sickly green

introduction

The trend, as crazy as it might sound is the use of a very striking green, normally part of the lime hues. Most of the times it can be seen in details, creating a strong contrast with any color its paired with, the trend is slowly evolving in becoming the main color of an outfit. This essay investigates the emergence of a new color trend: lime green. How the trend was identified, where it is seen and possibilities of where it might go. In addition, it also briefly touches upon the history of the color and preconceived ideas the general public has on it.

There are many ways of spotting trends in fashion, some more scientific while others are more intuition based. For this particular trend, I used a bit of both. The idea started from what I see around me, my friends and people I admire. Once I identified what I wanted to explore, I researched about it in order to make sure it was not just a random observation.

research

Firstly, I looked towards fashion innovators. (They will be named as fashion innovators and not street style, since they are part of the group of 20 year olds that are influencing the most major, “hype” designers, such as Gosha Rubchinskiy, etc.) Looking through their Instagram’s and judging from what I saw when I have met them, one noticeable color popped up: lime green. At first, in nail polishes or funny little accessories but slowly the green started taking over (though not completely) and it became an important part of the outfit. The group of people seen wearing this trend is very specific. Mostly found in big cities, they are what is colloquially known as the “artsy, cool kids” or more specifically “the new indie”. They follow certain brands such as Vetements, they create outfits based off humor yet are serious about their image. Normally, they “go out”, meaning night life is an important source of inspiration.

Secondly, I confirmed that my observations were correct and not something so niche that would not have an effect. Green, more specifically the different hues that make lime green was one of the trend colors in SS17. Designers such as Ashish, Emilio Pucci, Edun, Michael Kors, Celine, Lacoste and others all had a strong green presence, even if it was only included in a few looks, the color is strong enough to make a mark in the overall feel and style of the collection. Despite the different hues, they were all clearly part of the lime family.

The lime green trend comes from the late 90s early 2000s revival (though in the 80s some items could be found in this particular color, but more fluorescent). Lime green was a color used in raves during that time due to how impactful and trippy it is. The light of the venues created interesting hues in the items. In addition, there are pictures of various items with the studied color in the famous teenage dELiA*s catalogue.

The use of the color lime was first introduced in 1890. The name comes from the fruit due to its similarity, the different hues stand between chartreuse and yellow. Over the years the color has been known as tacky. Mostly due to how impactful it is, and well… it is not an elegant color. This is the precise reason that it is having a comeback from the late 90s early 2000s (known for how tacky fashions were during that time). Taking into account the Hipster Fashion Cycle it is currently in the ironic/nostalgic phase moving towards the conservative. Ironic due to the mainstream fashion of the early 2000s, which is not known as the most glamorous or important. But there is still a reminiscing element and a clear inspiration from the nightlife of the late 90s. This shows how important the past still is for the infamous NOW Generation. A generation always striving for the future, yet nostalgia seems to be something always present. The resurgence of the color lime shows this, as well as the amount of vintage clothes used by younger people and the reappearing of old trends.

conclusion

What will the future of this trend be? It could die out or make more appearances. Being such a special color will make it difficult to reach complete mainstream, though it is making appearances on brands with a known “mainstream” following (Michael Kors for example). I the biggest impact will be on brands that have a cult following and very influential to the youth or youth oriented subcultures (Vetements, Hood By Air, etc.)

Overall, the trend can be seen in fashion oriented people for now. Mostly in big cities, wore by young people who have artistic tendencies and for the most part a strong involvement on the nightlife scene. Time has proven that these groups are influential, “youth culture”. Nowadays even more so thanks to the technologies that enable their huge social media following and thus influence.