Plunging necklines, all-black ensembles and 50 shades of black — the latest fashion trend causing a stir has seen varying versions of Addam's Family Couture. While not as comical, Gothic inspirations are dominating, with Jaden Smith donning a cartoonish castle at this year's Grammy Awards.
While trends might be set by a younger generation ever so often, there comes a time when the fashion industry itself reacts to the changing times; a reaction that is often led by political or social issues, as with the now-returning vamp aesthetic.
The trend's roots started in the 1910s thanks to cinematic portrayals of female archetypes of the time who sported smoky eyes and revealing outfits. This was typically tied to the exotification of Middle Eastern or Asian characters. By the 20s and early 30s, fashion magazines would also recognise Turkish women as fans of the moody aesthetic. This would trickle down to flappers who were attempting a beauty look made for sleepless nights out partying and revealing outfits best suited for their high-octane lives, a trend that mirrors the ethos of today's “brat summer” aesthetic.
Women’s fashion is going darker and more naked
Fashion is stripping down and going Gothic: Is it a sign of the times or a trend more political than we think?
Image: Francois Durand/Getty Images
Plunging necklines, all-black ensembles and 50 shades of black — the latest fashion trend causing a stir has seen varying versions of Addam's Family Couture. While not as comical, Gothic inspirations are dominating, with Jaden Smith donning a cartoonish castle at this year's Grammy Awards.
While trends might be set by a younger generation ever so often, there comes a time when the fashion industry itself reacts to the changing times; a reaction that is often led by political or social issues, as with the now-returning vamp aesthetic.
The trend's roots started in the 1910s thanks to cinematic portrayals of female archetypes of the time who sported smoky eyes and revealing outfits. This was typically tied to the exotification of Middle Eastern or Asian characters. By the 20s and early 30s, fashion magazines would also recognise Turkish women as fans of the moody aesthetic. This would trickle down to flappers who were attempting a beauty look made for sleepless nights out partying and revealing outfits best suited for their high-octane lives, a trend that mirrors the ethos of today's “brat summer” aesthetic.
Image: Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Image: Gordon Anthony/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
This hypersexual style rooted in exoticism and vulgarity has been linked to the end of World War I. Women went from doting housewives in billowing dresses to working women who needed party dresses and cloches for their fast-paced post-war lives. Evening wear of the time would embrace slinky silk dresses with deep-cut necklines and backless cuts as a more mature aesthetic would be demanded of women in the 30s. Designers like Elsa Schiaparelli would eclipse the prim-and-proper creations of Coco Chanel with surreal wearable designs that had a fashionable sense of humour.
This would also catapult stars such as Theda Bara, Josephine Baker and Marlena Deitrich into the limelight, who were as controversial as they were unwavering in using fashion to assert themselves.
Image: Charlotte Hadden
Image: Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
Image: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
The vamp renaissance contrasts the docility seen in wearers of cottagecore, greige décor, tradwife TikTok and the demigod of them all — quiet luxury — especially as Gen Z women run out of churches and forgo gender roles. Instead they are embracing a brash counterculture trend made popular by Charli XCX in her brat summer album.
The trend is also tied to women who don't embody it through its style codes but rather their politics, much like Kamala Harris.
Image: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Image: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
With social issues and politics seemingly very anti-women, the micro trend continues to grow, permeating into this year's awards season and runways. Interpretations have forgone the messy approach and instead, elevated it to the vamp fashion. Even men's wear seems to embrace it with Bluemarble's Nosferatu-esque padded shoulders.
Red carpets chucked out Barbiecore, power suits and stunt dressing for skin-tight corsets, and darker-than-night makeup looks that create fearsome ensembles. The trend is worn by stars who are no strangers to using fashion as a political statement, including Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Willow Smith and Chrissy Teigen.
Image: Mike Segar/REUTERS
Image: Francois Durand/Getty Images
Image: Kristy Sparow/Getty Images
At a time when society is policing femininity, womanhood and queer folk, the vamp revival's overt sexuality and ambiguity distance it from public figures like Nara Smith and Melania Trump. While many saw the latter's fashion at the inauguration as a stance to stave off her husband, her new style codes seem to imitate the individualistic feminism of suffragettes with her wide-brim hat and pointed shoulders.
We are yet to see what comes out this fashion season from New York, Milan and London but there is clearly a dark cloud hovering over the world of fashion. With the old money aesthetic becoming forgotten with each new dominant trend, it seems the vamps might be the final nail that buries the passive approach to consumerism.
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