so much more. 

What most people do not know, however, is that not only are well-known companies being able to reach audiences but also lesser-known companies are making the same reach and becoming more well known. Along with the help of social media, companies like Zaful, H&M, and Zara have become what they are today because of the reach they were able to make from their ads and accounts. 

Reachability

But why does one company reach out better than another? What makes this fashion company more popular than this one. Well, the answer is quite simple: advertising! They have sponsorships. They have great deals. They have creative marketing schemes. They have relatable clothing. All of these factors must be considered when advertising a company. It is the basic fundamentals of making your ads stand out. When the clothes are in the spotlight, it makes consumers wanna see more. When it comes to sponsorships, when someone sees one of their favorite celebrities wear something from H&M, they are more inclined to flock to that store.

Social media is a forever changing landscape, as is advertising and fashion. With a subject so fluid and constantly changing, its hard to tell how people will perceive ads in the oncoming future. One thing that is for sure is that fashion always remains relevant and consumers will always see ads. Social media will continue to thrive, and each year it’ll continue growing into a behemoth we cannot escape. As someone who is on social media daily and loves to browse various fashion sites, there is no doubt that fashion and social media will forever be an unstoppable duo.

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Nick’s Bio

Nick is a second year professional writing student at algonquin college, hoping to pursue work in either journalism or scriptwriting. Nick hopes to become someone that makes his readers ponder about the many things in which life has to offer. In his down time, you can find him playing on his nintendo switch, organizing his many pokemon cards, or obsessively writing one of his many stories--most notably Radio Heads, a young adult drama about musicians.