A Trend Expert Spills The 4 Biggest Fashion Aesthetics Coming Our Way

Thanks to social media's obsession with newness, aesthetics and trends come and go at lightning speeds; we barely have time to catch our breaths. Remember the hold that cottagecore had on us? Or our inspiration from make-believe relatives, like coastal grandma and coastal aunt? How about angelcore or its grimier cousin, goblincore?

There are plenty of subcultures and styles to play around with nowadays. Having a singular aesthetic is limiting (and a little boring in our eyes, when there’s so much to experiment with). 

Like giddy children on Christmas Eve, we love seeing what new aesthetics are cropping up. While microtrends can be overwhelming, we take these trending styles as inspiration for our wardrobes and as a chance to reinvent ourselves for a season… can being a farmer’s market goer be a personality trait? Asking for a friend.

So we tapped Depop’s Trend and Category Manager Agustina Panzoni to uncover the four biggest trend predictions for the warmer weather. 

“The aesthetics I predict are all about connecting to style explorers. I like to refer to it as ‘Fresh Dressing’. This coming summer will be all about playful dressing, reigniting inspirations and connections while evolving new style confidence,” she tells Refinery29 Australia, pointing to the coming months of festivals, summer holidays and international fashion weeks as inspiration. 

From ‘summer camp’ to ‘ultra feminine fantasy’, here's what Panzoni predicts we’ll be seeing all over our feeds, runways and IRL.

What do you get when you mix nostaglia with a love of the outdoors? A one-way ticket to summer camp! Though it's not really an Aussie rite of passage, we can still partake in this trend by embracing child-like freedom and gumption.

"Kidcore evolves into a hedonistic nature-based ‘summer camp’. Wearing cosy and familiar pieces made people feel a sense of comfort and security during the pandemic. Summer camp takes us back to a time before we started dressing to look 'cool' and actually wore what we liked — it's all about embracing your self-expression without your adult inhibitions," says Panzoni.

"We recommend getting involved in this trend by incorporating cheerful motifs and psychedelic colour ways into your look, building on the 2017 trend of gorpcore, with chunky hiking silhouettes. On the runway, we saw child’s play at JW Anderson’s SS22 collection, which featured strawberry graphics. Celebrity brands such as Drew House also gives playfulness and nostalgia. This trend is all about cartoon graphic tees, mismatched prints, cargo pants, knitwear and technical and ripstop fabrics. In line with this, searches including ‘bright’ and ‘bold’ are up by over 40% on Depop since January alongside tie-dye, which is also up by 42%."

It's time to enter your villain era and ditch the faux niceties. Why not get an outfit to match that new, badass energy?

"Step into your villain era with refined self-confidence; my next trend prediction [is] dystopian. Inspired by the viral #VillainEra... and [the] earlier 2022 vibe shift from that motivated 'clean girl' to a chaotic unhinged character, [Villain Era] draws on Y2k and performance wear. Think brands like Balenciaga, Mugler and Dolls Kill — lots of cutouts and mesh," Panzoni says.

"Our Depop users are well invested in this trend, we’ve seen an increase of 17% in ripped jeans and +97% in platform shoes."

Y2k continues to claw its way back into the fashion zeitgeist — and this next trend is no exception. Leave your internalised misogyny at home, 'cos pink is back!

"The pink empowerment of 'ultra feminine fantasy' taking cues from iconic femme brands Dior and Miaou — the vibes are innocent, almost angelic. Think cotton-candy hues, rib knits and satin, where rhinestone accessories and conventionally girly designs such as butterflies and hearts now add a contemporary spin and extra sass," Panzoni shares.

"Off the runway, we’re seeing a lot of celebrities take up the trend, most notably Rihanna in her pregnancy reveal where she wore a hot pink vintage Chanel puffer jacket as well as Zendaya and Anne Hathway becoming the queens of Valentino pink. On Depop, we’ve already seen a 78% increase in searches for hot pink items in the last three months, and we expect the trend to continue to rise."

Move over athleisure — while the former trend gave wearers a (sometimes faux) sense of activeness, the 'easy jock' trend is all about channelling a sporty laidback vibe; no need to work up a sweat.

"Lastly, I am predicting 'easy jock' [will take] shape this summer, [that's] inspired streetwear that’s too drippy for real action. I’m talking effortlessly put-together 'fits consisting of vintage basketball jerseys, polos and bold bowler shirts paired with baggy denim bottoms and a rare [pair of] New Balance 550s. [Take a look at your] favourite sports brands collaborating with powerhouse luxury brands, such as Gucci x Adidas and Nike x Louis Vuitton," says Panzoni.

"Style up your vintage finds with a sweatshirt and trainers. It is the ultimate way to immerse yourself in the trend. With a 237% increase in searches for jerseys and +7% casual trousers, we cannot say no to this aesthetic!"

Come summer, with all these trends to choose from, it's hard to know what will fit into your personal style. Panzoni provides some words of advice and asks people to consider these questions before making a spontaneous purchase:

1. Do I see myself wearing this six to 12 months from now?
2. Is it a piece of clothing that would have a loved rotation in my staple wardrobe?
3. Is this a piece that makes me want to experiment with my style, step outside my comfort zone and have fun with it?

"Defining your personal style is all about experimenting with unique style choices and the best thing about this is that there are no limits," Panzoni says. "Your personal style can be ever-evolving. Once you feel good in something, just go with it and if you change your mind down the track, re-sell and re-home!"