sorry the audio is a bit too crispy today! anyway what are your thoughts? is modern fashion boring or should it just be viewed in a different way than historical fashions? 👀

Karolina would know since she's been around for at least a thousand years.

In other words, "It's all been done before" has already been done before.

"Then you're getting naked, and that's not fashion, that's just nature" - Meme Mom 2021

The title should have been: *Immortal unsatisfied time traveler rants about modern fashion*

Mens fashion is definitely boring these days.

"You can't go more minimalistic than a tanktop, because then you're just getting naked and that's not fashion, that's just nature." - Karolina Zebrowska.

What we're wearing now in the 2020s is almost identical to what we wore in the 1970s: jeans, a t shirt and sneakers. Fashion barely changing in 50 years is basically unheard of in western fashion history. Like you said, the only thing that's changed is hair, makeup, accessories and very slight changes in silhouette. But it's essentially the exact same at it's core idea

Not gonna lie as an art student , especially after taking art history and etc you realize how just about everything has been done and finding something actually original is extremely difficult

The thing I love about vintage fashion and generally the fashion of older decades is that the clothing used to be SO INTERESTING! Patterns, quirky silhouette details, fabrics, effort was put into designs. Now it has all mixed up and the main point is not really to make your clothing unique (unless you can afford to pay hundreds/thousands of dollars for something outstanding), but to sell as much of the clothing as possible and that's just sad.

Very interesting point about how couture designs will never progress past being just “ideas” in modern fashion unless the trend cycle of fast fashion slows down! Thanks for sharing

“Art is never finished, only abandoned.” - Leonardo

Apart from being expensive and exhausting, today's fast fashion is also EXTREMELY bad for the environment and has a HUGE carbon footprint. While the planet is burning, people are still worried about being fashionable. It's so decadent.

I mostly feel like everyone is too focused on originality on the whole. Like....have a lot of things been done? Yes. But have they all been done by YOU? Fuck no. It doesn't matter that it's been done before, because ideas aren't one-use, they're recyclable. We can go back in time and pick apart every modern trend and track it backwards until we see than nothing is original, but someone tell me exactly why WE in the 21st century cannot enjoy them now. It really doesn't matter If a piece of art isn't 100% completely original, as long as it isnt a complete carbon copy, references and interpretation and just....doing it because YOU want to, and you enjoy it is completely valid. Especially now almost every different person has their own style instead of a single dominant style, it just comes down to our own aesthetic and taste. You do you, even if someone has already done it, because yo haven't.

The fashion trend loop be like: Fashionista 1: "Ugh! That shirt went out of style last week!" Fashionista 2: "Oh, but now it's back! It's retro!"

Excuse me but your make up looks particularly marvelous today. And your cat looks done with life

i wasn't expecting literal butts when you said, "but". 😭 glad to have you back, Filemon, we missed you! oh and you too, Meme Mother.

"constantly worrying about fashion is exhausting" *me, looking at my wardrobe that hasn't been updated for 10 years* :i guess im not stressing about it too much.

My hope is that someday there are no "fashion trends" and that we all just wear whatever we want, regardless of the era.

Technically, true original idea are extremely rare, if not impossible. When trying to make a new "idea" our brain literally just splices together a lot of pieces of things we already saw before and mixes it together to make something "new".

Everything’s been done before unless it’s made of a material or method that brings something to the table that did not exist before. Like transparent plastic, which did not exist before the invention of plastic. Or a dress that can catch fire and change color after it does. Or a coat that, when you put it on, can make me forget all the stress of my daily life and what an unaccomplished sod I truly am. Yes…. Invent a material that can make me truly smile again. That’s DEFINITELY never been done before. Edit: my plastic example better explained, hopefully

i get so annoyed at those fashion reality shows where they say something isnt "a new innovation" or that "ive seen this before". I sit there and yell at my screen like DUDE theres only so much we can do on the human form unless we start growing more heads or arms or something...

a good example of recycling old fashion styles is the 80's/90's goth movement, specifically the romantic or victorian goth scene. to this day I still really enjoy seeing historical elements put into clothing because thats where the interest lies for me. the shapes and the fabrics and the patterns were much more intriguing to me than what I see in modern/trendy fashion.

A lot of brands are bringing classic styles of the brand. Chanel usually sticks to their brand's vision but now it's becoming common to repeatedly see couture brands stick within their own box. Which plays on exactly what you talked about, pulling from historical fashion on one form or another. Thanks for this video!

Regarding your points on fast fashion, one of the reasons why I dont engage with fashion tiktok as much as i want to is cause it is chalk full of people who belittle others who arent "trendy" anymore, when really the people they are making fun of just arent contributing to fast fashion on the same level as they are.

Fashion today has zero to do with being fashionable, but everything to do with revenue. It would indeed be good if people would start jumping off the bandwagon and start taking it slow again. Not only for fashion’s sake, but also for our own sake and well-being. And what about the environment?

"You can't go more minimalistic with a tank top, because then you're just naked and that's not fashion, that's just naked"

I would love to see a larger portion of the population start making their own clothing. Even if everyone is using the same patterns, the fabric and construction choices would make every place unique.

LET’S ALL START WEARING CAPES AGAIN!!!

I think the biggest reason for the 'seen it' feeling is that we see a lot on the internet, on purpose or not.

I feel like a lot of people here aren’t considering something that’s relatively new to fashion: Sneakers. It’s true to that sneakers have their own trends and revivals, but I have seen some sneakers that don’t look like anything from the past, stylistically and technologically as well.

I expect more and more celebrities to speak about the history of the garment they wear, as in how it was made and how sustainable it is. The sustainability trend has already entered the fashion world and it’s here to stay until it becomes a given and is no longer something unique.

That tired jump off of the trend train is exactly what got me to find my own style and I think that's also why I went towards vintage. I was tired of not being able to keep up with trends and I was tired of having clothes that I'd feel uncomfortable wearing after the few months in which they were "cool"

„Getting new clothes is exhausting“ YES!!!

People: why are people today wearing outfits from the 70's and 80's and 90's??? Why is Y2K making a comeback?? Me: thriftshops are hugely popular among poor young adults and are mainly filled with fashion from those decades. Fast fashion Brands are trying to emulate that because young adults in their early 20's are their main target audience. Also, nostalgia media now widely available on streaming services made by adults who grew up in those decades and who are now leading forces in the entertainment industry, eg Stranger Things (or media from that time now available on streaming services eg Friends) have a huge cultural impact and culture always impacts fashion.

So, as I'm understanding it, the moment we all stop chasing fashion and decide to pick a style and run with it on our own is when we can start seeing like a real, honest attempt at fashion again.

i really liked the point about how minimalistic modern fashion is, and how by necessity it will inevitable recycle- but mostly recycle what is also minimalistic and fitting our modern tastes (so taking 90s jeans again but not 50s petticoats). that's why i'm purposely sewing historical- screw modern taste! go wild, add trimmings, flounces here and there.

i think modern fashion is cool, because we’ve entered this era of a partial elimination of mainstream fashion as it has become much more socially acceptable to have your own look,,, but historical fashion STAYS winning and (i think) is a lot more interesting. current fashions are just a combination of old fashion and trying to be sexy, though i do think new fashions will evolve. maybe the fact that we’re living while modern fashion is mainstream makes it seem less important to us?? idk!! (p.s., great video!! i really like your rants which tend to be thoughtful and very respectful lmao)

I’m an artist and have recently started drawing self portraits, of myself being inserted into different historical eras. You are a great inspiration to me

I'm still wearing the same clothes i bought 5years ago i was surprised to see how my sisters style changed so much during that span while the only clothes i bought since then were the result of my impulsive brain on cottagecore sites at 3am

Researching and making a historical costume is actually a part of my fashion education. It learns us reference and take little nuances to incorporate into our collection. And honestly history is full of amazing styles

"that's not fashion, that's just nature" is the best way i've ever heard to describe nudity

Haven't finished the video but still saying this😅 I've noticed that a lot of the "trendy" clothes worn nowadays are, if not completely, inspired and taken from older styles and I haven't honestly seen much new stuff that hasn't already existed in the past, except for maybe crocs.

A brief moment of peace from my work as it figuratively catches fire due to a party of people wanting 21 large hotdogs

I'm thinking about average life expectancy in relation to these fashion cycles. Back when people didn't live nearly as long, fashion cycles were MUCH longer. Now that people live much longer, fashion cycles spin in the blink of an eye. Weird

There are only so many shapes a sleeve can have, really...you just try to combine it with different things.

I personally enjoy seeing new takes on fashions. I was a teenager in the 90s and now I'm 42 and my clothes are back just in time for my midlife crisis. I still have and wear clothes from high school, so I'm the pinnacle of 90s vintage fashion rn! 😂😜But seriously, even if it is all recycled, it comes with new fabrics(for good or bad) new color palettes, fun with hair and makeup, and more choices of things to wear for everyone. If one eschews being spot on trend and simply focuses on their own comfort and fashion sense, then all these recycled short cycles give everyone so many more choices. I jumped out of the fashion boat in the 90s and stayed there. I liked it, my pants covered my ass, my tops weren't spaghetti straps and my black shirts with ironic sayings never really died, or band t-shirts. Work attire is where I have had less changes. Due to classic, classy pieces that are practical and presentable are always in style. Tailored slacks and crisp white shirts, sheath dresses with cardigans, black pumps, the all important great watch, no matter the Era that inspired those, they are ever present. Unlike weird fast fashion takes on runway looks that are only appropriate for tiktok... That's just my experience living in the southwest of Arizona in the USA where we are not exactly fashion plates. We still have super nice to look at cowboys/girls/hands who haven't changed their practical fashion for---well, ever. As usual, some of these fashions are mainly for the upper echelons to parade around in since they've really nothing else to do. Poor things. No matter what though, I have to view them different, because to me, they are. I can't use a modern lens on history, and I can't use my 90s brain on fashion now. I have to view it in context and look at what was/is going on at the times.

Also, your background is amazing, I love the cozy feeling, as if I had a lovely older sister that talks to me about fashion history ❤️

I studied with a fashion forecaster who once said that the groundbreaking thing we're about to see in the future years is the tecnological aspects of the fabrics and we should not demand groundbreaking silhouettes because fashion has always been a carrousel going back and forth.

Honestly humans want to be innovativ, but at the end of the day we're like the people of 5000 years ago but with Wi-Fi.

The New Look by Dior resembles early 1900s European fashion, because that's when Dior was a child and he spent his childhood surrounded by upper class women whose style he adored and wanted to return to when he was older. At least that's what I read in a book.

*“Thats not fashion that’s just nature.”* - Karolina Żebrowska 2021

I am living for your rant videos. Meme mom never disappoints

You talked about this but honestly even within some of the bigger companies and more specific fashion designers, the issue personally is that none of them push forward for some of the details of fashion. It's often still plain patterns or just one colour and it's usually just the same fabric but like in waves or just in big folds which is a bit better but I think what we all love about more historical fashion is those tiny details, the sleeves, the shape, the little patterns or frills that are added. Even say, a simple black Edwardian dress, there's usually just some details of it that make it so interesting to study because there's always added elements of pintucks or slight frills or a specific sleeve shape. Of course later on for the 20th century, it's definitely more so the specifics of silhouette, makeup and hair that really engage the difference but that's still in details. But in a way, our current fashion sort of allows for people to chose their style?? As in, we lack really stable trends and don't value it ad much today so in a way it does let some go for more diverse styles (although you'll probably still get stared at).

"No matter how innovative and cool an idea is, It´s an empty idea if it cannot be directly translated to mainstream fashion" - Karolina Zebrowska . That´s the key idea of the video

*When you live for more than 500 years and all you see is a bunch of wars, pandemics, and fashion repeating itself:* THIS IS OURAGEOUS THIS IS UNFAIR

In college i started discovering my own style and i think its also important so i dont just get dragged by fast changing trends. I used to think i HAVE to have a pair of jeans, but turns out i like skirts and other materials better. I think my style is either office lady on a day off or a girly flowery lady or just gothic lolita

*makes entire video about fashion* “that being said I discovered a really cool donut shop in my city” 🤣🤣 iconic

Season 2 episode 20 Can we get a review of the wife swap episode of the family who live their lives as if it’s the “Middle Ages”? How the dad is a member of a historian group but the outfits they’re wear aren’t historically accurate? Anyone know which episode it is?

At this point it seems that most people have turned to just bringing back fashion from the last 40 to 50 years. Especially since buying vintage or second hand materials and clothing is now considered "cool." Even hairstyles have come back but cut or colored more neatly/skillfully. Let's not forget that a lot of fashion designers and fast fashion companies crank out designs and ideas either appropriated from or inspired by different cultures, countries, and traditions. I like that people are taking the best parts of different fashion eras and putting it together.

Meme mom back with onion rings in her ears. Cool

Thank you for making this channel. As a man sometimes I don't feel comfortable admitting I watch this channel, or that I'm into fashion but girl don't stop this is so interesting! I was in the Marines...deployed to Iraq. Seriously, honestly you're one of my guilty pleasures

as someone who's kinda interested in fashion but is also lazy (when it comes to finding clothes) and poor, i've all but given up. finding jeans that fit / flatter me is hard enough without worrying about which styles are in / out.

It also makes us feel REALLY old as my childhood clothes (bowl style haircuts, jeans everything, neon colors, 1997 in general) returned to fashion. Kids are literally wearing same parachute fabric lounge clothes that i dumped while cleaning my attic 🤦‍♀️

History is a cicle. Things come and go all the time. It's like rewatching your favorite teen show after years since its end. It's like feeling that nice emotion, rediscovering a nice thing again and again.

What I think is also quite interesting in the images you showed is the models themselves. Body types and figures have fluctuated in an interesting way. For example, the two body con dresses had a thinner model in the 90s and a more hourglass model now. It’s nice that we embrace so many body types now in advertising. But that’s another video topic! :)

I'm curious about how trends work in alternative fashion, as opposite to mainstream fashion. In particularly, I was researching the history of lolita fashion in Japan (as a branch of otome fashion, which itself came from Romantic revival and Gunne Sax) and contemporary lolita fashion is MORE inspired by historical fashion and silhouetes than proto and old school lolita from the 90s and early 2000s.

I love that fashion from the 1800 or 40s or any is coming to style agian and I wish that 1800s, early 1900s and 40s/ 50s hairstyles will come to style agian because i will not to scared to be judged if I go outside wearing them

You know, after watching Next in Fashion I do think we can still make new things- looking at for example Minju Kims Stuff there are a LOT of clothes I've never seen quite like that before. It's a shame Designer clothes are so expensive T_T

The sentence from 9:45 was the most interesting and striking of the whole video. But whatever might people say, we're still getting truly new styles every few years or decades, mostly thanks to technology. They are just not widely spread due to high cost or other reasons.

my favorite line is "that's not fashion it's just nature" because it makes me think about the current fashion trends that revolve around the unclothed body's shape. I'm hoping i live long enough to see our current "slim thicc" body trend recreated in fashion in the future, using padding to achieve the stylish shape. nothing would make me happier than padding normalized in the mainstream again

I think it’s fascinating how all fashion takes inspiration from the decades before it. like how a dress from nowadays could take inspiration from a 90s dress and that dress style could’ve originally taken inspiration from a 60s dress and on and on until it can be traced to its origin.

I mean, I saw an oversized Tweety Bird shirt in the store yesterday so we are definitely just in 1990s and it's all just starting back over. 😂

The first time I found your channel was the Victorian Time Traveler. I am a fan of Steampunk and have some Victorian as well as Old West cloths too. I like you channels historical perspective please do more.

Honestly as time goes on i feel like a lot of people have stopped caring about fashion trends and microtrends and instead have begun looking towards creating and honing their own style. this is helpful cause it makes it so u dont overspend on clothing and don't throw out clothing. u really do this over time too, swapping out stuff over years instead of throwing ur clothes away every month. Its kind of refreshing to see :)

Doughnut fan, live less than a 1/2 mile from a doughnut shop. Surprised I have not gained more weight during the pandemic due to the close proximity. Regarding your original topic, I agree with the lack uniqueness in fashion due to fast fashion. Not all couture creations make mainstream impact. Vintage style has a timelessness that makes it perennially fashionable.

I am loving these rants, you can tell how much work has been put into them!

It's hard to imagine fashion becoming more interesting without a huge cultural shift in the way/amount we work. Americans work way too many hours and therefore don't have time to wear/be interested in complicated fashion garments. Maybe even more influential is the American cultural push towards a comfort/casual lifestyles. Our regular clothes are leggings/jeans and t-shirts is a big reflection of comfort & conformity over fashion/being interesting.

You have a great makeup!!!! 🖤 Is it me, or wearing vintage/pre vintage clothing feels so much better? Maybe it's the silhouettes, but I feel and look more put together and confident by matching clothing, instead of modern ones 😅🤣

I was wondering if anything from the 1100's, 1200's had ever been recycled in more current fashion.... and then I remembered bell sleeves from the '70's and hanging in my closet now... 😆

waiting for the time galaxy leggings will be fashionable again 😩

me whenever i try to diet: *"today is not the day!"*

My solution: still wearing my clothes from the 90s that weren't fashionable then either 🤣

Actually, I'm so happy that old fashion trends come back to life! I'm glad to wear 80's fashion cause I freaking like it but I wasn't born yet to enjoy it! And we can wear corset or silk dress or big puffy sleeves or all at once, and isn't it amazing? We can now mash up whatever we want to create our own style, and it's not even *that* weird.

The only trend that will never be repeated: wearing denim shorts to formal events.

I adore antiques and historical fashion, and now I find myself completely and utterly unsatisfied or dissatisfied with modern fashion. There is just something about it that offends me. Granted, I only wear modern fashion because that’s all I’ve presently come to acquire, yet I typically attempt to stray from what is the current trend. I cannot say it enough. Modern fashion SUCKS - in my humble opinion. I just despise it. It’s always some skimpy garment made of uncomfortable synthetic materials that makes one think the world is on a [natural] fabric shortage. I remember being in a shop on the east coast, and trying on a tube top. I felt naked and the whole thing was so uncomfortable and as restrictive as a badly-made corset. I also find that modern fashion is just so tiring to look at. It gives me a legitimate headache to go shopping because I see so many unsatisfying things around me that do not fit my very specific personal tastes. Additionally, while many feel that they are seeing the same thing over again, I do not get that feeling. All I feel is this sense of disapproval at the new trends. I think they are unreasonable, insensible, impractical and frivolous. I have always been a person who believes in modesty - perhaps because I cannot walk around in some short shorts because I feel naked and like I’m being watched - and I think that many make as many attempts to show as much skin as possible - but all for what? Is it a seductive move? What does showing the body off do? I wouldn’t know, and I try to stay as modest as possible while staying within the bounds of my personal style. I just think that this world is becoming EXTREMELY progressive in fashion and it just gets tiring. The trends seems to change daily and get more and more frivolous as the days pass. I suppose I just don’t understand it. I’m sorry if any of my opinions seem offensive, that was not my intention if so. I’m simply stating how I feel on this topic. Thank you

I always feel these days a new fashion trend doesn't really have a huge impact anymore as a few hundred years back. Because today you actually can wear everything. I often try 1920-30s male style outfits, but there might be a girl next to me at the bus stop wearing shorts and a crop top. So if puffed sleeves get in style again it doesn't mean you'll see every woman wearing them. And I kind of like that. The pressure is off having to follow the dress code of your time in order to not stand out and be looked at funny. (But I'm always for looking decend and respectful 😅)

I have been thinking of another reason why fashion has become less recognizable as one particular era, but it's a positive one: Our fashion landscape has become way more individualistic, so there's no longer one particular style or silhouette that's "in". A lot of people develop their own style and theres distinct subcultures and style categories that may be popular during a particular time period. My hope is that once more people find their personal style that they want to stick to, that is also going to help fashion slow down.

YES, TELL THEM!

So here's a question! With the fatigue that many are starting to have with fast fashion, do you think that people will start to develop individual styles that don't nessicairly reflect what is deemed "fashionable" and instead stresses individuality? I know there were trends as such in the 60s, 70s, and 80s as well as the early 90s (late 90s was all about uniformity, thanks Gap!) but those still largely co-oped by the mainstream rather then niche styles, such as punk from the late 70s and 80s was it's own thing, but you continue to see its influence on and off in mainstream clothing. I ask this in part because, like many others, I decided to fall into a long running on and off interest in EGL, or Lolita Fashion which pulls heavily from Victorian and Rococo aesthetics, while still remaining different enough. I'm curious if more fashion substyles will emerge in similar ways, taking a specific aesthetic and repurposing it in a way that starts to feel separate from the source. (Like I'm not saying Marie Antoinette wouldn't wear a dress with pastel pink bunnies on it, but... didn't seem like an option for her at the time, you know?)

I'm amazed that you could get me interested in something I normally could care less about. Maybe it's your clever editing and presentation, or that I'm interested in history, or that you are simultaneously intelligent, enthusiastic, well reasoned and funny while discussing this; or more likely all of the above that keeps my attention. Excellent work and fun! Thanks.

I loved when you told the fly off! The main styles I like are 50s inspired, Steampunk and cottagecore, so I'm clearly a big fan of borrowing from the past.

KZfaq CC is really stepping up its game. Much appreciated!

when she said "did you know that? MmMmm? mmmMMm? Mhhmmm" I felt that

ugh this is such a QUALITY video. 5 stars bestie this is amazing

Holy shit that Schiaparelli veil at 7:35 is jaw-dropping. I love your takes on things. Thank you for introducing me to so much new art

I am wondering though : did people from the 1830s who went back to fashion from the previous century called it “vintage”? Or did they have a different word that had the same meaning as vintage today ?

The intervals of the “recycled inspiration cycle” have really become quite small. At least where I live, the decade from where looks and styles are pulled from nearly changes every two years. It went from the 70s ski-jackets/sport clothes colours and silhouettes being the thing to a minimalist version of the 2000s fashion (kind off where we are now). Personally, I find trying to be in fashion both stressful and pointless sometimes. Especially as with the last two “cycles”, I really did not like what came back in fashion. The silhouettes and colours just didn’t do it for me… Also, finding your own style with your own inspirations can really be a big struggle. Especially when what you like from previous eras can be so different from each other. You tell me how I should combine mid-1800s, medieval, bohemian, academia and traditional Japanese in one style??? As I’ve learned from watching our immortal fashion queen, one of the big things that changes with fashion is silhouette. So I don’t know if its any help to anyone, but I started my style exploration with first choosing a silhouette that I liked and felt comfortable wearing (something between mid-1800s and 1920s explorer). And now I’m working in the aesthetics that I like (bohemian, academia, medieval or fantastical decor/embroidery and Japanese woodblock prints).

Great video! I didn’t think about the simplicity factor- I wonder if that’s why colour seems to cycle so much... each season there’s a new colour palette

Honest, if I see a drama I'm shutting my brain off. It's nice when things are accurate but I'm not going to pull my mood down by expecting it.