In many areas of life, trends will eventually make a comeback. That statement is certainly true in music, where movements are recycled, and listeners frequently return to older genres.
The phenomenon takes place in fashion too, with designers and retailers returning to former classics. Vintage clothing stores are becoming increasingly popular on every high street, and it seems that retro is here to stay.
In order to go back in time to stay up to date with modern trends, here are the nostalgic items making a comeback in 2024.
Back to the Future
Cynics may suggest that today’s crop of designers are running out of ideas. That’s an unfair assessment, and there will always be a place for new trends, but it’s a fact that some looks will never go out of fashion.
Designers can also adopt previous trends and adapt them for a modern audience. For example, varsity jackets are in vogue right now, and they can be personalized with initials to transform them into the letterman style.
So, it’s not just about recycling fashion trends, Designers will use current techniques to bring them right up to date.
Varsity Jackets Return
It’s worth looking at the varsity jacket in greater detail. While the trend has been around for decades, it was made popular as a fashion accessory in the 1970s, thanks to TV shows such as Happy Days.
Suddenly, it wasn’t just college athletes who were wearing them. Undergraduate students and those who were above college age were making a fashion statement.
The 1970s and 1980s were peak eras for the varsity jacket, but it subsequently fell off trend. More recently, it’s been making a clear comeback, thanks in part to a stunning new leather design from the Prada fashion house.
Back to the 80s
Many look back to the 1980s and consider it a time that fashion forgot. This was the era of high shoulder pads, white casual jackets and other horrors reflected in popular shows such as Miami Vice.
Kitsch was in, and the styles were so over the top, that it was widely felt 1980s fashion would never return. In 2024 however, the decade has made a minor comeback.
Oversized, boxy blazers are the 1980s trend seen on high streets today. Those big shoulder pads are back so you can’t miss them when you’re out and about. The only real difference is that the colours have been toned down. Instead of neon shades, and pastel hues, today’s box blazers tend to blend in more with their surroundings.
Denim
Most of us own a pair of jeans, but denim used to offer so much more. Jackets and accessories were part of a trend that exploded in the 1970s but drifted in the new millennium.
Denim jeans remained constant, while those additional garments are tipped to make a comeback in 2024 and beyond. Vintage clothing stores are experiencing an uptake in this material, with denim jackets and dresses among the most popular items.
Bootcut Jeans
Denim makes another appearance here and it seems that wearers are going further back in time. The 1960s saw the arrival of the hippy movement and a trend to wear flared bottoms that covered the shoes entirely.
In the modern day, the trend is more widely known as bootcut, but the effect is the same. The jeans are typically slim fitting from the waist down to the knee, from that point, they extend out to make a more dramatic fashion statement. Those who lived through the 1960s will be delighted to see this trend making a comeback in 2024, and perhaps the peace and love outlook of the original hippies will also return.
It’s clear that fashion isn’t linear. Some trends are constant while others will return after falling under the public radar for a time. Each of the items on this list has returned, but which will remain, and which will fade once again?
