Barbie, Emily in Paris, dance culture, and even our grandmothers played a big role in how we dressed in 2022. As incredible as it may seem, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of ready-to-wear trends today, influenced not just by runway shows, but by social networks and TV shows.
We predicted it, and we were not let down. Fictional personalities proved to be the most influential influencers this year, calling the shots when it came to our fashion must-haves. But they weren’t the only ones. Whereas once upon a time — as recently as two or three years ago, in fact — the world’s most renowned designers led the way for determining fashion movements, they seem to have now been usurped by social networks. Ok, it’s not the social networks that are actually determining trends, but they are spreading them, validating or destroying them in a snap. Emily Cooper, Barbie, Edwina Sharma, and Lady Diana were more influential than Kim Kardashian this year, as were our grandmothers, true fashionistas.
A trend underlined by Stylight’s recent ‘Fashion Recap 2022’ report, which reveals that while big brands may still be influencing street trends, it’s pop culture and social networks like TikTok that are making a mark on trends and online purchases, outlined Ilenia Sarman, vice president of brand marketing and customer experience at Stylight, which just unveiled its ‘Fashion Recap 2022’. As a result, fashion inspirations are no longer defined by words — with a few exceptions — but by hashtags, and are now counted in millions of views. A phenomenon that should continue next year, with series of micro-trends rather than trends, ever more ephemeral.
Barbie and memes taking over wardrobes
After the comeback of crochet, cardigans and scarves in the year 2021, we thought our grandmothers’ wardrobes had been (once again) relegated to the past. But we hadn’t taken into account the powerful lure of nostalgia, which so often comes to play in shaping our desires, a necessary look back in order to be able to look ahead to a better future, as well as a revival of interest for basic clothes. This simplicity that we call ‘effortless chic’ gave rise this spring to the ‘Coastal Grandmother’ trend, which was widely embraced on social networks by younger generations. A few weeks before year end, the numbers are indisputable: nearly 260 million views for this wardrobe inspired by the chic grannies of the Hamptons.
But gradually, grandma fashion’s crown was stolen by a much more powerful figure (with all due respect to grandmothers): Barbie. As a pop culture icon, the most famous doll on the planet has clearly made her mark on our wardrobes. Her influence this year is not unrelated to the movie of the same name, starring Margot Robbie, and the trailers that seem to have stirred up fashion yearnings. And we’re far from being done with the kitschy doll, given that the feature film will be released in July 2023.
Luxury brand Valentino was in the zeitgeist, making Barbie pink its colour of choice for the fall-winter 2022 season by showing it in a host of all-pink silhouettes, for all genders. As a result, hashtags associated with the #Barbiecore trend generated nearly 200 million views, while search interest in pink steadily increased throughout the year to peak in September 2022, as reported by Stylight.* The global fashion search engine warns, however, that green is beginning to replace pink, poised to become the star colour of 2023.
Emily in Paris, Bridgerton
From 2021, everything was in place to make TV series the new fashion influencers, making a bigger impact than even the likes of Kim Kardashian, Hailey Bieber, and Bella Hadid. And that’s what happened. Emily Cooper, the most French of Americans, has elevated the beret to star status since the release of the second season of the romantic comedy, December 22, 2021, having an effect on the fashion trends of the first half of the next year. And this interest shouldn’t weaken according to Stylight, since searches for this category of accessories have soared by +392 per cent, stealing the show from the bucket hat that peaked at the top of the trends for two years. The release of the third season of Netflix’s Emily in Paris, scheduled for December 21, should help make the beret the star headwear of 2023.
Since late 2020, Netflix series Bridgerton has also been a fashion heavyweight. Which is surprising and incredible, considering the characters wear period costumes throughout. It goes without saying that these types of dresses and wigs, feathers and other frills aren’t exactly showing up in office wear or on the subway, but the impracticality of these fashions hasn’t prevented social network users from falling for long gloves and corsets. Thought to be firmly relegated to the history of fashion, these garments were announced at the end of 2021 as among the fashion stars of 2022. Not only has the historical romance inspired viewers, it has also influenced many fashion designers and celebrities, who made the corset the must-have piece at the Met Gala.
