Fashion trends change so often that we cannot keep up. Will the clothing items we broke the bank for in 2023 make it another year before being thrown to the back of the closet, only to be brought back at some point? Clothing is the way individuals express their personality. What you choose to wear when you get dressed in the morning, whether you go for a band tee, neutral set, or the trendiest items 2023 has to offer, says a lot about who you are. This year has popularized an assortment of aesthetics; to name only a few,  “Coastal Grandmother,” “Y2K,” and “Vintage” styles have been extremely hot this year.

Look at all these layers

Some people might say a top is the centerpiece of an outfit, the main “attraction”, but 2023 trends beg to differ. Now that layering has become a popular trend, the outfit can change not because of the shirt you wore but instead what you layered the shirt with. This year, some popular layers have been puffer jackets, shrug tops, and blazers. Many fashion-forward individuals may choose to focus their outfits on their tops, yet some people will choose to focus on the pants!

Grooooovy!

The bizarre thing in fashion is how an item deemed cool at one point could be considered lame at another, yet be revived from the dead and come back. 2023 was the Dr. Victor Frankenstein of flare pants. In the early 70s, flare pants were all of the rage. Girls were wearing them and so were guys! Sometimes they were low-rise jean flares or obnoxiously patterned flares with multicolored flowers. 2023 seemed to put a flare on every type of pant: jeans, dress pants, and even leggings. Flares weren’t the only thing to come back to style. Mom jeans, first popular in the 90s, were a hot item on birthday lists this year, as skinny jeans were kicked to the curb. Most young kids would not, and could not, be caught dead with a pair of skinny jeans in their hands. Many young women, however, were caught this year with a maxi skirt in their hands. Maxi skirts, specifically denim, were for sure a centerpiece of the season, as they were one of the most searched fashion items in 2023.

Shocking Shoes 

Converse! Dunks! Vans! Most of these shoes were already popularized in the past, so their appearance again was no surprise. However, UGGS have once again become popular. UGGS first became popular in the 2000s, as big celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Paris Hilton, and Vanessa Hudgens wore UGG boots. Oddly enough, boots are not as popular anymore, but specifically the mini boot and slipper style have come a long way.

Accessories? Do Stanley water bottles count?

Different water bottle brands have become popular and others have fallen. For example, in recent years S’well water bottles have been popular, along with Yetis, Hydroflasks, and even random Amazon brand jugs. However, the water bottle that seemed to have the biggest chokehold in 2023, especially nearing the end of 2023, is the Stanley water bottle. With the rise of the term, “emotional support water bottles,” water bottles have become less of a want and more of a need. These water bottles can be seen being carried by everyone of all types. This trend is one of the better ones as it promotes the use of reusable water bottles and lessens plastic waste. 

The water bottle “fashion” trend is better than the fast fashion trends we see most often. Brands such as Shein, Romwe, and now Temu, have become widely popular with the excessive use of fast fashion. People can buy the trendiest items for cheap. As made clear by the fast rise and fall of fashion items, too many items are bought only for them to be thrown away at the end of the year.

When purchasing an item again try to think about its “classicness.” Is it an item that you will value for years to come? With more buyers becoming aware of wasteful habits, 2024 seems to be the year sustainable fashion will become a trend.