Throughout history, there have been many different styles of clothing that have gone in and out of fashion. The clothes that people were wearing can tell a story about that time period, showing what was normalized  and how drastically things have changed through the years. 

As 2020 continues to take one unpredictable turn after the other, it never hurts to reflect on all of the exciting and interesting things that came out of the last decade. Trends started whizzing by extremely fast, and things went out of fashion as quickly as they had become popular. People were quick to hop on the strangest of bandwagons–how can we ever forget the infamous mustache and bacon takeover of 2012? 

With the rise of social media and online shopping, people can see something they like and buy it almost instantly, and there’s no doubt that the next few years are going to bless us with amazing new creations in the fashion world. However, to take a look at the past ten years, there were definitely some equally unusual things that people decided to suddenly make cool. 

In 2010, casual became the new normal. Although there are times to wear formal wear, it’s become far more common for people to head out in sweatpants and a t-shirt in order to go about their day more comfortably. Cardigans and off the shoulder tops became incredibly popular during the early years of the decade, before fizzling out of the spotlight just as fast as many other things did. Crop tops, skinny jeans, and galaxy patterned everything dominated the Instagram explore page in 2013 and 2014, although none of these would be doomed to be teased as much as the ugg-wearing, pumpkin spice drinking girls of the internet. It’s around this time that the stereotypes behind the word “basic” began to really take form.

As social media became a more dominating presence, people began to categorize and stereotype people based on the clothes that they wear. Depending on your clothing choice, it is likely that you would be grouped into one of the many categories that popped up from seemingly nowhere. These stereotypes have yet to be dismissed, but they are less prominent now than just a few years ago. 

In 2016 and 2017, camo print became a staple in many people’s wardrobes, before suddenly, nobody would be caught dead wearing it. The question has to be asked; who decides when things suddenly become cool or uncool? 

Well, to generalize, style is often influenced heavily by celebrities. Things can be considered “lame” or “ugly” until a celebrity wears it, and then it becomes the next big thing. However, there seems to have been a shift within the past handful of years that is slowly changing fashion in a more original, innovative way. 

Not all change is bad–although it is good to have traditions over the years and celebrate the past, moving forward in an area that is as broad and imaginative as fashion will always result in the birth of creative and amazing new ideas. We should not limit ourselves to only wearing clothes accepted by celebrities, and not be afraid of showing the world out exciting creations. The sky is the limit, and there is no doubt that the next decade of fashion will be like no other.