4 Unexpected Trends of the Moment
We’re accustomed to associated the word trend with colors (fashion girls have been showing a major penchant for pale pink as of late), cuts (Summer ’16 is the season of the off-the-shoulder top), and wearable accessories (if I hear any more talk about chokers…). But what about less wearable accessories, like ones you carry or even those you were born with? Here’s an homage to a few unforeseen trends making appearances and receiving some love at the moment:
1. A Wineglass
Winos rejoice. There’s no shame in taking your vino to go. The Internet just caught on to the fact that Rihanna enjoys taking a half-full wineglass with her after dining at her favorite restaurants – make that almost any restaurant and the recording studio, too – but she’s been executing this bad-gal move for quite some time. Lindsey Wixson also brought a champagne flute with her down Jean Paul Gaultier’s Spring ’16 runway. Red or white: The grape doesn’t matter, but what does count is the air of nonchalance that comes with sauntering out onto the sidewalk, usurped stemware in hand.
While Rihanna can obviously get away with breaking the open-container rule, odds are the staff at Da Silvano or Giorgio Baldi won’t be too pleased to let you leave with one of their glasses, even if you did fork over $125, plus tax and tip, no less, for that bottle of Barbera. While I’ve gotten away with sneaking my half-full glasses out of restaurants more than a few times, it’s not a particularly classy move. So work this trend wisely, keeping in mind the proper way to hold a wineglass is by the stem. And for God’s sake, don’t go for red if you’re going to spill it all over your ready-to-wear.
2. Nipples (and Nipple Rings)
Nipples have been making spotlight-stealing appearances courtesy of sheer, summery outfits since Jane Birkin strutted around Paris with Serge Gainsbourg and more importantly, a wicker basket as a bag in 1969. There’s nothing new, revolutionary or shocking about catching a glimpse of them out in public, at least when they’re shielded by gossamer fabric. At least there shouldn’t be.
Most major model of the moment Kendall Jenner felt the need to pen a July 25th post entitled “Free the Nipple” on her website as a reaction to all the shit she’s been receiving as of late for purposefully daring to forgo a bra. “I really don’t see what the big deal is with going braless!” she says. “I think it’s cool and I really just don’t care! It’s sexy, it’s comfortable and I’m cool with my breasts!” Indeed, in case you haven’t kept up with this Kardashian – whoops, Jenner, she also has a pair of nipple piercings that demand to be seen, if only vaguely through a thin, long-sleeve top or a bondage-inspired halter. It’s no coincidence fashion bloggers Chiara Ferragni and Rumi Neely went together to get possibly matching nipple rings a matter of weeks ago, after Chiara asked her Instagram followers if she should go through with getting the piercing.
3. A Bouquet of Flowers
Maybe this isn’t exactly a trend, at least not yet and nor should it be, but Vogue.com did just insist that a fresh-picked bouquet is a “chicer accessory” over the wineglass. While I’m not so sure about that, given the lifespan of a good bottle of wine compared to that of a dozen long-stem roses, Gigi Hadid did look charming while strolling in Los Angeles on August 10th, wearing the requisite off-the-shoulder top and white sneakers with a bundle of sunflowers in her arm. It’s a look that’s romantic, pastoral, and thoroughly inconvenient. Nobody is walking around with their hands full of flowers, unless you’re on your way home from the farmers’ marker or you’re an eager boyfriend.
4. Double Buns
Call it a double standard. No pun intended. The man bun, and those stubborn and audacious enough to still sport it, is mocked incessantly, and for good reason. It usually looks ridiculous; at best, it looks pretentious. Equally ridiculous, if not more so, though far less pretentious is the doubled-up woman bun. Alternately known as space buns, raver buns, twin topknots, half-knots, and Princess Leia hair, double buns, classified by hair pulled up into two knots and usually accompanied by insouciant wisps of hair, have become increasingly popular as of late. If images of a blue-haired, bindi-wearing Gwen Stefani don’t come to mind, this is yet another ‘90s trend experiencing a resurgence. It’s also important to point out Miley Cyrus was doing it in 2014.
Celebrity hairstylist Jen Atkin served Cara Delevingne with “messy ‘90s buns,” which Cara countered with a fishnet Caterina Gatta top beneath an Alexandre Vauthier jumpsuit. Fellow model Josephine Skriver’s lopsided set suggested she just rolled out of bed, Zendaya took hers with a slanted, slicked-down part, and Hailey Baldwin’s pair nearly melded into one mass of messy bun.