Predicting Trends in 2022

When does something really become “cool”? Sometimes it’s a response to high fashion or the times we live in – just look at Crocs, the rise of UGG, and the re-emergence of Juicy Couture, because of the pandemic demand for clothes so soft you forget you have a physical form and the internet’s penchant for Y2K fashion. Sometimes there is absolutely no rhyme or reason to it. Think of the time when everyone was doing sea huts on TikTok and internet culture writers doing thoughts about how this symbolized our longing for a simpler way of life, when in fact most of it got big because it was cute and sea shacks slapped.

Trying to predict trends can make cultural pudding a little overwhelming, but with that caveat in mind, we should try it anyway. Here’s what we see in our crystal ball (Instagram) for 2022 – and to give this whole company a little more authority, we’ve also asked digital experts and writers. Break the Internet, Olivia Yallop, for offering her thoughts on the things that will define our personalities in the year ahead.

New ass is … tits

From Adele’s British Mode cover of Kim Petras’ new single “coconut”, fertile cultural ground for the return of the humble titty. Bumps have been dominating the conversation lately, and while they’re all too deserving to completely abandon them, our spidey senses tell us that boobs are on their way back to share the spotlight (see also: promo picture for Rebecca Black’s new alt pop album and Slayyyter collaboration “Read My Mind”). Expect boobs to be big, pushed under the chin, and everywhere for 2022, as it should be.

The new wired headphones are… iPod

We love recycled technology – Polaroid cameras, vinyl, and the latest wired headphones – so a reassessment of the iPod is next. Given a lot of listener dissatisfaction with streaming services, especially when it comes to toying with artists (and not to mention the horrific “Taylor Swift live rent free in your head and kill your fellow kids” tune from your 2021 Wrapped Spotify…), you can see music fans gave up completely and dug into their old analog listening device from the 2008 Ye Olde instead.

new y2k is… late 00s awk

“The Y2K aesthetic – all the pastel pinks, frosted covers, and ironic Juicy tube tops – has reached its peak,” says Yallop. In 2022, we’ll move on to a slightly different iteration of Gen Z’s favorite fashion trend: “Next year, get ready to embrace the late awk; a self-conscious tacky look that relives the best of the worst of the late 00s. We’re talking layered cami tops, button-down vests, long denim skirts, and belts on just about everything. Impossible style icons including Bella from Late afternoon (often tagged on Depop) and red carpet appearances from Ashley Tisdale c. 2005-2009.” Jesus took the wheel.

The new emo renaissance is… indie bastard

Wired iPods and headphones, especially Apple’s white one, were integral to the indie scene for the first time, and it looks like we’re on the cusp of a second life for the late 2000s and early 2010s aesthetic. This may sound scary — we’re definitely not far from the return of American Outfit disco pants and crying about boys in winklepickers while wearing cardigans — but it makes sense.

Arctic Monkeys, one of the mainstay bands at the time, had confirmed a new album this year, and the rhythmic guitar sound of bands like The Rakes and The Young Knives was somewhat revived in 2022 by Wet Leg, Yard Act, and others. Get your beret ready and get ready for a beer in the underground club while the DJ plays “We Are Your Friends”, and meanwhile fire up your fight or flight response while watching @indiesleaze Instagram.

New casual clothes… uncomfortable and impractical

These are the obvious breeds we’ve already seen in 2021 when the locking is reduced, but fur, fur, stilettos, vinyl and, sadly, bandage dress will return with a vengeance when everyone comes together after the winter in sweatpants stained with ketchup and the uncertainty surrounding Omicron.

The new “Game of Thrones” is… “Three Bodies Problem”

From Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and DB Weiss are appearing in another extensive book adaptation that reviewers will call an “epic” when it arrives sometime next year on Netflix. Three Body Problem is based on a series of three books by Chinese author Liu Cixin, which envisions a future where Earth waits before being attacked by a nearby star system. 2022 will be a pretty big year for sci-fi literature in general, as an adaptation of Emily St. John-Mandel. Eleven Station – centered on a mysterious, unheard of virus – also continues.

The new chocolate bar is…. very fairy

“Head-to-toe chocolate may have dominated your TikTok page for 2021, but the color experts at Pantone have foreseen a new hue for the new year,” Yallop said. As you might have guessed, the new chocolate brown, which is the new lime green (which is the new millennium pink), is… periwinkle! “It gives… Parma Violet,” Yallop adds, “from a cozy lilac tracksuit to striking purple nail tips.”

The new literary sad girl is … a party girl

You know her, you empathize with her, and you tolerate her as you tolerate yourself: a sad literary girl. Over the past few years, she has become an avatar of contemporary English literature – writers from Sally Rooney to Raven Leilani have created portraits of women who live and move through uncertain periods in their lives, exploring their complex relationships with sex, their own bodies and others.

We feel the movement away from the sad girl and toward the party girl, who of course experiences some of the same emotions as the sad girl, but places the emphasis on having fun: She drinks margaritas like water, rides on the back of a motorbike, and her favorite food is oysters with spicy sauce. Represented in literary culture by Marlowe Granados . 2021 debut happy time, and brought to the forefront in the recent passing of LA’s leading hedonist chronicler Eve Babitz, party girls – and glamor in literature more generally – will return, taking them with them, as Eloise Hendy. put it for elephant magazine: “Pleasure as a means, and then a means again with no visible end.”

The new Crocs are … Vibram toe shoes

Crocs are the breakout hit of 2021, and they may be followed in 2022 by their uglier cousin, the Vibram toe. Conceived as a similar practical item but given new life as a must-have among fashion folks posting trash can pictures on Instagram, the Vibram shoe has drifted outside the mainstream after a year or two of serving as inspiration for Balenciaga, but this might end up being their breakthrough year. People are constantly trying to outdo each other on Instagram, and these awful things are the kind of stuff that Times New Roman slogans will soon embrace with ugly t-shirt heads.

The new street clothes are…. meta clothes

Of course, no collection of future trends would be complete without considering the metaverse. “Forget about your IRL matches and check your metacloset: In 2022, we’re going digital,” predicts Yallop. “Thanks to apps like dressX and influencers like @thisoutfitdoesnotexist, virtual wardrobes will be more accessible than ever.” Here’s hoping you look better in the metaverse than when you get out of bed half an hour before the meeting.

@hiyalauren