Goodbye Quiet Luxury, hello Boom Boom
Thoughts on the return of '80s maximalism, plus my favorite Bobbi Brown products.
When it comes to New York Fashion Week, I’m often more intrigued by the fashion happening on the streets than what’s on the runway. This season, I was rather surprised to see one street-style shot after another of young, super-stylish women wearing full-length fur coats. Real fur coats. Haven’t we just spent the last decade or so leaning into “vegan” leather and faux fur? At first I thought part of it was people finally realizing how bad faux fur is for the environment, and according to the New York Times (gift article), that may have something to do with it—people are buying vintage furs, not new ones, and as we all know, it’s far better for the environment to shop secondhand, no matter what you’re buying. But there’s more to it than that. Fur is opulent and over-the-top and unapologetic. It’s luxury, but there’s nothing quiet about it. It’s Boom Boom.
Boom Boom is a term coined by Sean Monahan, the trend forecaster who came up with Vibe Shift and Normcore, so obviously this is someone who has their finger on the aesthetic pulse of the moment. A recent New York Magazine story probes the idea a little further: It’s a little bit return-to-office cosplay, a little bit Trump era, but if you ask me, I think it’s a reaction to the Quiet Luxury trend of the last several years. Fashion always tends to swing back and forth between minimalism and maximalism, and there’s only so much tastefully neutral linen we can take.
What feels new now is sharp tailoring, gold, opulent details, bold colors, and unapologetically loud luxury. And according to the always-savvy Leandra Medine, shoulder pads are coming back (which, as someone with narrow AF shoulders, I am ok with). The bigger question is, can you participate in these trends (if you want to!) without being a Trumper? As the New York story points out, artists like Chappell Roan and Doechii already are subverting the aesthetic, in a very tongue-in-cheek way, so I think the answer is yes.
Earlier this week I went to a Mardi Gras party and in a sea of sequins, purple, and green, there was a young woman wearing what looked like a vintage ‘80s red Chanel minidress with a matching red Chanel bag. She stood out like a sore thumb and I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. Boom Boom indeed.
This week on the blog
I tend to talk about skincare a lot more than makeup, but that’s mostly because when it comes to makeup, I am fiercely loyal to a handful of products and brands. Several of my all-time favorites come from Bobbi Brown, so I decided to break down all 14 Bobbi Brown products I own, with my honest and unfiltered thoughts on each. Enjoy!
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