If Tumblr defined an full technology with ripped tights, messy liner, Dr. Martens, and the idolization of icons like Skins’ Effy Stonem, then twee was its female, artsy sister that peaked in 2014. Oversized collars, printed A-line dresses, Mary Jane flats, vibrant tights, and layered cardigans constructed the bulk of twee, with Zooey Deschanel standing in as the unofficial queen when Wes Anderson videos and indie songs flew significant as the unofficial flags.
Twee was the lady whose favorite course in college was art, the girl who thrifted just before it was cool, and the one who wore phony eyeglasses for the aesthetic in advance of it was mainstream. Some also affiliate twee with hipster society.
But why is twee building a comeback now? In addition to the reality that tendencies are transferring at breakneck velocity from one decade to the subsequent, the runway just lately predicted the return of twee even in advance of the pattern went viral on TikTok. Take Coach’s spring 2022 collection, which was heavily inspired by the American sportswear designer Bonnie Cashin, who intended for Coach in the 1960s. “Sure, it was a minor twee, but sweet sincerity is shaping up to be the mood in New York this period even the bitterest among the us can not assist sensation pleased to be again at it,” wrote Steff Yotka of the A-line silhouettes, houndstooth prints, and oversized minidresses that dominated the collection. Since Cashin has been credited as the founder of layering in trend, it will make sense that anything influenced by her would join again to all things twee. At Dior and Miu Miu’s spring 2022 shows, miniskirts—another humble Twee staple—ruled.
Even now, many associate twee with the return of the Tumblr era, which has been steadily creeping up on us for the past yr. But even extra main to the twee aesthetic is the art of thrifting and purchasing secondhand, which has strike the mainstream like under no circumstances ahead of. Web sites and applications like Vestiaire Collective and Poshmark are making it extra obtainable, and Gen Z is producing a stage to actively shop secondhand. Fundamental it all, twee stands for a retro aesthetic that remembers the mod lifestyle and typical styles of the 1960s and 1970s, with tiny dresses, berets, miniskirts, and button-downs remaining the core staples.
“When twee at first entered manner 10-in addition yrs in the past, it was sizzling on the heels of Y2K’s hot, hyper-glam, in excess of-the-top, social gathering-woman aesthetic,” clarifies Anna Pompilio, a senior strategist and craze forecaster at the company LPK. “Twee characterized by itself as cute and nostalgic—we observed a shift from low-rise jeans to retro cardigans, from label obsessed to thrift-main.”