What Will the Savvy Woman Wear?

When was the last time you wore your favorite outfit? What about lipstick? If you’re like me and being extra cautious with life right now, it’s been a while. For me, it was my 40th birthday. I wore heels and a silk dress…with a velvet embroidered mask. Gotta be safe and stylish!

Dressing up and going out is episodic these days as the outside world of dinner with friends, concerts, and weekend brunch slowly returns. You might have retuned to your office and your pre-pandemic wardrobe with glee… Or perhaps dread? A dread for the comfort of your leggings and tunics while Zooming in a comfortable chair.

While I can't control where you work, I can advocate for your comfort and style, in whatever environment you’re conducting business.

How Will We Dress?

Zeitgeist determines trends. As a fashion professional with an interest in anthropology, I know that trends are more than one passing fad after another. To me, a trend is an indicator of societal direction—provoked by political shifts. The European Renaissance was provoked by the Bubonic Plague. The Harlem Renaissance was birthed because of the Great Migration and World War I.

The global COVID-19 pandemic is provoking shifts, too. Here are my two trend predictions for post-pandemic:

Trend: Ethereal Womanist

Starting with literary great Zora Neale Hurston, this is a lifestyle that demands freedom from societal constraints, with the centering of Black women in their community and the unintentional benefit of a transformed society. Stacy Abrams, Patrisse Khan-Cullors, and Tricia Hearsy live it. Alice Walker, Audre Lourde, and Octavia Butler revealed it.

Vibe: Nature

Leisure Purpose: New Futures

Fashion: Soft Simplicity

Ethereal Womanist key words: Rest, Abolition, Black fairies, Sustainability, EarthSeed, Resistance

Trend: Reckless Abandon

Opulence, individualism, and saccharine happiness marked by consumption a often a result of being trapped inside. The vaccinated and never-vaccinated will now be able to resume their pre-pandemic lives with a determination to make up for time lost. And the making up will be ginormous. This is a revival of the Roaring 20s with 1980s extravagance in a technology driven world.

Vibe: Instantaneous

Purpose: Exclusivity

Fashion: Loud

Reckless Abandon key words: Travel experiences, Neon, Pleasure, Now, Celebrity culture

Have you noticed any societal trends that are affecting fashion? Let me know!

A version of this post was previously published on Jana Coke’s website.