You don't have to follow the runways to know that retro is fashion's biggest buzzword for 2022. Whether you read Vogue faithfully or just peruse the occasional style blog online, you'll find that everything old isn't just new again — it's new and improved, with a refreshing contemporary spin from today's top designers. From Dior to Chanel, iconic designers of the past are being channeled, reminding us that there's a reason why classics are called classics. Or, to put it more succinctly, fabulous fashions never die — they just keep coming back again and again.
Not sure if vintage suits your style? These trending looks should convince you because there's something for everyone in this year's vintage fashion grab bag.
Bold Statement Costume Jewelry
In the 1920s, Coco Chanel proved that it was more affordable and fun to wear faux jewelry. Soon, society's wealthiest women were locking the family jewels in safety deposit boxes and sporting fake pearls and brassy gold chains with unabashed glee.
For 2022, today's major fashion houses, from Givenchy and Dior to Balmain and Versace, showcase bold retro-style costume jewelry, emphasizing flashy supersized cocktail rings, ginormous gold chain necklaces, and door knocker earrings.
Psychedelic Flower Power
Following last year's penchant for swirly prints, 2022 styles are veering headlong into the psychedelic '60s and '70s, with funky flower power prints in orange, yellow, red, violet, pink, and green. From peace symbols and poppies to stripes and geometrics, boho just got a little bit trippier this year.
Everything Chanel
Whether you get your inspiration from the Met Gala, the latest runway shows, or RuPaul's Drag Race, one thing's for sure — Chanel is everywhere. Fashionistas can't get enough quilted bags, brassy chains, large faux pearls, and round neck jackets. Whether it's inspired by Coco or Karl Lagerfeld — if it's Chanel, it's totally on point for this year.
Corsets Aren't Just for Cosplay
Never gone for very long, the corset bustier-style top is making a big comeback again this year. However, this latest spin on the gusseted garment owes as much to 1990s Madonna and goth fiction as it does to Regency fashion plates. While some runways might feature rosebuds, lace and brocades, other designers are leaning more toward black pleather and fishnet, making this one design trend where you can choose your favorite era.
Denim, Americana-Style
Despite the literal translation of its name, haute couture doesn't always have to mean high fashion. It can also embrace dressing down, and that's precisely what it's doing with the continued resurgence in classic Americana clothing.
Remember rich, dark indigo jeans from the 1950s? They're back again, supplanting last year's faded looks with a striking, vibrant color pop that's pure star quality. From Balenciaga to Balmain, designers invoke iconic Americana styles like biking jackets, denim on denim and fringed suede. To add to the nostalgia, oversized jackets are being paired with straight-leg jeans as well as '60s flare-leg pants. Ultimately, today's designers may simply be answering the age-old question: Does denim ever really go away?
Micro-Mini Revolution
Harkening back to the '60s, the micro-mini skirt has returned, more micro than ever, evoking shades of Mary Quant, Twiggy and Carnaby Street. In case you don't know, the micro-mini differs from the traditional mini in that it just barely covers the subject by a couple of inches. For streetwear, it's about as short as you can get — but if you can rock a micro-mini, all power to you. For everyone else, 2022's reinvention of the traditional mini follows the same lines as its '60s counterpart. The most noteworthy difference is that today's trendiest tops may bear at least several inches of skin.
Fashion Statement Headscarves
Love Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn movies? Then you'll adore paying homage to 1950s cinema with the classic headscarf. This year's runways feature an abundance of shimmering scarves made of scintillating silk, delicate crochet (a lovely throwback to the '60s), and beaded fabrics. All you need is the headscarf and convertible, and you'll be ready to star in an Alfred Hitchcock remake.
Disco Night Sequins
Disco nights are back — if not the music, then at least the shimmer and shine, thanks to the return of the glorious sequin. This year's runways are conjuring up images of '80s glamor and decadence, with flashy sequined fabrics in copper, iron grey, silver, gold, and black, plus every color of the rainbow.
Preppy Wear
Let's be honest; did you really think that preppy wear would be gone for very long? A favorite style showcased in countless '80s and '90s movies, preppy wear is encapsulated in the cable knit sweater vest, worn over a crisp button-down shirt. If you pair this with another trend, the pleated skirt, you'll look so immaculately dressed and classy that you'll probably be invited to the next local polo match.
Floating Fabrics
From puffy balloon pants to sweeping trains, designers are using the voluminous silhouette, made famous in the '70s and '90s, to its fullest, most dramatic effect. Popular styles include long coats, oversized jackets, long, flowing skirts, and sheer floaty tops of thin chiffon.
Bell Bottom Trousers
Like so many other lovable fashions that can't seem to go away for good, flared pants are back in the form of wider-than-wide '60s-style bell bottoms. And better yet, they're enhanced at the hem with all kinds of ruffles and flourishes for added volume, proving that you can never have too much of a good thing when it comes to fashion.
The best thing about this year's retro styles is that they encompass such a wide range of looks, with plenty of room for the occasional surprise. And whether you're looking for a fresh take on retro fashions or cool and sleek contemporary designs, you'll find everything you're looking for — and a few things you never even dreamed of — when you browse our Style Shark fashion collections.