Last week, 2016 happened again. One minute it was 2026 and the next it was King Kylie lipsticks, sock boots, sparkling diamonds, Vetements, Yeezy, Virgil Abloh, and that very specific Snapchat dog filter. I even saw Kim Kardashian posting a throwback captioned “I promise whatever happened to you in 2016 mine was crazier”, which is probably why it’s coming back. Some of it should really stay in the past, but most of it shouldn’t.
Off-White, Supreme, Vetements, Yeezy, BAPE, Fear of God, 2016 clearly loved streetwear. I miss those paparazzi-heavy streetwear hybrid outfits, big T-shirts if it was warm, even bigger hoodies if it was cold, paired with knee-high stiletto boots and a khaki bomber on top that could blind you if the inside caught the light. Or whatever side-slit sweatpants Adidas made then with a lace corset on top, a big fat chocker, heeled sandals on the bottom and Kanye West by the side, it really was an iconic outfit ten years ago. This should be everyday life again. We still mix street style and casualwear with heels and girly accessories but I really need to see vivid three-striped jackets with pearl necklaces sitting on top in a Rihanna way again, huge faux furs over military shorts and bedazzled lace-up sandals like models wore in the background of a 2016 music video. We still love contrast, but it’s all a bit toned down, too easy on the eyes.
Don’t get me started on hair, or at least cover the clean-girls’ ears. Vivids. King Kylie era blues, greens, greys, reds, just bring actual colors back. Big messy buns that made you look like you’d just lost a fight with a cat, red lipstick with no occasion. It belonged in coffee shops, on basketball courts, even at the park. Now I play a game at weddings or official gatherings called “spot the red lip”. The score is usually zero. Sometimes one.
I don’t really believe what we miss is 2016 itself, but the intensity of it. The comfort with being a little too visible, excessive, and maybe too much.
