Women’s Fashion

Introduction

One consistent fact about fashion is that it is constantly changing. Fashion, particularly women’s fashion, is a massive industry on a global scale. It is indeed an immense social and cultural phenomenon. For a long time, women have always played a significant role in fashion and are known to be more fashion-inclined than men. This is most likely because women are very conscious when it comes to what to wear.

Generally, fashion, in simple terms, is anything that becomes popular among the general population, usually for a limited period. It might be the most recent hairstyle, design, behavior, and clothing. Every day, new fashion trends emerge and take over the market. You will agree that the word “vogue,” which refers to “the dominating fashion in a specific time,” is used in today’s world more than ever. In fact, the global fashion industry, with women’s clothing as its primary driver, is believed to be worth more than 600 billion dollars – a staggering figure that doesn’t seem to stop growing any time soon. 

The women’s fashion business is expected to expand by a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 5% between 2022 and 2025. One of the most important reasons driving this consistency is the continually changing fashion trends. Clothing is one of such industries where fashion trends change regularly, and many women follow these trends. Women today are highly particular about fashion because it offers them a sense of belonging and allows them to blend in with society rather than being the odd one out.

Although clothing is commonly perceived as just an item that provides warmth and protection and conceals nakedness, it goes way beyond that. Clothing serves as a significant form of identification. It conveys information about the wearer’s gender, age, occupation, class, or other traits while making them look more appealing. This is what fashion is all about. Even though the primary goal of clothing for protection remains important, some clothing materials fall short of meeting this need. In reality, some clothing considered lovely does not protect the body and may even as much injure the wearer. This shows that fashion is primarily focused on appearance, which is why it is constantly changing. Items that identify at a time or place may lose their significance in another period or location. 

In the same light, clothing styles regarded as attractive in one era can be deemed hideous in another. Even uniforms, the most basic and immediately identifiable costumes, change with time. These changes are influenced by a myriad of factors, including society, environment, climate, culture, religion, creative explorations, celebrity trends, designs, innovation, political, economic, social, and even technological factors, among many others.

Fashion designers also play significant roles, particularly in women’s fashion. Since fashion is more than simply dressing up but represents the essence of a person’s personality and ideals, famous designers like Versace, Armani, Tom Ford, Gucci, Dior, etc., are very well aware of their influence. That is why forecasts and designs by these designers are so eagerly anticipated and become trendy whenever they are released. Also, the internet’s effect on women’s fashion is nothing to be underestimated. Designers and manufacturers have profited from the simple visibility and exposure that the internet has provided. Notably, social media has been a significant impact in this area. 

The notion that fashion is a mirror of wealth, prestige, and fame explains why it is such a powerful force to be reckoned with. That is why female celebrities strongly influence women’s fashion and are responsible for so many current fashion trends. You’d agree that people desire to be like these celebs because of what they represent; fame, fortune, reputation etc. History-wise, this has always been the case. The popularity of numerous trends throughout fashion history can always be traced back to the nobles and royalty who are seen as the celebrities of that particular period.

Overall, women have historically always played an important part in fashion. They are generally more fashion-conscious than men because they care more about their looks, personal style, and originality. It boosts their confidence when they gain attention or are acknowledged or admired for their dress. That is why they love to dress to keep up with the current trends as far as dressing and fashion are concerned. 

However, much has changed in the past few decades as women’s fashion is far from staying too long in a place. Women’s fashion has always been particularly wild; it evolves every day, and there never seems to be enough of it. Today, just like it has always been, women are constantly swamped with new trends, designs, colors, patterns, and clothing accessories to stay on top of their fashion game.

This article aims to broadly discuss women’s fashion from earlier years to the present time. It hopes to answer questions about what is currently trending and what to expect in the coming seasons while explaining tips on how women can become more fashionable.

What is the trend now? 

We live in a society where a person’s appearance is almost more important than everything else. Most of the time, a person’s social rank and personality are constantly judged based on their appearance. As a result, fashion has become an essential component of our life. That is why women consistently upgrade their sense of style to ensure they stay in vogue by closely following the latest fashion trends. These trends become popular worldwide from time to time and change with each passing season. 

Fashion has a long history of trial and error. What was considered stylish a few decades ago may now be identified as “out of vogue.” Similarly, what is deemed fashionable today may be called fashion suicide by someone living a few decades ago. 

Although being ahead of fashion is the ultimate goal for many, being too ahead is just as awful as being behind it! If you plan too far ahead, people will believe what you’re wearing is out of style, likewise if you are behind. As mentioned above, the ideas and culture held by the people who live in a particular era and location are significant in determining fashion trends. 

It is worthy of note that fashion designers are among the most important actors in the fashion industry today. They can easily be referred to as the source of practically all fashion trends nowadays. These designers have connections with most celebrities, who are seen as fashion influencers. As a result, most people today who want to know the hottest fashion trend just have to look at what celebrities wear.

As fashion changes with time, it also varies with different locations. Top designers always put culture into consideration when creating clothing and accessories. That is why the fashion trend in a particular place always reflects the culture of that place. That is, more people will tend to follow a fashion trend if it is in keeping with the culture of the location. For example, In Qatar, you’re unlikely to see Muslim women wearing miniskirts or American women wearing burqas.  

However, it is easy to see that western fashion trends have taken up most of the world’s fashion market. While many parts of the world are keen on upholding traditional styles and fashion, it is undeniable that western fashion significantly impacts the global fashion industry and trends in most nations. This is primarily due to globalization, coupled with the fact that the west is known for marketing the concept of ‘style and fashion’ around many other parts of the world. Via magazines, pop culture, movies, fashion shows and labels, they have an extensive reach wide enough to influence other nations’ ideas about fashion. The high level of westernization influenced by the colonization of some of these countries is also a point that bears mentioning.

Overall, fashion evolves with time and differs according to location and culture. Often, the most underlooked trends in one place at one time can become trendy in another area or historical period. For instance, Shoulder pads for women were popular in the 1940s. It vanished from society, only to resurface in the 1980s. When the trend resurfaced, many individuals could not resist it, mainly because most fashion legends adopted it. Thus, the 1980s were defined by broad shoulders, big hair, massive jewelry, etc. While many will argue today that these did not look well on most women, they nonetheless followed along with the flow at the time.

After the recent COVID-19 pandemic, fashion generally took an exciting transition in most parts of the world. One of the most prominent trends in the female fashion world is the mini skirt. Following many seasons of maxis and midis, the mini skirt has finally taken center stage, but this time in suiting. It’s the ideal time for ladies to update their matchy-matchy ensembles from 2021 with more tailoring and a little more leg. 

Some of the female fashion wears that have taken center stage this year are as follows:

Neutral co-ord sets

Suiting up is a trend that will never go out of style, and the casual ease that an oversized co-ord set gives is genuinely unequaled. For many years, various suits and co-ord sets have been constants on the fashion runway and, as a result, have become essentials in the closets of fashion ladies. The trend has been around for a long time now, and it’s simple to understand why. Clothing materials that strike as neutrals are usually an absolute industry classic. There are several ways to rock this look, from a grey knot dress and matching sweater to a crop top with slouchy sweatpants and a cardigan. You can also wear complementing shoes and a bag in a rich color like brown, navy, or gold if you want a splash of color. It’s a classic appearance that will always look stylish and classy.

Tracksuit with structured coats

In the last decade, fashion has seen the rise of athleisure, but the tracksuit is currently at the forefront. Sportswear is returning to its roots after years of domination of sleek, skintight shapes, futuristic materials, and cycling shorts. Models and fashion enthusiasts are flaunting this style everywhere, from the runways to Instagram feeds. When it’s freezing outdoors, and you want to keep warm, snug, and elegant, nothing beats teaming a tracksuit with a structured coat. When styling this unusual combination, you should choose complementary or tone-matching colors. You may add dimension to your attire and seem entirely put together this way. Feel free to pair it with sneakers or thick combat boots. This is a great way to mimic an off-duty model look while being warm when the temperature lowers.

The wide-leg jean 

The wide-leg jean style seems to cycle in and out through each decade. It was a significant trend in the 2000s and is returning as a massive staple in 2022. However, not everyone is ready to say goodbye to skinny jeans, as it will always be a ride or die for most generations of ladies. The good news is that you can still wear slim jeans in 2022 if you know how to style them and where to find the best jeans. Wide-leg jeans are gradually taking over, and you can’t just go wrong with them. They look great with a cropped sweater, a single, or an oversized shirt or cardigan. 

Bucket hats

Bucket hats have been making a slow comeback in recent seasons, but 2022 has really been a breakout year. The 90s hat is everywhere now, from gingham and floral designs to summer rattan shapes. A bucket hat is the easiest way to cap off any summer ensemble, whether a floppier broad brim or conventional. Bucket hats aren’t going away in 2022, despite their widespread popularity in 2020. It is also worthy of note that since Rihanna was pictured wearing a 90s-inspired fake fur bucket hat with a slip dress, searches for the hat had skyrocketed.

Headscarves

This style has come and gone in the fashion industry for over a century. It seeks inspiration from Grace Kelly in the 1950s to fashion luminaries in the early 2000s. It looks fantastic, stylish and classy all at the same time, so it isn’t surprising that it keeps coming back. These headscarves are simple to wear and look great with any outfit. Wrap a patterned scarf over your head, locate matching sunglasses, and you’ve transformed yourself into a Hollywood superstar or runway model.

Most of these fashion trends have been around for a while, while some have recently circulated back after some time away. This is what fashion truly represents – changes and cycles. The truth remains that you never know what stays and for how long. 

However, it is believed that a new wave of bold dressing has developed as a result of the pandemic, a period where most individuals were forced to remain indoors. Designers are said to have flexed their creativity a bit during this period, birthing several fashion pieces in vogue at the moment. In fact, it has been said that the bold and extravagant pieces we are seeing across the 2022 fashion runways are most likely a reaction to the restraints we’ve all been through as a result of the pandemic. 

What will be the trend this summer?

As much as fashion evolves with time and place, it also changes with the seasons. For instance, the style in the winter is, to an extent, different from the spring or the summer. Fashion designers always consider this when releasing fashion outfits to the public. As summer is quickly approaching, women are gradually getting ready to showcase their fantastic sense of style. It is essential to state that less is more when it comes to women’s summer fashion trends.

Here are a few summer fashion trends you should look out for this summer:

Micro skirts

This ultra mini skirt has graced several magazine covers in recent times. While many people may be somewhat worried that this piece is quite exposing on a typical day, it is predicted that the hemline will still go up a bit more this coming summer. Essentially, the piece is just the perfect item for the hot temperature characterized by the summer.

Baggy jeans

This is one of the classic pieces from the archives in the 90s. Interestingly, the baggy jean is cycling back into vogue, and many women are already jumping into them. 

They are a natural choice of a pair of pants when you want to run around town in something inherently comfortable, considering the heat of the summer.

Summer suiting

The summer suiting brings women sophistication without any stuffiness. The perfect suit choice for the summer season. You can decide to rock it as head-to-toe suiting. You can also tweak the look a little with sleek separates like white jeans or cream trousers with a breezy tee.

Square sunglasses

These square-shaped oversize sunglasses have also been one of the top fashion items associated with the summer. It provides an everyday exuberance that perfectly suits the summer fashion, especially with the large and oversized frames. 

Quite a number of these and many more classic and fashionable pieces are predicted to define the hues of the 2022 summer fashion trend. 

Some tips for women who want to be fashionable. 

Fashion is a very integral part of women’s life. Dressing up uniquely and stylishly makes them feel more confident and classy. It is often said that being elegant and stylish is a skill that can be pretty difficult to master. However, there are several women today who, despite the supposed difficulty associated with keeping up with the trend and staying stylish, are known to look perfectly elegant daily effortlessly. Often it seems as if these people are exceptionally talented in the fashion line. 

However, there is no special magic to staying in fashion. It is simply about knowing what works for you as a woman and sticking with it. Following this principle, you can build a personal style in the long run. Here are some tips that will revolutionize your fashion and help you style up to stay fashionable:

Plan it out

Although you can’t always plan for everything, you should not let the mornings catch you off guard without determining what to wear beforehand. In fact, you can draw out a plan of your outfits for the week. Doing this will give you a stress-free morning, as you will not have to start figuring out what to wear for the day again.

Organize and edit your closet

When it comes to being fashionable, you must first put your closet in order. After all, you can’t come up with a great outfit if you don’t even know what you own. Therefore, it is important to declutter and sort your wardrobe. Donate or sell anything you won’t need again, and organize the remaining ones into categories. You can also restock your closet if there is a need to do so.

Find yourself a good tailor

Even someone with a bargain wardrobe can look like a designer with the right tailor. Instead of purchasing new outfits to keep up with the latest fashion, you can just make specific alterations and save money with an excellent tailor. Also, remember that your clothing is an extension of who you are. So don’t force it. Fashion should be an expression of your true self, not an attempt to look like someone else.

Don’t prioritize fashion over comfort.

When it comes to fashion, comfort is non-negotiable. When you are uncomfortable, you are restricted from feeling confident and classy in a way. Always ask yourself, does this outfit feel comfortable, or will I need to struggle with it constantly? A clothing style that robs you of comfortability is not worth it.

Conclusion         

Fashion is a dynamic entity that constantly changes with time, season, and location. The concept itself is, in fact, a very integral part of women’s lives as they are known to be more concerned with their appearance than men. Today, women are more than interested than ever in staying ahead of fashion trends, and it gets as enjoyable as it can be.