WELCOME to the Roaring Twenties – but this time it is not all jazz, flapper dresses and speakeasies.
The 2020s are seeing a generation, reborn after the Covid pandemic, determined to be unapologetically flashy.
The movement is being spearheaded by those in their teens and early twenties who had their formative years hijacked by successive lockdowns, lost opportunities and a parade of political turmoil.
Gen Z are done with quiet and minimalist outfits that say “I’m rich, but I don’t need you to know”;.
They're all about “boom boom”;, as the gaudy aesthetic has been dubbed.
Think crop tops, fur coats (yep, real fur), oversized silhouettes and pricey labels that scream excess.
And who cares if they can’t afford it? They’re dressing for the income they want, not the one they’ve got.
Prada with Primark
It’s no wonder, given that they have watched the world get turned upside down, with the economy on the brink, jobs hard to come by and a musical chairs-style rotation of Prime Ministers.
Rather than wallow, this headstrong bunch have embraced a mind-over-matter mentality.
If life seems like it’s a mess, then they are just going to pull their sparkly socks up and dress like it’s not. Credit to them.
No longer is stealth wealth — dressing head to toe in inoffensive neutrals — the must-have trend. This is a generation that isn’t afraid to flash their (non-existent) cash.
Sean Monahan, the trend forecaster who, in 2013, coined the term “normcore”; — to describe the move to a more blank, unshowy style — has called boom boom “a pure expression of excess”;.
It is the style equivalent of saying “look at me”; that is hard to ignore.
But before we get on our soapboxes about real fur, boom boom followers are hunting for vintage furs, not new pieces. Personally, I wouldn’t want to be draped in mink.
On , views of videos featuring vintage fur coats have surged by 243 per cent in the past year, with searches for “vintage fur coats”; skyrocketing by 688 per cent since January 2023.
The trend is a throwback to the sleaze and glamour of late-Eighties , where money wasn’t just a means to an end, but a whole aesthetic.
Think Michael Douglas’s classic pinstripe suits as Gordon Gecko in 1987 film Wall Street, or in her shoulder-padded power suits and fur scarf in Dynasty.
RIP stealth wealth
It’s the mob-wife trend, turned up a notch . . . or ten.
But instead of controlling the money markets, the current crop are strapped for cash and channelling the lifestyle by scouring car boot sales for designer gear and wearing a boxy blazer from the high street — pairing Prada with .
US singer and rapper Doechii, 26, has tapped into the flash fash vibe by wearing abstract tailoring to the Grammys in February and Variety’s Hitmakers Brunch in December last year.
Fellow US singer Chappell Roan, 27, is the epitome of boom boom glamour on the cover of her latest single, The Giver, dressed in a smart navy suit, shirt and tie with slicked-back hair.
Model , 37, hit the YSL catwalk in in March in oversized suiting, while Brit actress Jodie Turner-Smith, 38, caused a splash at London Fashion Week in a negligee-style dress and faux fur coat.
And if you need further proof that this movement is one for the ages, just look at what’s happening in fashion retail. In both the second-hand market and high street collections, the ethos is big, bold and flashy.
Online marketplace has launched a curated luxury wardrobe named House of Vinted. Featuring designer pieces from Prada, Gucci, and Jacquemus, it offers head-to-toe boom boom, on a budget.
Real fur
At the end of last year, also tapped into the pre-loved market, with designer handbags, and expanded its second-hand collection online.
Even Primark has vintage sections in some of its bigger stores.
Off the rail, spring/summer collections consist of opulent gowns, statement bags and suiting.
Mango’s capsule collection features intricate beaded dresses and OTT appliqué, while River Island’s “new in”; campaign features a model draped across an airport boarding area in a sheer, shimmered disc dress and oversized brown blazer.
The majority of us can’t afford this stuff. But that’s the point. It’s not about what’s affordable or sensible, it’s about what is aspirational.
Wearing something that looks expensive makes the wearer feel confident and optimistic about the future.
Even if the trend isn’t something I would necessarily wear myself, I do respect it.
Good for them, rebelling against the norm, being experimental and expressing themselves.
After all, that is what fashion is all about.
With life often feeling unpredictable and chaotic, it is comforting to know that, for some, fashion is one of the few areas when you can really be in control.
