Ever since the skinny jeans debate, there seems to be underlying online animosity between millennials and Gen Z. For the most part, the divide is trivial—many of the millennial-loved trends of the ‘90s have been reborn for the TikTok generation and practically everyone is wearing ballet flats again. The younger group managed to make millennial moments a trendier, cooler part of their identity—and for the record, I fall directly between the two age groups and take no sides. However, while Gen Z may be able to add their stamp of approval to a trend, they aren’t necessarily the ones behind the trend’s creation, and the fashion trends for 2024 presented during Fashion Month prove it.
As I watched the Spring/Summer ‘24 collections make their way down the runway, I couldn’t help but swoon over a particular soft shade of pink sprinkled throughout the designer’s shows. Tory Burch, Carolina Herrera, and Sandy Liang presented pink mini dresses, pink gowns, and pink bow bags (all of which I quickly declared my favorite pieces). It dawned on me that the reason I loved them so much was because the pieces weren’t just any shade of pink, they were Millennial Pink. The shade that defined my entire existence from 2014-2017 suddenly doesn’t seem so “cheugy” anymore. The millennials are getting their power back.
Could a color revival really tip the power scales? Probably not—but if you add a few snippets of commentary from New York Fashion Week, you might get somewhere.
During New York Fashion Week a controversial fashion show for Shao Yang was held on the rooftop of Anna Delvey’s apartment and was co-hosted by Delvey herself—a convenient location considering she’s a convicted felon and still under house arrest. What’s more millennial than a girl-boss-turned-scammer trope?
Delvey was joined on the rooftop by famed publicist Kelly Cutrone who helped put on the event. Cutrone was asked what she would consider “in” and “out” this fashion week in a viral TikTok video (ironic, considering her response).
“One thing that’s in is the motherf*cking truth. One thing that’s out is influencers,” Cutrone responded.
Cutrone is known to have strong opinions and quite a bit of influence herself. If influencers are “out”, that’s another strike against Gen Z.
The nail in the coffin on Gen Z’s trend domination? I’ll give you a second to guess—side parts. When I went backstage before the STAUD debut runway show at The Plaza Hotel, I was surprised to see model after model with a strong side part.
“Completely,” Campora replied as he brushed his hands through a model’s long side-parted hair. “A side part, a middle part, or wearing your hair back is a question of changing [your hair] to match your look. A side part is beautiful and opens up the neck.”
As I watched the models saunter down the runway with their side parts and chic long blue STAUD skirts, I felt myself self-consciously adjusting my middle part. Whether you’re a millennial, Gen Z, somewhere in-between (like me), or don’t even fall into one of the categories, you’ll want to get an early read on the biggest fashion trends for 2024.
Keep reading for nine trends that may lead to generational peace.
It's officially the start of International Beauty Pageant Season!!! To begin all the Sashes and Tiaras fabulousness is the Miss Grand International 2017 beauty pageant which is occurring in Vietnam with the Final Crowning Night taking place on October 25th. A couple of nights ago were the much-awaited Miss Grand International 2017 National Costume Competition. The 77 contestants--from all over the world--from Argentina to Wales--showcased costumes representing their nations, islands and territories...
Fantasy Fab: (L to R) Miss Grand Indonesia Dea Goesti Rizkita, Miss Grand India Anukriti Gusain and Miss Grand Laos Chinnaly Gorasing--Miss Grand International 2017 National costume Competition
Flora and Fauna: (L to R) Miss Grand Argentina Yoana Don, Miss Grand Panama Andrea Torres and Miss Grand Peru Maria Jose Lora--Miss Grand International 2017 National Costume Competition
These costumes ranged from Traditional and Festive, "Victoria's Secret"-like feathered Pre-Columbian Goddesses to Fantasy Couture and they did not disappoint in terms of visual costume candy for pageant lovers everywhere! The pageant organizers are allowing EVERYONE around the world to vote for their favorite by Liking and Sharing the individual photos on the Official Miss Grand International Facebook page HERE.
Traditional Couture: (L to R) Miss Grand Ecuador Analia Vernaza, Miss Grand Venezuela Tulia Aleman Ferrer, Miss Grand Vietnam Huyen May Tran Nguyen--Miss Grand International 2017 National Costume Competition
The Top 15 Liked & Shared contestants/costumes will then move on for another round of voting until the BEST NATIONAL COSTUME (or the one with the most votes!) will be announced on the final night (October 25th). Now, I don't have to wait until then because here are MY TOP 15 Favorite National Costumes from Miss Grand International 2017, beginning with my FAVORITE:
1. Miss Grand Indonesia Dea Goesti Rizkita--One word: WOW. Leave it to Indonesia to BRING IT when it comes to national costumes at beauty pageants. Lately their representatives have been seriously upping their Costume Couture game! This UBER intricate costume needs A LOT of explanation...
Indonesian Empress: Miss Grand Indonesia 2017 National Costume
According to Miss Grand Indonesia 2017, her national costume is entitled "MOTHERLAND: The Sky is my Father, and The Earth is my Mother" and it was designed by Morphacio and Maya Ratih. This costume has the meaning of a circular shape taken from the base form of the Moon and its about the mother figure, the queen, and the woman. Here are some more details:
*The blue color depicts the glory of Indonesia as a Maritime Country.
*Five blue crystals in the circle of the moon symbolize the harmony of Indonesian people in the ideology of Pancasila.
*The three blue crystals on the headdress symbolize the perfection of body, soul, and spirit.
*Five yellow crystals depict the young generation are like buds of the nation which is the hope and successor/future of the nation...
Now THAT is a TRAIN: Miss Grand Indonesia 2017 National Costume
*The wings on the shoulders symbolize the tenderness and strength, the prayers and the songs of the ancestors.
*The backbone symbolizes Indonesia is the "backbone of the World" where Indonesia holds abundant natural wealth and Indonesia is a very influential country in the world political map.
*The wing belt symbolizes fertility and a close brotherhood. Fingers and right arm describe the wisdom, skill and soul that protect the society.
*The temple symbolizes "our bodies are temples, our bodies are His temple", as well as Indonesian people from various social and cultural backgrounds to individuals seeking self-enlightenment.
*And finally, five Nusantara fabrics illustrate the cultural diversity in Indonesia which contain the thoughts and philosophy that accompany the journey of the Indonesian people to be a whole person, as a true person.
Regardless of all this very detailed costume description...for me, it translates into THE BEST ONE of the competition! I loved how impacting it was, the colors, the unique shapes...it was a work of fashion art!
Moving on...my other Favorites in my Top 15 List are:
2. Miss Grand India Anukriti Gusain--Anukriti's gorgeous costume was my second favorite of the 76 contestants. The theme for this look was "Evolution and Expansion of Indian Royalty, from the Palace to the workplace". The national costume--designed by Melvyn Dominic Noronha--according to the contestant herself, shows the balance of an Indian woman with her delicate beauty of compassion and the strength of her determination. She goes on to say that the design also shows how through the evolution of time, the spirit of a few queens magnified and today every Indian woman is a queen in her own right. I loved how this costume combined traditional Indian dress with Hindu God-like imagery. I also thought the combination of bold gold/blue/red colors made for a very strong stage impact.
3. Miss Grand Laos Chinnaly Norasing--This national costume is inspired by the Great Golden Stupa Pha That Luang in Vientiane, the capital city of Laos. The Great Golden Stupa Pha That Luang is an ancient and important architecture of Laos, and is a center for the spirit of the Lao people. The design of the costume is a unique feature and character of the Buddha image, adapted to the composition of the ensemble. The jewelry was also inspired by the shape of the Buddha image. The color and the various embellishments added to this costume present Lao's cultures, customs and unique identity. I thought it was thoroughly impacting, very striking and made for a stand-out costume presence at the Miss Grand International 2017 National Costume Competition. I am still so baffled how any of these costumes get packed and shipped through customs and onto a plane and then reassembled to be worn again!
Miss Grand Venezuela Tulia Aleman Ferrer (top photos) in her "Manta Guajira" National Costume and (lower photos) Wayuu Guajiras and their Mantas (caftan dresses)
4. Miss Grand Venezuela Tulia Aleman Ferrer-- Tulia's costume represents the Manta (or caftan/tunic/dress) Wayuu Guajira, a Native American ethnic group of the Guajira peninsula of northern Colombia and northwestern Venezuela. The brightly colored costume featured the designs and pom-pom accents commonly seen on these Wayuu Guajira caftan/tunics worn by the women of this South American indigenous group.
Sketch of Miss Grand Venezuela Talia Aleman Ferrer's National Costume--designed by Colombian designer/brand Aikaa by Blanca Fernandez
This was also one of my top favorites of all the 76 contestants for the way she showed it onstage and how colorful and striking it was. I also loved the representation and homage of an indigenous group through this beautiful costume. The design was created by Colombian designer/brand Aikaa by Blanca Fernanadez.
5. Miss Grand Panama Andrea Torres--Andrea wore a Pre-Columbian (before Christopher Columbus) Feathered Empress-like costume to represent her nation of Panama. And I LOVED it! There were several of these feathered-and-sequined looks in the Miss Grand International 2017 National Costumes Competition, and yet this was THE MOST IMPACTING of the bunch! The design was created by Panamanian designer Cristo Athanasiadiswho is known for these types of pageant costumes...and he's obviously very good at it! I loved the colors, the sequins, the feathers...well, I just loved EVERYTHING! Muy bien Cristo and Muy bien Andrea!
Vietnam Queen: Miss Grand Vietnam 2017 Huyen My Tran Nguyen in her Ao Dai Traditional National Costume for Miss Grand International 2017
Sketch of Miss Grand Vietnam Huyen Tran Nguyen's National Costume for Miss Grand International 2017
6. Miss Grand Vietnam Huyen My Tran Nguyen--I absolute ADORED this costume worn by Miss Grand Vietnam 2017 Huyen My Tran Nguyen. The costume represents a traditional Ao Dai and is inspired by the patterns of the Hue Imperial Citadel in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue. It took 3 months to create this gorgeous 30 kilograms (about 66 pounds!)-weighing costume and it was designed by Vietnamese designer Ngo Nhat Huy. If you get to see the video of the actual Miss Grand International 2017 National Costume Competition (at the end of this post!), you can fast forward to when she comes on and showcases this gorgeous costume. I especially loved how the sleeve brocade print/design mitered (matched) when she put her arms/hands together.
Viva Mexico: Miss Grand Mexico Yoana Gutierrez in her National Costume at the Miss Grand International 2017 National Costume Competition
A young Tehuana de Oaxaca in traditional dress--Oaxaca Mexico
7. Miss Grand Mexico Yoana Gutierrez--Yoana wore this very beautiful and colorful "Tehuana de Oaxaca" traditional costume, worn by the indigenous women of the city Tehuantepec in the Mexican state of Oaxaca (think Frida Kahlo). The design itself paid tribute to the traditional dress and at the same time, had enough Fashion with a Capital "F" impact and stage fabulousness to make it into my Top 15 Favorites.
8. Miss Grand Jamaica Jenaae Jackson--Jenaae stated on her Instagram that in this costume, she is a "depiction of a Jamaican Arawak Queen" and all I have to say is "Go On Girl!". I absolutely loved this costume for its colorful, feathered and sequined glory! It looked well-done, finished and high-end. I really admired the stunning jeweled sequins on her bandeau top and skirt yoke and I also liked the muted green feathered skirt. This "Arawak Queen" is UBER Costume Fabulous!
9. Miss Grand Sri Lanka Visna Fernando--Miss Grand Sri Lanka wore this golden "Lion"-inspired costume for the Miss Grand International 2017 National Costume Competition. The costume was inspired (obviously) by the "Ceylon Lion" seen in the Sri Lankan flag. I thought it was impressive, sexy-hot and stage impacting enough to be one of my Top 15 Favorites! The headdress alone was EVERYTHING! I just wished those nude pump/heels were a little more "designed" as opposed to looking as if she went online and bought a pair of heels and just added them to the costume.
10. Miss Grand Cambodia Kea Khloem: This was another gorgeous showing from an Asian contestant at the Miss Grand International 2017 National Costume Competition. Kea's costume was inspired by Cambodian Buddhist temples and the types of traditional dress of the country. I thought this design looked rich, well-made and the different shades of gold were very striking onstage.
11. Miss Grand Philippines Elizabeth Durado Clenci--"Last night for the national costume competition I chose to represent an indigenous tribe from the south of Philippines," Clenci wrote on her Instagram, sharing a photo of her intricately made headdress. The ensemble which she wore as her national costume for the Miss Grand International 2017 was designed by Jearson Demavivas.This dress was inspired by the T’boli tribe and is a representation of a modern T’boli princess in haute couture and their uniquely designed guitar called hegulung. Philippine’s T’boli takes pride on its T’nalak fabric which designs are spawned from the dreams of the weavers. The design of this national costume represents the cultural structure of the T’boli tribe along with the colors and intricate beadwork, which speaks of their careful yet impressive art. I thought Elizabeth looked sexy, chic and still "National Costume Diva Traditional" in this design. It wasn't out-of-this-world impacting like Miss Grand Indonesia or Miss Grand India, Miss Grand Laos...but, it was still Costume Couture Runway Fab.
12. Miss Grand Argentina Yoana Don--Yoana wore this sequined and feathered "Fantasy Showgirl"-like costume representing the city of Corrientes which is the Argentinian national capital of Carnival (Carnaval). The gorgeous costume--which ended up being one of my Top 15 Favorites--was designed and created by Marcelo Pendola who creates many of the Miss Argentina national costumes for international pageants. I LOVED the golden crystal sequined applique, the strawberry red feathers...the leg sequined accessories...it was all MUY BELLO and MUY FAB.
13. Miss Grand Peru Maria Jose Lora--The Pavo Real Blanco (white peacock) is in danger of extinction in the South American Amazon and was the inspiration for Miss Grand Peru 2017's national costume. The beautiful costume was designed by Peruvian designer Beto Pinedo. Of all the "Pre-Columbian/Victoria's Secret Feathered Divas"...this one was definitely one of my faves. Therefore, it need to be in my Top 15 List! It meshed both the bird inspiration with sexy stage presence. If there was any critique...yes, it would be the shoes., If you're going to create a gorgeous and intricate costume, create the shoes as well! Those need to be silver and sequined and fabulous. Right now, they are just $25 nude pumps from the internet!
14. Miss Grand Paraguay Lia Duarte Ashmore--Miss Grand Paraguay decided to give "Indigenous Tribal Couture/Making a Statement" Costume. The lovely Lia wore a hi-lo design which, at first glance, gave the viewer an Angelic/Runway model vibe. Then, as one got more focused, you could see the "Stop Chaco Deforestation" and "Stop the Violence" marking on her arms. The costume is inspired by the "Allegory of the Pajaro Campana", a white bird with green-hued beak and face (lower photo, above). In addition to this, the look seems to be suggesting the dangers of deforestation and this ivory tull'ed "Couture Angel" coming to save the human destruction. I thought it was impacting and thoughtful enough to make my list. It would have almost too obvious to add wings to this costume a la "Miss Grand Peru", "Miss Grand Panama", so I like this more "runway" direction.
15. Miss Grand Ecuador Analia Vernaza Daulon--Analia's costume was a traditional Ecuadorian costume designed by Maria Isabel Diaz Design . I loved the colors, the high-lo style of the dress/skirt section and overall impact of the design. If there was any critique, once again, it would be THE SHOES! The costume looked fab but the shoes seemed like an afterthought.
Those were MY TOP 15 Favorite Costumes from the Miss Grand International 2017 National Costume Competition...Let me know which ones were YOUR favorites!
**STAY TUNED for MORE of my "Sashes and Tiaras" Pageant Blogs discussing "Miss Earth", Miss Grand International" and many more!
Until then....I'm excited to launch my NEW Pageant Coloring Book!!! It is full of FABULOUS Beauty Queens and Gowns ready to create your very own Evening Gown Competition! Purchase now on Amazon.com HERE:
Click below to watch the Miss Grand International 2017 National Costume Competition:
It’s true what they say; all things old become new again and isn’t that true for the timeless, ever-so feminine and beautifully classic pastel trend. Pastels always find their way onto our radar at this time of year. Pale, romantic and pretty pastels are a simple yet playful colour palette to keep in your closet. Soft and gentle, pastels can give you the ultimate feminine look. Pastels are a reoccurring feature in summer fashion so it's no great surprise that they are back on the high street again. However, this year sees even paler tones. Look for colours such as pale yellow, blush pink, icy blue, or light lavender, it's both pretty and appropriate for the season. Feminine and pristine this trend is probably one of the most suited to summer as it looks beautiful combined with subtle ditsy floral prints. This trend will ensure that you look cool, girly and stylish.
Here are just a few fashion tips to help you wear this popular trend:
I am a massive fan of casual dresses which come up in pastel hues for that luxe carefree look. If you’re looking for the ideal way to look sweet and pretty, then aim for a solid pastel dress. A delicate pastel piece can be used in a variety of ways and is unbelievably versatile. Add a tan bag for the perfect finishing touch.
One of the easiest ways to wear pastels is wearing prints, if you prefer not to go for an all-over print choose one pastel printed item such as a skirt and team this with a neutral coloured top with no print! You can separate an all over pastel outfit by keeping neutral shades in your accessories. Turn to tan or grey in particular with belts, shoes, handbags and hats. These break up the colour and help you avoid looking washed out.
Pastels can be mixed with darker colours such as navy and grey. These muted tones are a great slimming technique if you’re worried pastels highlight problem areas. Wearing pastel coloured pants would be the most timeless option. It can easily be worn with a neutral top; white, grey, black, etc. All depending on the chosen colour! try wearing your trousers with pumps of the same colour but in a darker shade.
Choose one colour and stick with it throughout your outfit. Pastel coloured clothing itself looks good without too many finishes – the simpler your pastel tone clothing, the better. You can never go wrong with denim, and pairing your pastel top with a pair of jeans, it adds a touch of sweetness and modernity to the look. A darker wash will give it a more formal look, so if you want something fresher, a lighter wash like chambray will do the trick. Wear Pastels as Accessories, Wear a neutral outfit-it makes pale accessories really pop. Choose a statement necklace or a light-coloured handbag. Cream and beige tones are the most versatile of all the pastel shades. They go with any other pastel or neutral shade. Yet another way to tackle the pastel trend is to colourblock. Wear Pastels with Other Pales but Make sure all your pieces are in the same colour family and Make sure that pastel tones you pick do not look like a continuation of your skin. The most important rule of pastel shades is not to overdo it with all the sweetness. Instead, try to tone it down by accessorising your pastel clothes with pieces in black, white or other neutral tones. Beige and grey shades will also help you balance things out.
Here are a few chic pastel pieces that will ensure you are on trend this season.
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