Has Fashion Gotten Unfashionable? Style Any Trench Coat, and Tips On Using What You Already Have
Has the pendulum begun to swing to the other side in style? Have people gotten sick/tired/overwhelmed with the overly-photoshopped, filtered, and hyper-curated Instagram personalities?
Radiant greetings to you!
Let’s start with a quick question today.
I’m curious why the trend toward “anti-fashion” is happening so hard right now. It’s ok on the one hand in that society might be flushing out some toxic, sexist, and oppressive standards, but where’s the happy medium? We discuss this and much more today.
Enjoy the content and have a brilliant week, my friend!
~Tatyana
Light Loves Color is an illuminating publication by The Image Architect that brings light to the brilliant benefits of using colors in the clothing next to our faces. In fact, we think color, line, and a timeless formula would be more sustainable for us and the planet. Please consider supporting this work by becoming a paid subscriber; the subscription is surprisingly affordable.
You will find the “shoppable” versions of these looks at the bottom of the page.
As the tilted axis veers us away from our friendly neighborhood star, we wave goodbye to summer and take inventory of our trench coats.
Anti-aging colors: A cobalt blue is a universally flattering color. Because it’s so balanced, it’s a good bet whether you’re cool or warm-undertoned.
Flattering Capsule Wardrobe Basics: How many of you have vintage St. John knits in your closet? I’ll never give mine up. I bring a modern twist to mine with button shirts, cinch belts, and using the tops as a vest. Super fun and super sustainable.
Impactful Accessories: Chunky chain and hoops to the rescue.
Why Are Clothes So Ugly Now?
Coming off various cities’ “fashion weeks”, a question that I see a lot of people asking lately is “Why is fashion so ugly now?”
No matter the beauty standards of the time (not saying they’ve been fair, kind, or balanced), people made clothes not just to be clothed and protected from the elements but also as adornments.
In the United States and in many other places, the goal was to look dressed up when going out in public. Clothes were meant to flatter, uplift, and give a sense of dignity. Now, it feels like we're caught in a cycle of oversized, shapeless garments, odd proportions, and trends that as recently as 10 years ago would have been considered frumpy if not altogether ugly. I’m honestly wondering why.
The Fall of Elegance
I’ll be the first one to criticize sexist, unrealistic, and elitist beauty standards. I hate everything about fashion’s historical oppression (especially, of women—my previous post about this topic). However, there was a general desire to put an outfit together that elevated a person’s appearance. There was structure, there was tailoring, and there was a sentiment that looking polished mattered.
I’m not saying we should all embody Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada, but are we seeing a trend toward the opposite: clothes that are deliberately uncolorful, shapeless, unflattering, and aggressively anti-attractive?
Is It Just the United States?
Interestingly, it’s not just the United States—this phenomenon seems to be global. Walk into any fast-fashion retailer, whether in the U.S., Europe, or Asia, and the racks are filled with similar looks: boxy shapes, strange jeans, chunky sneakers, and oversized sweaters that swallow the body rather than enhance it. So, what’s driving this global aesthetic shift?
Is Anti-Fashion: A Reaction to Fake Perfection?
One theory is that this is a backlash against the hyper-curated, airbrushed perfection that dominated much of the early 2000s. Think of the boring Instagram influencer look—everyone literally only had one look: bodycon dress, impeccable hair, flawless makeup. It was fake, unattainable for most of us, completely impractical, and we all knew it. It’s also, unfortunately, completely alive and well to this day! People just can’t help themselves with the hyped-up beauty trends. However, it’s intriguing to see a large percentage experiencing a strong backlash to it. So, I’m wondering, did we get so tired of looking at fakeness that eventually, the pendulum swung the other way entirely?
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“Don’t be into trends. Don’t make fashion own you, but you decide what you are, what you want to express by the way you dress and the way you live.” —Gianni Versace
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Now we find trends at the other extreme: instead of striving for a perfect look, there’s a push to look like you don’t care at all—ironic since this “effortless” aesthetic can still take considerable effort.
Is this shift toward anti-fashion a reaction to the pressure of perfection? Fashion cycles go through phases, of course, but after years of seeing hyper-sexualized, extremely revealing clothing dominate the scene, have we taken this sharp turn toward looser, less revealing, and “anti-attractive” clothing as a rebellion? Does more unfashionable equal more fashionable?
On the one hand, I consider this to be a great thing as a whole: a little discomfort to make us reflect and ask whether we should trust in the influencers, trends, and fashion brands as much as we have in the past.
Where’s The Happy Medium?
Having studied under one of the most knowledgeable and skilled image consultants, Sandy Dumont, and having been a certified image consultant for almost 20 years myself, I’ve been trained to NOT trust in the influencers, trends, and fashion brands. I’m also not willing to throw out color and line as a consideration for clothing design. Using the design elements of color and line to choose our clothes and curate our personal styles makes more sense than going with the misguided whims of whatever the emperor is wearing.
For one, color is glorious; it’s magical; it has tangible light-manipulating properties that literally put light onto our skin. I’m baffled as to why people slather on hundreds of dollars worth of brightening serum in their beauty routine, only to walk out of the bathroom and put on some dusty-colored top that takes the brightness away. They must now know.
This is why I write this substack. I’m certainly not calling anyone ugly. I, quite frankly, don’t care what people wear. I’m reflecting on these societal trends and possibly thinking of writing about some solutions.
I say we use this opportunity to reflect on our personal styles, gain some technical understanding of what looks good on us, and begin to develop and own a unique, authentic look.
As a society, we don’t never need to go back to trying to look perfect in all our photos or being so fake that people don’t recognize us due to the many filters, face apps, and pounds of contour makeup. But what if we own our look? What if we just start with appreciating colors?
Download my FREE eBook, The 3 Rules of Color:
Shoppable Links:
Click on the images below to get shopping ideas for the two looks of the week with Pinterest AI.
Shop Your Closet Before Buying New Pieces
The idea is to reuse and repurpose what you already have by finding new ways to style them. Here’s a simple way to start:
Layering: Use a structured jacket over a dress you haven’t worn in a while to instantly elevate it. Layers add polish and can make an older item feel fresh.
Bold Accessories: Invest in bold, impactful accessories. A statement necklace or scarf in a biologically correct color can make a plain outfit stand out and feel completely new.
Mix and Match: Reimagine your wardrobe by mixing unexpected pieces. Pair business blouses with casual jeans or style a formal blazer with a casual tee.
Tailoring: Don’t underestimate the power of a good tailor. Slight adjustments to fit or updating the cut of an old jacket or pair of pants can make them feel brand new and flattering.