Retro-Gazing the millennial Trend of 2024
According to worldwide Google Trend Data, the search term millennial midlife crisis has received a 9.900% uplift this past year. It’s thought that a combination of the pressure of hustle culture, the economic climate, covid and soaring property prices has paved the way for millennials to experience the signs of a midlife crisis earlier than previous generations. Shying away from purchasing a new sports cars, retrogazing (looking back on the past with nostalgia), seems to be the millennials go to action, as they are now able to afford the things that they couldn’t obtain throughout their childhood.
Here, Liverpool-based clothing brand Chums present the historical fashion moments across the decades that are influencing millennials fashion Retrogazing in 2024.
60’s – Mary Quant, Givenchy & Geoffery Beene
Fashion Moment: Mary Quant’s miniskirt, Hubert de Givenchy’s babydoll dress and Geoffery Beene’s minimalist designs.
“Paisley print was a fashion hit that first took hold on more modern times during the 1960s-70s as part of the eastern inspired trend kicked off by icons such as The Beatles”, says Philippa Brooks, Chums Fashion Buyer. “Originally it came from Kashmir Princes as a royal gift of friendship and if used well, it can add a touch of royal glamour to many an outfit today.”
70’s – Ralph Lauren, Bill Gibb & Kansai Yamamoto
Fashion Moment: Diane von Fürstenberg’s wrap dress and Ralph Lauren’s polo shirts. Designers such as Bill Gibb created midi-length floral dresses, combining 60s hippie style with historic looks. Other notable fashion designs included Kansai Yamamoto’s ‘Tokyo Pop’ suit and Giorgio Armani’s reintroduction of the bomber jacket.
“Flares were an absolute iconic fashion trend of the ‘70s with global mega stars such as Abba, Tom Jones and Slade being photographed with their trademark flares. Saturday Night Fever showed how they could be seen as glamorous too and cement their place in our fashion history.” – Hayley Stockdale, Chums Fashion Buyer.
80’s- The Emanuel’s, John-Paul Gautier’s & Donna Karan
Fashion Moment: One of the most iconic fashion pieces of the decade was Princess Diana’s crinoline skirt wedding dress, designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel. Taking place in 1981, Charles’ and Diana’s wedding was a key event of the 80s, attracting a television audience of over 750 million across 74 countries.
Another notable fashion moment was John-Paul Gautier’s cone bra corset dress and Donna Karan’s line of body-conforming clothing. Other pieces in our top five include Miuccia Prada’s classic nylon backpack and Patrick Kelly’s mismatched button dress.
90’s – Thierry Mugler, Vera Wang & Versace
Fashion Moment: Denim was a big feature of 90s fashion, but clothing classics went far beyond this too. Grunge became a popular style as men and women opted for more casual clothing, with Marc Jacobs designing a ‘Grunge collection’. Corset tops gained popularity during this time with pieces such as Vivienne Westwood’s portrait corset and Thierry Mugler’s ‘Harley Davidson’ bustier. Two of the designers of the 90s who created pieces that still influence what we wear today were Vera Wang and Gianni Versace. Vera Wang’s wedding dresses offered a modern, elegant look, while Gianni Versace pioneered metal mesh panels in clothing, which are still popular now.
00’s – Alexander McQueen, Calvin Klein & Karl Lagerfeld
Fashion Moment: There were some iconic looks in the 00s, such as Alexander McQueen’s Oyster dress and the dress Michelle Obama wore for the 2009 Inaugural Ball, designed by Jason Wu. Y2K fashion favourites included low rise jeans, cropped tops, Hedi Slimane skinny ties and Calvin Klein military coats. Fast fashion also became popular during this decade, with high street copies of designer styles being produced quickly and cheaply. Some designers even collaborated with fast fashion brands, such as Karl Lagerfeld’s collaboration with H&M in 2004.
