Victoria Coria, sophomore interior design major, shows off her “Tumblr era” inspired look.
What qualifies as a trend? Most importantly, why do people fall into the endless trend cycle that reccurs every 20 years?
Whether it is the iconic “hammer pants,” baggy and metallic in nature, or even the legendary “bell bottom” in all of its flared denim pant glory, trends have the power to make their mark in our culture of their popular nature. Hammer pants were popularized by MC Hammer himself, and bell bottoms were made into what they were by figures like Farrah Fawcett.
With the trend cycle accelerating so rapidly, microtrends only last a year, and macrotrends last 3-5 years, according to the Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production.
Maxwell Whitehead, sophomore psychology major, gave his thoughts on the influence that TikTok has made on the fashion industry through the rapid spread of viral trends characteristic of this social media platform.
“I think TikTok increases the cycling of trends because of the large range of ages,” Whitehead said. “People on TikTok see all kinds of styles and variations of fashion. Once a video blows up, it starts another trend, and so on and so forth.”
Cognitive psychologist Dr. Carolyn Mair also emphasizes these brief trends in fashion in her podcast with the American Psychological Association.
“I mean, the cycles of fashion have become shorter and shorter, so where they used to be two seasons and perhaps a cruise collection, there are now six, seven, ten,” Mair said.
In the last year alone, we have seen styles from the ‘90s, ‘70s, and recently ‘00s make their way from the runway to the streets. The beloved Tumblr era makes a comeback in the best form possible with its new modern take.
With this fall season coming up, it is the perfect opportunity to pull out the best Tumblr outfits. Tumblr circa 2014 was a modernized 90s grunge stomping ground.
It was heavily centered around alternative rock, alternative pop and indie artists. Artists like the Arctic Monkeys, The 1975, Lorde and Lana Del Rey pumped their aesthetic into millions of fans and created an army of soft grunge, hipster teenagers.
Arctic Monkeys influenced the use of fishnet stockings with their song “Fluorescent Adolescence”.
Lorde spread her influence using her own personal style and gave many the courage to sport a bold lip color in their day-to-day.
Lana Del Rey was one of the spearheads for flower crowns and fit and flare silhouettes.
The main staples of this era in fashion include dark clothing, leather, way too much chunky jewelry, lots of eyeliner (Sharpie or smudged) like Amy Winehouse and black nylons that were ripped to perfection.
Here is the modern take on Tumblr fashion, 2022 edition. Doc Martens are as prevalent as they have always been. The boots became highly popularized in the 1990s and have kept their spot on the list of popular shoe choices since then.
You can find people rocking them in all seasons, styled in so many different ways. In this version of soft 2014 grunge, a looser silhouette is found, and wider-legged pants replace skinny jeans.
Of course, all of this is subject to change and is customizable to your personal style. You can switch up the basic elements of this style with your own daily pieces and even statement accessories.
Sarah Mandzok, sophomore pre-nursing major, voices her opinion about the 2014 Tumblr-era fashion making a comeback.
“I feel like some of the stuff has always been incorporated into my style,” Mandzok said. “I’ve been wearing Doc Martens for years and jeans and oversized sweaters, but as far as the skater skirt trends and unnecessary leggings, I really don’t think that it is cute.”
With famous artists of the era like Arctic Monkeys and The 1975 releasing new music and this fashion style trending, it seems as though everyone can live the Tumblr dream all over again.
