Spring 2020 Women's Fashion Trends: Nostalgic and Modern

Introduction: Fashion in an Unprecedented Year

2020 has been an unprecedented year in human history. Just as people have been changing their lives in response to the global pandemic, they have also been changing the ways they dress. With fewer reasons to go to the office than ever before, people are more apt to be spending time at home. Of course, fashion collections are assembled long before such newsworthy developments can influence what appears in stores. But even in 2019, a new emphasis on casualness and a movement away from overt sexuality was evident in fashion. The years 2019–2020 showed early signs of looking back to 1990s grunge and deploying more relaxed, unconstructed silhouettes in women's clothing. Fashion was looking backward, toward a simpler, less complicated pre-Internet era, while also looking ahead to a less gendered vision of how women should dress.

Nostalgia and the 90s Grunge Aesthetic

TheTrendSpotter noted, in its list of standout trends from the Spring 2020 runways, that some of the most notable new looks included puffy Victorian-style sleeves worn with casual clothing, and chunky shoes paired with feminine dresses — another popular trend from the 1990s (Feiam). These choices indicate a movement away from the sexualized aesthetic that had become increasingly common in women's fashion in recent years. In its place emerged a new nostalgia for more recent, gender-flexible eras such as the 90s grunge aesthetic of the pre-Internet era, as well as for much older eras such as the nineteenth century (Feiam).

On one hand, this backward gaze — particularly toward the Victorians — could be read as a desire for more traditional gender roles. On the other hand, it may also reflect women's growing economic power, as they are increasingly able to dress for themselves rather than for the male gaze at home and in the workplace. Other trends highlighted by TheTrendSpotter, such as wearing pants tucked into boots, reflect the practicality of city life and a desire to avoid having long, trailing pant legs caught in subway doors or soaked in puddles (Feiam).

Victorian and 70s Influences on the Runway

According to Harper's Bazaar, the 1970s also made a strong return in the form of crochet, disco collars, and bright artificial neon shades (Pieri and Fisher). Notably, this also reflects the enduring influence of the 1990s, since that decade itself carried a strong wave of 1970s nostalgia — evident in That '70s Show, mood rings, and the dELiA*s catalog that was popular among young consumers at the time. While some trends highlighted by Vogue were more sexualized than those featured in Harper's Bazaar — including hot pants and bra tops — they were still relatively modest compared to more overtly revealing looks (Pieri and Fisher). They were largely unconstructed and vintage in feel, rather than designed to evoke lingerie.

The lingering 1990s nostalgia, in particular, reflects consumer anxiety about the future and a desire to dress with an eye toward comfort rather than spectacle. As Vogue noted, "new modes of styling, like the rise of lingerie as outerwear… or rethinking shorts as party clothes" signal a willingness to question conventional ideas about formality while embracing past styles (Yotka).

Works Cited

Feiam, Ally. "10 Coolest Fashion Trends in Spring/Summer 2020." TheTrendSpotter. 22 November 2020.

Pieri, Kerry and Lauren Alexis Fisher. "12 Standout Trends That Ruled the Spring 2020 Runways." Harper's Bazaar. 8 January 2020. https://www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/trends/g28969877/spring-2020-fashion-trends/

Yotka, Stephen. "The 9 Most Important Trends From the Spring 2020 Season." Vogue. 19 October 2021. https://www.vogue.com/article/spring-2020-womens-fashion-runway-trend-report