Micro Trends That Have the Potential of Lasting

Indie Sleaze

Indie Sleaze is an aesthetic created during the mid-aughts, which was born on MySpace and on the early days of Tumblr. The vibe consisted of looks perfect for the grungy party girl captured provocatively with flash photography.

We see this comeback coinciding with the release of new albums from staple bands from that era, which include The 1975 and Arctic Monkeys. New popular bands like Måneskin also have been heavily favoring the indie sleaze trend, which is made apparent in their latest editorial from Flaunt. The Måneskin members are photographed bare chested with their Gucci shirts soaked from the salty water they are standing in and have smudged black makeup rimming their eyes—and yes it was all captured with flash photography. Other images feature them dressed in sexy black lace and mesh, fabrics heavily desired during the mid-aughts.

Another sign that this trend is here to stay is that it coincides with rise of oversized totes. During the indie sleaze era, we saw the likes of Mary-Kate and Ashley’s big bag obsession, and even though their look was a more manicured version of the indie sleaze look it still sings the same tune. Recently, a few publications such as High Snobiety have been predicting the comeback of the big bag.

Indie Sleaze’s potential for longevity is apparent because of its range. You can make it provocative like Victoria De Angelis, the bassist from Måneskin, does or you can make it into a more manicured look as the Olsen twins do.

Y2K Butterfly

During the early 2000s, Emanuel Ungaro created a glittery butterfly top, which became better known when Mariah Carey wore it to a red carpet event. As the reemergence of the Y2K trend appeared, the butterfly has seemed to be front and center during this revival. This motif could also be an off shoot of the popular kidcore trend that tends to focus on colorful and childlike elements. The Y2K butterfly has materialized into plastic colorful hair clips that are being worn not only by children, but teenagers and young adults too, into remakes of the beloved glittery top worn by Carey, and it has entered the collection of multiple designers in their own reinterpretations.

Jeffery Campbell has created black cowboy boots with sky blue butterfly inlays, Tyler McGillivary has created dresses and tops with a butterfly motif, including his sold out monarch butterfly dress made popular by TikTok fashion star, @Tinyjewishgirl, and Blumarine even included butterflies during Nicola Brognano’s Spring 2022 collection, titled “Beat.”.

It’s potential to last stems from the fact that it’s a good juxtaposition with the dark elements of the indie sleaze look. As we step away from the gloomy pandemic years people are reaching towards fun and bright fashions, which makes the Y2K butterfly trend the ideal contender.

Rocco Balletcore Fusion

The 18th century inspiration is running strong. Rocco fashion is maximalist elegance that embraces taffeta ruffles, intricate lace and bow detailing, and luxurious corsets, and these elements are made modern by incorporating ballet’s beautiful simplicity.

Simone Rocha is at the forefront for creating pieces that mirror the 18th century opulence using a contemporary approach. Their collections are rich with traditional elements such as tulle and ruffles while incorporating motto style elements and platform and sneaker like ballet shoes. Another item that coincides with this aesthetic that has been rising to popularity is corsetry. One of the most popular items on the resellers market are Vivianne Westwood’s corsets that depict Italian renaissance scenes or simple lace and velvet versions.

These styles are likely fusing due to the fact they both exude softness and femininity, as well as having similar key elements and fabric choices.

The rocco balletcore fusion has the potential to last because you can take this look to the maximalist extreme following true 18th century style or go towards the minimalist approach by sticking to ballet simplicity and color pallets. This fusion is a beautiful blend of styles that can evaluate any wardrobe.