The UK economy is dwindling into recession, with inflation fluctuating at the flip of a coin and GDP contraction for two consecutive quarters. Living is becoming more expensive, which affects the way we dress up and approach glamour. With makeup trends fluctuating from maximalist and bold, to clean and minimalistic, they express the desire for wealth and attainability for the average person.
The very same can be said for beauty, and whilst thinness prevails as the unspoken body standard for women, it becomes more aspirational in a recession when healthy food and gym memberships lay outside of typical disposable income. Taking part in recession ‘trends’ is not necessarily out of choice, because it attests to the lack of wealth spread across the population and reduces what consumers can buy, so a return to simplicity after a rise in maximalism is a typical sign. However, there are a few slightly more subtle styles that can indicate recession, because of their associations with replicating the image of wealth. Here are some examples to consider.
Bohemian Fashion
This is a significant call-back to the late 2000s and early 2010s, a recession indicator in itself. Thin, flowy fabrics are cheaper to construct and easy to style, meaning that the core simplicity of recession fashion is upheld with a stylistic choice of a specific aesthetic. Also, there is the romanticisation of East and South Asian cultures, where bohemian fashion stems from (in a white-washed sense) with its earth-toned colour palette and peaceful symbolism. Wearing such clothing can feel like a pursuit of freedom and be a brief escape from the everyday slug of work, minimum wages, and concrete jungles.
Peplum Waists
Peplum waists hide the stomach and emphasise an idealised hourglass silhouette, whilst being reminiscent of corsetry. This brings forth a particular view of what femininity should look like, both in referencing 18th Century fashion and because our current and popular understanding of that era conjures specific ideas of women’s bodies.
Corsets imply pain, thinness, and discomfort for the sake of beauty; whether this is historically accurate or not is irrelevant to the image it implies. Peplum tops made of comfortable fabrics seek to replicate a historical and traditionalist time for women. Reduced autonomy is the case for everyone during a recession, especially for women, so trends to emphasise this are commonplace. Also, slimmer silhouettes just use less fabric, so are cheaper to make.
Clean-girl Makeup
To me, this epitomises a lack of individualism. Whilst bright and bold makeup typically requires more products to achieve (and more products are more expensive) because of its layered nature, the clean girl style is a pursuit of very conventional beauty. Dewy skin over matte, bushy brows over pomade, shimmer highlight over glitter are choices that are more ‘natural’ and certainly less fun, that try to replicate a look of wealth.
This is because rich women, who have access to better diets, health-plans, skincare and surgery can look like this with no effort, whilst everyday women can only chase after this look of wealth. A more forced effort to appear of a different class is a common recession indicator. Again, this style can be out of lack of choice but can also be attributed to an airbrushed, tick-box kind of femininity.
Ballet-core
This refers to pinks, pastels, bows and sheer fabrics, alluding to hyper-femininity and almost childish style with its memories of youth and innocence. Ballet is a common interest and aspiration for young girls both out of stereotypes and real adoration. A look back to such a simpler time can be dangerous and restrictive, because the slowing economy can enforce more visible gendered differences, like financial reliance in relationships. It is simultaneously something that implicitly encourages smaller bodies, and even a more demure, polished attitude.
It opposes loud, brash colours that convey unique personhood and tends to lean towards a more disciplined life for women, especially since this style has always been one of the main options for women. Simplicity is not to be critiqued — things are timeless for a reason — but ballet-core does exude robotic and replicable stereotypical femininity that deflates women’s individual personalities: an untimely return to the default.
Athletic wear
Sportswear can be so convenient and comfortable, but remains inappropriate for office or learning environments. When recession fashion seeks boring flat colours and less variation, athletic wear can be the prime offender in this category. Limited colour palettes and silhouettes, tracksuits and leggings all fall pretty flat when it comes to style. Athleisure’s move from inside the gym to outside represents a lack of clothes to change into, an emphasis on functionality over expression. When people just use clothes to fulfil a need, rather than to express themselves and experiment, this indicates a collective societal tire. Life becomes a machine of work and mundanity, recession fashion certainly doesn’t help such a widespread feeling.
All in all, the ‘technical recession’ may have more power in dictating our fashion than is desired. But, there are always alternative options that lie outside of trends; your current wardrobe is probably already full of fun pieces that don’t remind us of the drab reality of economic distress. The majority of fashion discourse, like the case of recession trends, happens online and shouldn’t bleed into the everyday. Trends will keep changing — wear what you want to!
On screen style report #10: Susie Glass
