by ivis | Mar 19, 2020 | Fashion
I can’t lie to you guys, I honestly think that I’m psychic. I kid you not I started buying in on this trend in late 2018 when I still worked in Topshop, the leather pants in that store sold out within a week, I originally thought it would be a trend to dominate 2019 but it seems to be more popular this year! I am so obsessed I am with leather at the moment. Everything leather I need in my life; shirts, jackets, trousers and dresses (of course all faux leather before you all get on to me). Every-time I go out I literally have to restrain myself from buying another leather item.
Leather has been shown on the runway for two consecutive years at fashion month, last year for the fall 19 shows we saw designers add their own twist by presenting us with colourful leather as it was predicted that leather would replace our beloved faux coats/jackets and wow was that prediction was 100% correct! For me leather is known as a staple item, everyone from when they were a child has owned a leather biker jacket? Am I right or am I right? So in retrospect leather is nothing new to the fashion scene, I mean it was pretty prominent in the 80s/90s so in a way it makes sense that the next big trend during this nostalgic era of fashion would be leather. It’s only right, I mean we’ve been through denim, mom/dad jeans, shoulder bags, halter necks so of course you need at least one leather item to complete your 90s wardrobe. The only difference between leather now and how it was in the 80s/90s I’d say is the fact that a lot more people probably wear faux leather due to the growth in consciousness among the public on how clothes within the fashion industry are made and social media. Another difference is the fact that that era was dominated by leather trousers and long leather jackets, however, now we’re seeing leather mini skirts, leather dresses, cropped leather jackets and colourful leather etc. Additionally, we can now consider leather a more versatile fabric, which before was not the case; leather trousers were known to be too biker, leather dresses gave dominatrix vibes – leather was always associated with sexiness or toughness until now. 2019 and 2020 leather became FASHIONABLE in all forms!
If you don’t own anything leather, then I hate to break it to you but you’re doing life all wrong honey because leather is where it’s at this year! Here are some of my favourite leather items rn;
by ivis | Mar 18, 2020 | Fashion
So the other day I was out window shopping in Topshop when I came across this cute ass denim co-ord that literally reminded me of the infamous denim corset dress produced by Fenty when it first launched last year in May. And then I just started recollecting all of the things that I’ve seen in the past year that are literally Fenty Dupes so I thought why not share it with you guys and we can all do you luxury on a budget together!
Last year I did a blog post on the difference between constructive criticism and hate, this was all in relation to the release of Fenty because I’d seen so much backlash from black people giving their opinion on the brand on Twitter: I saw people saying that the designs had been done before, that the prices were too high all because people didn’t understand that this was an LVMH brand so of course, this makes sense, it makes sense for me to do a blog post on some of the things that are offered on the High Street for those people who can’t afford Fenty. #luxuryonabudget
If you look up the definition of dupe on Google, this is what you get:
dupe: verb 1. deceive; trick.
noun 2. a victim of deception
In the fashion world, it still means a similar thing because in a way you are deceiving people by copying a luxury item and making it highstreet. In less harsh terms a dupe is basically a duplicate of another product. (Duplicate. Dupe. you see how the link?) Dupes will obviously not be 100% accurate as much as they look the same to the real deal because then, of course, that would be Copywrite infringements. Here are my fave Fenty dupes atm;
by ivis | Feb 19, 2020 | Fashion
For decades, if not centuries African fashion has been the root of inspiration for numerous Western brands and fashion trends. I mean it’s pretty evident considering the topic of cultural appropriation vs cultural appreciation on African fashion has been a hot subject for the last couple of years now. When you take a look at African fashion over the years, you’ll realise just how much it has influenced the fashion industry worldwide, look at the Dior show from last year in Morocco. From the vibrant colours to the eclectic prints and traditional accessories handcrafted by different African tribes, there is no better source of inspiration than Africa!
Machangani bags
South Africans and Zimbabweans have been using Machangani bags for years, we used to use it for storage and carrying things, its basically like a huge carrier bag. Back in 2007, Louis Vuitton came out with their Machangani bag lookalike retailing for over £250. Wow, can you believe that fashion enthusiasts were out here buying this bag for over £250! TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY POUND! I can’t decide if this funny or what, because they literally could have gone and bought one for less than £3 in South Africa. This is a perfect example of how people will buy anything with a designer name.
Basotho Blankets
Louis Vuitton again? Are we seeing a pattern here? I can’t decide if I’m for all of this or if I’m just angry that they are profiting from African Culture when there are so many home brands that aren’t making a profit yet, LV can charge £3000 for something you can get a lot cheaper in South Africa?
The woollen Basotho blanket is traditionally worn by the Sotho people in Lesotho. The blankets date back to pre-civilization in Lesotho. They were traditionally made from only animal skins and are a part of Sotho life from birth to death. A newborn receives their first blanket before they are even born, for many events throughout their lives, and eventually will be buried in one.Despite being largely unavailable outside of Africa for their 100-year-plus existence, their blankets are of such quality and have such a colourful, storied history that they are easily comparable to brands of a similar vintage, including Pendleton, Woolrich, and Hudson’s Bay Company.
Ankara Prints
Now, this is how you do cultural appreciation! Everyone else pleases take notes. In 2016 Christian Louboutin collaborated with Senegalese artists to launch the Africaba Tote Bag. Each handcrafted bag incorporated bold Ankara prints that originated in West Africa. Louboutin contributed 10% of his proceeds to the La Maison Rose, a refuge for women in difficulty in Dakar.
In 2017, English fashion designer Stella McCartney received criticism for using Ankara prints in her spring 2018 runway show in Paris. And then they had the audacity to include only ONE African model the show.
This is a message to every other brand out there that takes inspiration from African fashion, the difference between appropriation in appreciation is this. If you include African designers, help the community, credit your inspiration and do more to raise awareness, then you would not receive so much backlash.
Head Wraps
The headwrap, also known as a dhuku or a doek, depending on the region, is a colourful piece of fabric that embodies Africa’s rich culture and is deeply rooted in African history. For his spring 2018 collection, Marc Jacobs sent models, such as Kendall Jenner and Kaia Gerber, down the runway wearing head wraps that resembled those so inherent in the African culture.
The doek for me is very symbolic, for us Southern Africans it holds a lot of tradition and means a lot of things to a lot of people so I don’t think that brands like Marc Jacobs should ever have it on their runway. To me, it’s disrespectful because you can almost compare it to the hijab
For this post I took inspiration from
by ivis | Feb 18, 2020 | Fashion
The rise of African fashion
In the last couple of years, we have seen the rise of everything African thanks to this educated generation of the diaspora (which I can happily say I am a part of) who are open to the world and proud of their dual culture. These days everyone is proud to be African, I remember when I was growing up so many people growing up were ashamed to say which country they were from (this may or may have been because I grew up in a predominantly caucasian area) and it wasn’t until I got to 6th form that I saw just how proud people were of their culture and how keen people were to learn about their cultures. The older I get the more I realise just how important it is for me to know about my culture and go back home to Zimbabwe regularly because after all I am Zimbabwean and I want to teach my children the same things that I have been taught so they can pass it on it to their children and so on.
The world has never been as creative as it is right now, our generation has access to resources that we did not know even existed 100 years ago and this helps to explain why there are so many breakout Africans in various categories from Arts to Music and of course Fashion etc. The reason as to why African fashion has become a phenomenon is because our generation, one of which hasn’t waited for outside interest aka the western world, but instead we have taken matters into their own hands by creating our own businesses, brands, media and blogs to validate what has not been validated up until now and I could not be more proud to be a part of something so beautiful, to be a part of history! It’s no surprise that the western world wants Vogue Africa! We now live in a connected and engaged generation that dares to denounce acts of racism or even ordinary stigmatization by putting up a united front against all of it taking on, for instance, the use of blackface and the absence of black mannequins in fashion, the lack of diversity within the fashion industry etc and most importantly cultural appropriation. A conscious and responsible generation that wants to contribute, in its own way, to a renewal in how the world sees Africa. In other words, every single day we are changing Africa’s narrative!
To summarise – African fashion is riding a wave of creative output and recognition, gaining global press and an international clientele after being ignored and copied for decades. Our time as Africans to show the world what we have to offer has finally come!
The Brands you need to know
I’m going to be completely honest with you, before 2015 I knew NOTHING about African fashion. I was completely oblivious. I think my love for African fashion was initially an accident (I know it sounds crazy right).
I remember I was on Instagram and I came across an influencer in one of the first brands I ever discovered – Grass Fields. Once I clicked on their page a whole new world opened up for me, I was falling in love with fashion all over again! From then on I was OBSESSED and I kept coming across more and more brands alike. This completely changed my mind on the idea of African fashion – in my head, it had always been the typical traditional attire we see our mums wear to weddings and on special occasions or just around the house, basically the Ankara prints. Can you believe I was ever this naive and IGNORANT? Little did I know that African Fashion just like every other type of fashion had evolved with the times and also catered to the younger generation.
In many aspects, African Fashion has changed drastically over the years but it still somehow remains traditional with western influences, African designers have gone way ahead to experiment and create beautiful designs using fabrics from all over the world and I am so excited to share with you my favourite brands;
Rich Mnisi
Tongoro
Thebe Magugu
Orange Culture
Lisa Folawiyo
Lukhanyo Mdingi
IAMISIGO
Maxhosa by Laduma
Gloria Wavamunno
Leandi Mulder Designs
by ivis | Feb 10, 2020 | Fashion, Lifestyle
Happy Black History Month!! I was meant to start to this whole series LAST MONDAY, however, I had food poisoning for a week and then I needed an entire week to recover. I was so pissed because it just set me back completely when I tell you I planned to be so productive this month then that happened! Long story short if you’re ever in Nottingham DO NOT order from an Asain takeaway in this place because I am really not being dramatic when I say that I honestly thought that I was on my death bed. It’s one of those situations where you think that it’ll never happen to you and then it happens and you’re like WTAF 🙁
Anyways …. moving on, to celebrate black history month I am dedicating my whole entire blog to all things black about fashion for the month. 3 posts a week dedicating to everything black (this week it’s 6 since we skipped last week). I just thought it’d be cute to do a little tribute to the true pioneers of fashion and I hope that you enjoy it as much as I do! To kick start my series I thought that I would tell you guys about my most iconic black figures within the fashion industry. I do one of these every year, the only difference with this one is the fact that all the people are black, obviously and have done something significant to help black fashion. Of course, this is all solely my opinion hence why I said MY most iconic.
Since I began my blog in 2016 I feel as though people of colour have come a long way but sadly we still have a long way to go in terms of the industry being completely inclusive. I mean, think about it, the first black creative director of a major fashion house – Virgil Abloh was only appointed his role in 2018, just basically over a year ago. Most models cast on the runway are still predominantly caucasian. Most campaign models are still again predominantly white as in they don’t advertise to WOC. Cultural appropriation is still a HUGE problem in the fashion industry. How many black designers do you know? How many black-owned makeup labels do you know? Are our hair products in high street stores? See my point? We still have a hell of a long way to go until there is full inclusivity!
Here are My Most Iconic blacks within the industry;
Naomi Campbell
I mean who doesn’t know Naomi Campbell? In her career, she has achieved so much; she was the first black model to appear on the cover of Time magazine, French Vogue, as well as the first black model to cover American Vogue’s most prestigious issue of the year – the September issue in 1989 and she, was also the first black model to star on the cover of British Vogue. As unbelievable as it sounds, she has had a hell of a lot of firsts in her career. In addition to that, being the true supermodel she is, she has forever been an advocate for blacks within the industry. And to no one’s surprise, last year she was even the first woman of colour to receive the fashion icon prize, this award recognizes people who have used their position and voice within the fashion industry to effect positive change – so I’m not the only one who believes she’s an icon in this industry. Campbell does so much more than you think, her efforts for a more diverse and equal future within the industry, especially when it comes to African Fashion are so inspiring because not many Alist celebrities celebrate African fashion!
Tracee Ellis Ross
Tracee Ellis Ross is one hell of an amazing woman and one that never ceases to amaze me! In October 2018 Ms Ross hosted the AMAs and she used the opportunity to bring attention to 11 amazing Black Designers by wearing mostly black designers for all her looks stating “I wore a Black designer in every look and Pat McGrath on my face,” She says it was a story she wanted to tell through her clothing, and her stylist, Karla Welch, made it happen. “I was inspired by Issa Rae and Jason Rembert, who did it first at the CFDA Awards in June. I strongly believe in using my platform to shine light in directions I believe in, love, and celebrate my people.” That is the type of energy we need from all celebrities and people that have a platform, to me, this is the main reason that this woman is so iconic, she has always voiced her opinion on the lack of diversity within the industry and she actively did something about it by giving these designers a platform!
Virgil Abloh
Considering the number of times I have written about Mr Abloh on my blog, it would be a crime not to pay tribute to him in my black history month series! I mean how can I forget about the first African American that became the artistic director of one of the worlds biggest luxury fashion brands? It’s just impossible! That is a moment in fashion history that I will truly never forget because it was in itself so ICONIC. People like Virgil give the next generation of creatives and black fashion enthusiasts hope that they too can make it big in this industry and be a household name. “Virgil is one of the few designers who truly marries street culture with high fashion – and the first black designer to be given such a position in the gilded halls of LVMH. His appointment is a step in the right direction for diversity.” Edward Enninful, the editor-in-chief at British Vogue, said on the magazine’s website. Virgil is a pioneer in streetwear fashion and one of the most influential people in fashion right now!!!!!!!! He doesn’t follow trends but he creates them through the stories he tells through his designs and for me he is hands down my favourite designer at this moment in time!
Jason Bolden
So I discovered Jason Bolden late last year when I stumbled upon his Netflix series, Styling Hollywood this was an entire show dedicated to his brand JSN Studio, a multi-disciplined creative studio made up of a growing team of individuals who support Jason and his partner in realising the breadth of their creative output. With projects spanning the country, JSN Studio focuses primarily on residential + commercial interior design, luxury staging and product design. I was at that moment I literally became obsessed with him! Mr Bolden is one of the biggest and busiest celebrity stylists of the moment, his client list includes some of the most inspiring and influential artists and entertainers in American culture; “Selma” and “Wrinkle in Time” director Ava Duvernay; “Empire” matriarch Cookie Lyon, Taraji P. Henson; “Grown-ish” star and activist Yara Shahidi; and, most recently, Amy Sherald, Michelle Obama’s official portrait artist. This incredible man is also apart of the BoF 500 which is the definitive professional index of the people shaping the $2.4 trillion fashion industry, hand-selected by the editors of The Business of Fashion, based on hundreds of nominations received from current BoF 500 members, extensive data analysis and research.
Edward Enniful
If you do not know who Edward Enniful is then I am sorry but we cannot be friends. One of my aspirations in life is to meet this man! In the short space of time that he has been at British Vigue he has done so much for the publication and changed it for the better, he has shown us just how easy it is to showcase diversity in politics, arts and culture! As British Vogues first black male editor he has had more influence in the space of 2/3 years than Alexandra Shulman had in 25 years – he has helped shape a new vision for fashion media — not just in the UK, but globally — where he has placed a “diversity of perspective” at its core. But are we really surprised when his resume includes a stint at Italian Vogue, where he led the magazine’s first “Black Issue“ which featured only black models? It sold so successfully that the magazine had to print 60,000 additional copies. Enninful has described his vision for British Vogue as “about being inclusive. It’s not just the colour of your skin but the diversity of perspective.” His digital prowess and drive to break the storied title into previously unreported coverage areas has seen the publication reach new, younger audiences across social media, video and online. Digital traffic at the title grew by 7.8% in 2018 to 14.8 million monthly unique users, while print circulation has increased 1.1 % since 2017.
Law Roach
I first discovered Law on ANTM in 2016 I think, he is also a celebrity fashion stylist he is frequently credited with Celine Dion ’s triumphant fashion transformation and has worked with some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry, including Ariana Grande, Zendaya, Monica Brown, Brandy and Jessie J. In 2016 he became the first African American stylist to cover the annual The Hollywood Reporter’s Stylist & Stars issue and was made number 12 in their most powerful stylists list, an accolade that made him the biggest African American stylist in the industry. As well as being apart of the BoF he is also the co-creative director of Zendaya’s clothing line Daya and her collab with Tommy. Roach prefers to think of himself as an “image architect”. It’s a term that reflects the shifting role of celebrity dressers in 2018, where one killer look going viral on social media can lead to overnight fame (with the lucrative contracts to match), and campaigns such as Time’s Up have turned the red carpet into a political platform. “What I do is similar to what an architect does,” Roach explains. “The surveying, building a blueprint, sourcing materials, all that. But I’m doing it with clothes, jewellery, hair and makeup.”
Zendaya
Zendaya first hit our screens in 2010 on one of my all-time favourite childhood shows – shake it up and I have to say every single year without fail I have grown to admire her more and more as time goes on, she has grown and evolved into such a beautifully incredible woman. She is someone I have looked up to for so many years, she is a role model to me and so many more. Zendaya to me is Iconic because last year for her collaboration with Tommy Hilfiger she featured 59 black models, yes 59 BLACK MODELS, one more time in case you didn’t get it, a whole 59 BLACK MODELS aged 18 to 70—including some of the women of colour Zendaya wanted to thank for their influence in fashion, Hollywood, and beyond. She had the legends Pat Cleveland (who, according to a statement from Tommy Hilfiger, was the first black supermodel), Veronica Webb (the first African American to sign a major cosmetics contract with Revlon), Beverly Johnson, Veronica Webb, and Beverly Peele walking the show, along with Pat Cleveland. Zendaya made history!!!!! She was able to show the entire industry how to put together an inclusive fashion show by featuring a size-diverse cast composed solely of black models. There was even full body and age diversity with the hair and makeup by the one and only iconic black pioneers – Pat McGrath and Kim Kimble.
Carly Cushnie
Carly Cushnie is the Creative Director and CEO of CUSHNIE a brand known for its impeccable fit designed for the modern woman, the collection is worn by influential women including Michelle Obama, Gal Gadot, Lupita Nyong’o, Ava Duvernay, Jessica Biel, Jennifer Lopez, Ashley Graham, Padma Lakshmi, among many others. Last year when Tom Ford took over as chairman of the CDFA ( Council of Fashion Designers of America) she became the first woman of colour to be nominated to sit on the board. Do you know how much of a big deal this is? It’s a pretty big one and a dream of every designer!
Thebe Magugu
I was so proud of Thebe Magugu when he became the first AFRICAN to win the LVMH prize last year, you would think that I actually knew the man – he was the first AFRICAN winner of the LVMH prize, do you know how much od an accomplishment this is. This man is now apart of history! This was such a huge step in the right direction for African fashion because so many of the continent’s designers struggle to create a lucrative retail business beyond African fashion weeks so it was just amazing to think that he won this! Thebe is about to change people’s misconceptions that African Fashion is just Ankara prints, he is about to open the door for so many more African designers and I cannot wait to see where his career takes him!
Beverly Johnson
I saved my most iconic for last! Beverly Johnson made history in 1974 when she became the first African American woman to grace the cover of Vogue AKA the fashion bible! This was a time when women of colour were largely underrepresented not only in the pages of fashion magazines and ad campaigns but in the industry overall but she did THAT! This woman changed history, a year after her issue was released, every huge publication began to feature black models. This woman basically paved the way for the likes of Naomi Campbell, Tyra Banks, Chanel Iman, Adut Akech etc. She is the ultimate bad B
by ivis | Jan 6, 2020 | Fashion
To summarise the decade – “Shoes became sneakers, suits became sweats and chic destroyed the planet; at the same time we’re trying to be sustainable,” summarizes vintage fashion expert Cameron Silver.
In all honesty, this decade has been amazing for fashion. Do you know how much we have evolved in the last 10 years and I really thank God that we did because some of the fashion that we were wearing at the start of the 2010s was honestly just wow. I even get second-hand embarrassment speaking about it, I mean I have an excuse for why I used to dress the way that I did at the start of this decade, for 1: my mother used to dress me and 2: I was a child but for the rest of your fashionistas what is your excuse??? We really have to thank Instagram, Pinterest and Tumblr because if it wasn’t for these apps I really don’t know where would be with fashion, they were the pioneers behind the popularity of fast fashion and this is where our inspiration has basically come from over the last 10 years and I guess we can have to thank the Internet too as well as technology in general.
Do you know the craziest thing about this decade, is that before I really thought about it I didn’t think that we would be remembered for any particular fashion moment; because do you know how the 90s, it was all about everything oversized and denim jackets then we had the 80s which was colourful, shoulder pads and dancewear and then we had the 70s which involved flares, tassels and big hair, the 60s was the birth of the a-line skirt, the phase-in fashion where women truly realise like yeah this is us and this is how we want to dress. However, then I realised that I might be wrong because we did have a couple of fashion moments this year for example festival fashion truly became a thing in the 2010s but then again festival fashion was a sample of fashion from the 70s the hipster era so at the same time I don’t know. And another thing with this decade is the fact that fashion trends came back aka they were recycled. We saw the revival of floral prints from the 80s, mom jeans from the 90s and Juicy Couture tracksuits from the 2000s so nothing was really original everything was sort of something that we had seen before but in a more mature way and more suited for our generation and this era. Despite all of this do not get it twisted, as I said at the beginning this was an amazing decade for fashion, this was the most comfortable fashion had ever been as in this was the birth of streetwear!
Leggings
Athleisure wear
asymmetric dresses
high low skirts/ dresses
High waisted everything
skater skirts
crop tops
ripped jeans
high rise socks
logo mania
mom jeans
chokers
sunglasses
layered necklaces
faux fur
by ivis | Jan 3, 2020 | Fashion
I did bags of the decade so I thought why not do you shoes of the decade. I can’t remember who said it but one creative director claimed that we are in the most comfortable phase of fashion and I could not agree more because if you think about it, if you look at the way that we used to dress 10 years ago compared to now it’s way more laid back. I mean athleisurewear is now part of fashion, we now wear trainers with dresses, joggers are no longer just loungewear or gym wear but part of our outfits. I think this is why I love doing a blog post like this, taking a look back at how far we’ve come over the last decade in terms of trends and comparing what to what we used to wear then to what we wear now. It’s just so fascinating to me, I mean who doesn’t love a walk down memory lane?????
I can’t lie to you me and shoes, where can I really start. I’ve gone through probably 1000 pairs of shoes in my lifetime and most of which I hate to say I never wore. I Always mention this on my blog posts but my mother was a really ahead of her time, when I tell you this woman has bought me shoes that weren’t even trendy then but actually trendy now. She is the reason I think I am the style icon that I am today but the weird thing is is that back then I never liked them and now I kick myself at the fact that I never wore them!
The older I’ve become the more I have run away from actual actual shoes and the more I’ve been drawn to trainers. And I was really debating whether or not to do you a post on trainers of the decade but then again I was like there are so many shoe phases that we went through this last decade that it would be a shame for me to just focus solely on trainers so for all you shoe fanatics here is the blog post that you’ve all been waiting for;
2010 – Valentino Rockstud
These have to be the girliest most classiest heels you could ever wear and really represent the phase of fashion that we were in during 2010
2011 – Balenciaga Ceinture Boots
For me, these boots will forever be a classic and whether or not they’re in fashion this 2020 you will see me wearing them because they are BEAUTIFUL and go with EVERYTHING
2012 – Christian Louboutin lady peep 150 patent calf
I used to LOVE these shoes, I used to see my style icons Blair Waldorf and Serena Van Der Woodsen rocking them and then I grew up
2013 – Wedge Sneaker
These were just a big fat NO and I thank god every day that they died in 2012 because these are a pair of shoes that should never re-enter our lives
2014 – Stuart Weitzman Highland Over the Knee Boots
To this day these are the IT over the knee boots and to this day I still need to purchase myself a pair for winter!
2015 – Stan Smith Sneaker
The day stan smiths were re-released in 2014/2015 was the day my sneaker addiction began and ever since then I never looked back
2016 – Gucci Fur-Lined Loafer
A true fashionista will own a pair of these because just wow, Gucci really did something here and really and truly speaking 2017 AND 2016 was their year!
2017 – Balenciaga Speed Trainers
Never been a fan of these and quite frankly I never will be. They need to be left in the previous decade
2018 – Balenciaga Triple S Sneakers
The KING of sneakers. POINT. BLANK. PERIOD.
2019 – Bottega Veneta Stretch Sandals
These kitten heels dominated summer 19 and were everywhere on the high street and my Instagram!
by ivis | Jan 1, 2020 | Fashion
Happy New Year!!!!! Can you believe that we have made it into the next decade? This is so crazy to me!!! Do you know how much has happened in the last 10 years???? I have finished primary school, high school, sixth form and made it to university all during that time. I have grown so much as a person over the last 10 years and can only hope to grow further as I enter this new era of my life; this could be the decade where my career strives, the decade where I truly begin my life, It’s actually insane!
Do you know how many trends we have gone through in the last decade and to think I wasn’t even aware of half of them because I was so young! It has been a minute since I last spoke about bags, me aka the bag connoisseur??? Can you believe it? But it’s okay because we are about to jump back into time and reminisce on the bags of the decade! Personally, I think before the rise of influencers gossip girl was the source for the ‘IT’ bag because I mean who didn’t adore Blair and Serena’s style?? Then after that, I feel as though we went through a very dry patch in 2013 because Instagram didn’t really take over until late 2014, well in my opinion anyway.
I think the craziest thing to think whilst writing this blog post is the fact that all of these bags were part of a phase within fashion and the question is, will they ever be “trendy” again or will they stay in the 10s??? For example, look at the Givenchy Antigona bag, that was the edgy girl phase and a bag I thought would remain a classic but I was clearly wrong, then the Valentino stud was part of the girly Tumblr girl phase; one I hated and a phase of confusion for my sense of style, the mulberry was the hipster phase fueled by Serena Van der Woodsen on gossip girl and so on, I’m sure you get what I’m trying to say now.
2010 – Mulberry Alexa bag
Can’t lie to you, I’ve never had an opinion on this bag, for me, it’s just confusing. Is it a mini briefcase? Is it a work bag? Is it casual? We just thank god that we have passed this phase and that this bag never became a classic.
2011 – Flat clutches
I don’t know about you but I’m still carrying flat clutches in 2020, the only difference being that they went from a day bag to a night bag. For me a clutch is so impractical for the day, my hands need to be free and I need to be able to fit everything in there! But then again 2011 we had smaller phones and we weren’t as obsessed with makeup as we are now so everything could essentially fit once upon a time.
2012 – Goyard Bags
Fun fact; this bag in case you didn’t know came back into fashion summer of this year. However, it was more an airport bag than a fashionable one. Can’t lie at first I thought this was a Givenchy bag, not my proudest moment.
2013 – Mansur Gavriel Bucket Bags
So this is the bag that was responsible for the whole bucket bag trend in 2013 and I would also say that this also sparked the popularity of fast fashion because it was practically the start of ‘dupes”
2014 – Valentino Rockstud Bags
2014 was the year when my passion for fashion was truly awakened and all I ever saw was this bag, this was the girly phase of fashion before streetwear took over. During this time Tumblr still dominated the fashion blog sense and Instagram wasn’t yet popping!
2015 – Givenchy Antigona Bag
First released in 2011, the Givenchy Antigona didn’t become popular until 2015. This was the go-to bag for every Kardashian- Jenner and the sole reason why it became so popular. This was the foundation of influencer marketing.
2016 – Chloé Drew Bags
2016 was the year Instagram bloggers started thriving and we saw bloggers follow Chiara Ferrangi’s footsteps as they started attending fashion weeks with of course their Chloe Drew bag at their side.
2017 – Cult Gaia “Ark” Bags
Really and truly, I couldn’t think of a specific bag or bag trend that dominated 2017 so I had to google and this came up? I’m not sure if I went through a phase of amnesia or what but I don’t remember this bag being the IT bag, I just remember it being a bag.
2018 – Micro Bags
Micro bags were so big during 2018 that they still were the trend in 2019, I think I must’ve written at least two blog posts on them in the last two years. When I tell you JAQUEMUS is the KING of micro bags, they literally get smaller, cuter and more impractical by the season. We really love to see it.
2019 – saddle bags
Personally I think the come back of the saddlebag was fuelled by the 90s trend of the shoulder bag which also came back into fashion earlier this year and will be a trend that will continue into 2020 especially with pradas new release of their sold put nylon bag!
by ivis | Sep 14, 2019 | Fashion
I did one of these last year and I find it so nice to reminisce on the trends of the past summer. I feel as though it’d so cute to look back at my blog, especially at posts like these to show my children what was cool back in my day (lol) and to compare trends because I always say fashion trends always come back so are this years summer trends going to come back and haunt us in 30 years time? That is why this year I won’t only be doing fashion trends but over the next 3 weeks I will also be doing bag trends and shoe trends that dominated the summer of this year.
Is anyone else super upset that summer 19 is already over? This year has honestly been the fastest year of my life so far, I feel like everything happened so fast, like how am starting university in two weeks???? Do you know how crazy that is to me!!! Anyway, back to fashion, last year we saw co-ords, bum bags, cycling shorts, cargo pants, cropped denim jackets, bandeaus, etc dominate summer 18 and not much has really changed, I think these trends hit their peak this year – especially co -ords and cycling shorts.
TARTAN DREAMS
Clueless vibes or what??? This will forever be one of my fave trends whether or not it’s fashion. Leopard wasn’t the only popular print for the Spring/Summer ’19 show season. Tartan also appeared on the streets of New York, London, Paris and Milan and in all of our favourite high street shops. Pick up a tartan suit, jacket or pair of pants that features the classic pattern in unique and bold colours, such as red, blue, green and yellow.
MILKMAID ANYONE?
This was more of an Instagram trend but the high street did pick up on it, it was all over PLT and Topshop as they tried to compete with the rising It brands like Dôen, , and , the ultra-feminine, ultra-soft look is replacing the menswear-inspired trends of seasons past. Now, it’s all about looking like you just stumbled in from an afternoon of milking cows in the fields.
CYCLING SHORTS AGAIN!
Is this trend ever going to die down? Well, not any time soon because the trend the no one ever asked for is still here two years later, and it’s bolder than ever. Simple, shiny shorts were found at Chanel, but Stella McCartney’s reinvention for 2019 involved florals – and lots of them. This summer we saw the high street even doing denim cycling shorts, a trend that hasn’t been popular since the 80’s!
CROCHET
I feel like this entire summer was a ’70s, California Dreamin’ craft-work. Crochet was spotted at Oscar de la Renta, Victoria Beckham and JW Anderson – all in monochrome, although it was completely mainstream this year, I feel as though crochet will most definitely dominate our Instagram feeds next year.
COLOUR BLOCKING
Prabal Gurung was the king of colour blocking on last years ss19 runway shows! I mean look at that dress ughhhhh!!!!!!! So much colour was smacking us in the face this summer and I was LIVING for it. People were still getting used to the idea that anything goes with colour and that you can go WILD when it comes to colour blocking so I think that this is another trend that we will see thrive in 2020.
ANIMAL PRINT
As an African woman animal print will forever be fashionable in my eyes! Just like cycling shorts, this continues to be the trend that keeps on giving meaning that if you bought a leopard print item last season/ year, you’ll still be able to wear it probably until the end of time!
BOILER SUITS
Utilitarian designs have been haunting us for a good year now, last year we saw cargo pants literally EVERYWHERE in every colour, fit and material! Although boiler suits didn’t appear on this year’s runways they appeared in all the major fashion cities throughout fashion month. Originally designed as a one-piece protective garment for manual labour, boiler suits are now as fashionable as they are functional but for us short girls it’s hard to find a suit that fits us perfectly 🙁 .
NEON
THIS IS THE TREND THAT DOMINATED SUMMER 2019 WITHOUT A DOUBT! This is not one for the faint-hearted that is for sure. if there was one way to describe this trend it would have to be vibrant! Neon made its way to our high street shelves and never left! But the question is, is that it for this highlighter trend? will fashion go back to its beiges and pastels? Reflective of both the 1980s comeback and a growing interest in cyberpunk I really hope it’s here to stay.
PUFFY SHOULDERS
Last year it was dramatic sleeves this year it’s bold shoulders with a twist rather than padded, boxy numbers, this season’s take was a whole lot puffier proving once and for all that the minimal trend is over! We just have to thank god that the British weather was good enough this year that we could all make a puffy statement without the need for a jacket dimming our fashion!
TIE DIE
Is just me or does this give you major flashbacks to your childhood when you used to watch those films/ tv series of kids going to summer camp? For me, Tie Die is the definition of hipster and it’s pretty evident that fashion atm is in a phase of nostalgia so it’s not really much of a surprise that tie-die was all over ss19 runways but the question is when will the high street pick up on it because I only saw it once in Topshop this summer?
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