Ypulse Best And Worst of 2008: Style Trends
Posted by casey on 12-19-2008
Editor’s Note: Today we kick off our Year In Review coverage with Campus Editor/Ypulse resident style guru Casey Lewis who calls out some of the hits and misses she’s seen in youth fashion this year. Look for more of the Best and Worst in youth media and marketing from 2008 along with more in-depth reflections on this past year up through the start of 2009!
Best and Worst: Style Trends
The Best
Leather jackets. Alexander Wang, designer to the cool kids, tossed leather jackets on with various shades of black, scrunched up the sleeves, and called it fashion. Socialites and other designers put their own spin on the trend in no time, and the black leather jacket hasn’t had the Harley-Davidson connotations since.
Frills. Blair Waldorf, Gossip Girl’s queen bee, inspired us to reclaim our youth when she began embracing ruffles and bows on everything from coats to shoes to hair accessories. Frills are endearingly sweet and a tiny bit sassy; we’re drawing the line at lace-ruffled socks though.
High-waist. While the ultra-empire has seen better days, there is nothing more gratifying for girls than rediscovering the girlish natural waist. The likes of Betty Draper and our bestie Blair have ushered in cinched
belts and full skirts, and we can only hope they are here to stay (the fashion trends and the TV shows).
White V-neck. A trend that is truly as accessible for Miley Cyrus as it is for the average junior high girl is the ubiquitous white V tee. Whether you pay $500 (Elizabeth & James, worn by the Olsens) or $5 (Hanes, frequented by your dad), the neckline is endlessly more flattering than the classic crew, and it is just crying for a gaggle of charm necklaces.
And now for the worst…
Maxi dresses. Floor-dusting dresses are gorgeous – for prom and other black-tie events. There is something very disorienting about seeing a girl walking into, say, McDonalds or worse, an 8 a.m. lit class, wearing a full-length frock while everyone else is dressed in jeans. There is nothing wrong with dressing up, but during the summertime, stick with a sundress. Your friends will thank you.
Gladiators. Gladiator sandals added just the right dramatic touch on the spring runways, but they should have stayed there. The straps and buckles are exhausting to put on – and overwhelming to anything you might wear with them. And while they did look unconventional and cool on the 7′ models with 40-inch inseams, they don’t flatter those of us who aren’t tall enough to slink down the runway.
Boyfriend jeans. Loose, baggy, borrowed-from-the-boyfriend denim is a less offensive version of the drop-crotch pant that didn’t catch on past a few starlets who thought they looked original and “avant garde.” We first saw Katie Holmes march around town in tight-rolled, holey jeans and tons of girls followed suite. When Joey, er, Katie did it, she looked like a girl-next-door straight out of the ’90s, which works for her because that’s exactly what she is. Sadly, it doesn’t work for anyone else.
Leggings. Leggings, in theory, are an essential item in every girl’s wardrobe. But during the past year, it seems as though celebrities disguised as hipsters, led by Lindsay Lohan and crew, purged their closets of pants and traded their previously ubiquitous designer jeans for tights. And so they wore said tights with everything.
Categorized under: Fashion
December 19th, 2008 at 6:34 pm
I think there should be a category for “depends on who wears it”. I’d say high-waisted falls into that category. It looks good on certain people but not all people can pull it off. Also, I haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaate it when girls wear jeans with a “guy’s” fit.
For guys, what about the proliferation of skinny/slim jeans to the mainstream? Also, what about canvas shoes making a comeback… Keds-style plimsolls specifically.
It also seems like that hipster vibe is making its way to mainstream with everybody from Lil Wayne to Lauren Conrad wearing flannel. You can probably lump cardigans in there too.