Good Morning, This Is Your Wake Up Call
To say that 2023 has been a year of transition in fashion would indeed be an understatement, the GEN Z revolution embodied by 90’s and Y2K inspired fashion aesthetics was finally given the keys to the kingdom, all in part because the oldest GEN Z woman has turned 26-years-old, a time when most men and women of each generation know what they want for themselves, whether it’s family and/ or an unbridled career of their calling, fashion from their coming of age years is brought with them into adulthood, so the fashion industry responds to their aesthetic, and all of the consumer industry gets that green light to flip the switch on what generation to market to… once they turn 26-years-old, but this generation of women are breaking away from the norms of adult contemporary fashion, seeking out freedom and spiritual guidance while splurging heavily on travel thanks to COVID-19 lockdown for the last 3 years, DANIEL PLUS LAUREN seeks help from Informa and Fashion Snoops to breakdown this cultural shift in fashion in 4 parts being Divine, Curiosity, Fluid, and Evolve.
Bohemian is the driving force behind this aesthetic of divine, consumers are finding solutions to modern shapes and crafts, but they are honoring themselves by honoring refinement, paying tribute to traditions of the past, adult contemporary plays out in maxi dresses, knit crochet sweaters despite it being spring, denim maxi skirt which is a first for denim as it honors refinement, and deconstructed blazer that’s open to upper body aesthetic; young contemporary lays out tonal sets for both tops and bottoms, open front blouses away from bottom-down or typical tops, relaxed cargo jeans that restricts the cargo pants idea, and field jacket where denim’s granted flexibility; accessories are finding innovation to making minimal more of a statement with embellished, crochet craft, botanical sunhat, and faded tortoise finish with sunglasses.
From all the cuts of fabric we buy to stay trendy, the biggest thing that you can do to be hip now is to do the opposite of social media norms, don’t update as much, but escape into digital fantasies or pop culture like “Bridgerton” which is evident in young contemporary bustier tops, the curiosity aesthetic drives us out of the need to post every 2 minutes and into revealing fantasy moments when we’re ready to, taking us back to the good ole internet days of the 90’s which GEN Z loves to live and retreat back to pre iPhone days, women’s contemporary falls into flutter slip dress, cutout top, trophy dress, and vacation pants, swing down to the young contemporary with bustier tops, ruched dress, strappy crop tops, and low rise mini-skirt, and accessories model this curious escape with strappy cutout shoes, color impact on handbags, molded heart sets, and inflated aviator sunglasses.
The funny thing about this next aesthetic of fluid is that it’s not what you’ve learned about fluid so far, fluid here means living a softer life about connecting to your physical and emotional health, and turning away from jaded pessimism in favor of a life of nature to find yourself once again, the fluidity to restore our performance by stepping away from things that weigh us down, silhouettes are apparent in denim column skirt while sheer plays a big role in column knit dress and sheer top, young contemporary lands on ruched crop top, embellished dress as mermaid core, essential tank as fluid, and satin mini skirt to keep mini in style without school girl, and accessories are softened with hazy eyed platforms, Y2K influences of pleated baguette bag, cat-eye squared in iridescent frames, and fluidity jewelry worn by glass drop lariat.
If you’re a newsman like DANIEL PLUS LAUREN is, or any other news organization, or someone who relies on the power of digital technology to increase their presence, seeking out an immediate answer to news and information, and you want to post it just seconds after it breaks, then this aesthetic of Evolve is not for you, Evolve is to question the information that’s given to you, seeking out prior technologies like vinyl and typewriters that are more human, plus a machine to connect your body and soul, women’s key items are camp shirt in print or embroidery paired with bra top, cargo pants less rugged with slid, cropped tank top basics to provide color and newness, and bomber jacket oversized with rounded sleeves, young contemporary goes oversized with utilitarian everyday jumpsuit with drawstring belt, low rise baggy jeans with patchwork dirty motif as oversized Queen, openwork sweater with worn and weather look crochet on top, and strappy bandeau distances from intimates that’s updated cami, accessories include slick utility stretched satin uppers tubular sole updated, handbags in crescent shapes with earthy dyes, eyewear in warped frames oversized and silhouetted, and rugged jewelry for a chiseled finish as an ode to oversized.
This new evolution in women’s trends for spring and summer 2024 is directly different from what’s been forecasted in the past, there’s a clear 90’s revolution thanks to GEN Z born out of GEN X, the need to feel free and liberated are key to this season of fashion, questioning the fast-paced fashion that’s normally the engine that moves the fashion industry, consumers are craving technology that’s more human-based, and we’re forced to not only critically think, but seek out sex appeal in not the obvious, revealing, or objective, men’s trends are also seeing change, where fluid is more welcomed than ever.