Noticing Things: Spirals, Plaids, and Knots
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Anyway!
I’ve noticed, since the beginning of 2024, a preponderance of three motifs/patterns among the newest and coolest designers: spirals, plaid, and knots (as opposed to bows). I’d like to think we’re quietly exiting the era of “girlhood”-dominated fashion and entering something more rustic and mystic, and thank god, because I’ve genuinely never been so bored of a zeitgeist as I’ve been with the past year’s. Maybe that has something to do with me being nonbinary, but I don’t actually think so—I’ve recently come across quite a few people of all genders who’ve noted the souring of Sandy Liang, the crumbling of coquetry, the boredom of babygirlification. I don’t think a reactionary pivot toward grandiose maturity would be a fun move, though—instead, the three “trends” I’ve noticed elicit the energy of a gender-agnostic childhood: catching snails, going camping, building contraptions, geeking out over science, drawing in sand on the beach, blanket forts.
Below are some instances of these phenomena in the recent fashion wilderness for you to ruminate upon—if you see any other notable examples, please send them to me!
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Spirals
These mollusk-y golden ratios of shoulders layer protection upon protection: the function of a shell and the function of armor are wed in this defensively intimidating shape, and I think denim is the perfect material for it—denim allows the spiral to have movement, contorting and warping, but its inherent structure doesn’t smother the shape or lessen its impact. I really like this new-gen label, Fidan Novruzova.
Stud spirals are cool too—I like it when they mirror the movement of the body part they’re placed upon, as in the hip spirals above, evoking the rotation of leg in socket. I wish the ear “muffs” on the hat were somehow spiraled as well. These are by another nascent brand, Urte Kat, which kind of has the energy of a goth Brooke Callahan.
These might not be kosher “spirals,” but the swirly orbs on this seemingly unique Super Yaya skirt, expertly styled with an MNZ sweater and sandals above, brings to mind orbs of congealed power—I feel like I’ve asked this before, but did anyone else read W.I.T.C.H.??? Now THAT’S girlhood, in the sense that it might’ve been the last thing you saw before you realized you were gay and/or not a girl. Enroll those five characters at Barnard and I can tell you the exact three who will be on T before the semester is out (if you can guess which three, I’ll comp you a month’s subscription to HR lol).
Romy Lightman, as “Spiral Mountain Dew,” recently released these shell pendants you can customize by type of metal, chain or ribbon, and by which scent is encased within, though you can always add your own. The vials are not too pendulous nor too delicate—the perfect magical shell to smell.