Phases of the Pandemic - A Fashion Timeline
2020 was the year of style evolution. In the first few months of the year, my wardrobe felt lacking. Pajamas, robes, and fuzzy socks were the only staples I rotated through as I was trapped in my house. It all changed when I started paying attention to the transformation happening online. People were finding creative outlets they could express on the internet, and a lot of them revolved around fashion. It created a “fad” culture, with specific clothing items going viral, immediately selling out, and the fad moving onto the next item a month later. These items slowly started to center around a specific style, one inspired by aesthetic instagram pictures, viral tiktoks, and post-pandemic aspirations. Here’s a timeline of the pandemic fashion that defined our year:
April 2020:
The first transformation. Pajamas into (a-little-more-put-together) pajamas. Loungewear quickly became a staple in people’s closets. With covid anxiety and strict lockdowns, people wanted to remain comfortable and casual as they stayed at home and stressed about the state of the world (fun!). Loungewear sets began selling everywhere and anywhere. To this day, they’re still one of the most popular clothing items. They became ‘socially acceptable’ to wear anywhere; anywhere meaning the grocery store and daily neighborhood walks.
Another staple of April was colored front-hair strands. People started to get bored, and wanted to try things they never had the chance to. People wouldn’t even be able to see you in person, so why not explore? Bright-colored hair strands (the two strands in front, you know what i’m talking about) showed up all over the place. If you mess up, people can’t really tell through Zoom, right?
May: 2020
Like I said, people were bored. This led to creativity and DIY everything. Hand embroidered clothing items, knit/crochet clothing and masks, and nail art became ways for people to express their creativity. I had never seen styles like this before, with everything from super colorful and bold knit patterns, to swirl abstract patterns on acrylic nails.
June 2020:
Ah, the month of youtube workout videos. To avoid going stir-crazy, my friends and I decided to take on doing YouTube workout videos whenever we could. Of course, we needed the clothes to match our new venture. Cute workout sets became popular, with companies like Aerie and SetActive creating unique designs that people desired.
Alongside this, it was the month of scarf tops. The hot weather proved a need for a trend that was practical. Tying a scarf around your chest was a good solution, obviously.
And we can’t forget claw clips, they became the most popular (and one of my personal favorite) ways to do your hair. I fished through my mom’s drawer from 2008 for these.
July 2020:
TIE DYE everything. That is all. (and cool masks, bye blue surgical)
August 2020:
Internet icons (looking at you ms. emma chamberlain, we all know the pic) created the revival of early trends we all missed. Hellooo flared yoga pants. Tiny lace camis were also on the rise, with cheap options and unique designs showing up on everything from Depop to Amazon. You best believe I say people selling their 2011 Justice Camisole for $40 on Depop… yeah. Layering crew necks and turtlenecks with a baguette bag over your shoulder, you were straight out of Pinterest.
September 2020:
The rise of sweater vests. If you found someone's grandpa's sweater vest collection at your local thrift store, it was a score. The uglier the better, bring them on.
October 2020:
Oh Aritzia, I love you (but my wallet doesn’t). The trend was building since the start of the pandemic, but culminated in their fall collection. Melina pants were the ultimate leather pants if you could get your hands on them. The superpuff puffers & leather blazers & pretty much Aritzia’s entire collection were everywhere. A brown/ beige color palette also gained popularity like never before.
November 2020:
Pinterest supremacy. Brands like House of Sunny and Paloma Wool showed up all over my TikTok for you page and pinterest boards. They became cult items. Their fun designs and prints were stuff I had never seen on clothes. Bright colors in fall were a new trend. Also, the Aerie criss-cross leggings sold out in 0.5 seconds, so that counts.
December 2020:
December is supposed to be a month of cold weather, winter patterns, and dark colors. In true 2020, it was just the opposite. Bright, chunky rings, came in style, with people going as far to make their own. The vivienne westwood pearl necklace sold out immediately. And corsets were on the rise. May as well channel that 1920’s style again, I mean both times we were in a pandemic.
---
The trends that rose throughout this past year didn’t always fall. While some of these items may have momentarily taken a break from our tiktok for-you-pages, they still remain popular to this day. Although the world stood still, our style didn’t. See you all post-pandemic, in your chunky rings, melina pants, and sweater vests :)
Words by Alisha Mirapuri