2023 won't be remembered as the year the Titanic tour submarine went missing, or even the year Maya Jama and Stormzy reunited. No, it will be remembered as the year we put a bow on it. Because every time I think we've finally reached the top of the strict trend cycle, where we've definitely - definitely - gotten sick of the bending of hair, clothes, nails, technology, and beauty; we'll find something to capture. On TikTok, #bows has been viewed over 1 billion times (no joke); High Street Bell Weather John Lewis has quadrupled online searches for 'pink ribbon'.
"I'm like a magpie when it comes to ribbons, I pick them up when I see special ones in local haberdashery or on gift boxes and put them in my special ribbon bag," says style influencer Luvyute, who regularly sends her outfits with bows 108,000 followers "Sometimes I bow out at something so unnecessary it's almost ridiculous, but that's the point, it's about being cute and making things your own." Who adds that her followers are equally obsessed. "I'm always asked where I get my ribbon and decorations," she adds.
She's not the only one delving into the absurd: the latest TikTok trend encourages creators to attach bows to random objects like wall beams, ice cubes, TV remotes, pickles, and even sertraline bottles. With more than 11,000 posts already joining the trend, late-stage bow-ism is at its finest-a fitting tribute to a year in which the motif dominated runways, red carpets, and Instagram OOTDs.
For example, in both the fall/winter 2023 and spring/summer 2024 fashion months, bows featured prominently in a range of collections, including Miu Miu, Simone Rocha, Sinead Gorey, Commes des Garcons, Selkie, Sandy Liang, Max Mara, Moschino and more much, much more. This year, celebrity aficionados like Gen Z megastar Olivia Roderigo have also been fiercely loyal proponents of this - wearing a Fanci Club bow corset to the Driving Home 2 U premiere in March and a cute 1994 Chanel minidress heavily decorated with bows , just a few few months later. Blackpink's Jennie is also barely seen without a bow in her hair, and the same goes for new literary It girl Julia Fox, who wore several bow-themed outfits during her latest Down The Drain press tour.
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Although historically the bow was seen in the Middle Ages as a useful accessory to keep garments in place, they have since become a symbol for all things girlish, giddy and coquette. Featuring perhaps the biggest bow influencer of all time, Marie Antoinette (who reportedly spent R20,000 on hair ribbons) is revived in TikTok edits of Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette, Dilara Fındıkoğlu's Dark Versailles Halloween Ball and Gen Z's enduring obsession with the coquette obsession.
Now you might be wondering why this 18th century figure is a 2023 It girl, but after becoming Queen of France at the age of 19, she has been immortalized as the eternal teenage girl - and in a year of 'girl math' ' ", "girls dinner", "hot girl walk", Barbiemania and the Eras Tour - that makes her a hot item.
"The 'girlhood' trend was everywhere this year; from TikTok styles to Barbiecore taking over in the summer," agrees Natalie Dickson, head of Women's Luxury at FLANNELS, who has found brands like Miu Miu, Commes des Garcons and Ganni, "that do the uber-girly aesthetic in a way that "I always feel cool and not too sweet," performed extremely well this year. Hurr has also seen a huge uptick in bow-related clothing on the rental platform, with a huge appetite in particular for bestseller Saloni Camille Dress and Miscreants' Crepe Cupid Dress with bow. gloves with elaborate details, which they again link to "an increase in kitschy (and nostalgic) trends in TikTok and popular culture."
"In the past, it felt like we had to reject anything 'girly' to be taken seriously, so I think wearing a bow tie - which is perhaps the epitome of 'girly' - is a kind of recapture of girlhood " says 26-year-old Jasmine, who has been working non-stop this year at her job as a corporate marketing manager. 'Last year I couldn't imagine giving a presentation on a Friday because my old self would think I looked young and naive to my bosses. But now I feel confident," she adds.
However, in the ever-viral echo chamber of TikTok, trends can quickly collapse. "Often in the realms of fashion and life, women are forced to distance themselves from girlhood in favor of austerity to justify further intellectual pursuits, as if both cannot exist at the same time," says fashion commentator Alexandra Hildreth. "Unfortunately, I think it's gone from something that originally started as an inside joke and has been twisted into an infantilization of women's interests." Hence the aforementioned nonsensical parody trend currently doing the rounds on TikTok.
Then there's the capitalist co-optation of all things viral, with girl-empowerment catnip for brands to commercialize (Barbie was just one big Mattel ad, after all). In September, The Cut published an article examining the so-called "Bow Tax," where nearly identical items (albeit with an added bow) will have a huge price difference. See how Miu Miu is selling a white cotton T-shirt for $650, and almost the same shirt with a black bow around the neck for $950. Or Balenciaga selling a pair of black shoelaces for $15, but tying those same shoelaces into bows and putting them on a pair of silver posts for $250.
With these two things in mind, maybe it's time to accept that we've reached the pinnacle and leave them at home next year. In any case, I can't look at a piece of ribbon the same way anymore after seeing it tied around a phone screen with someone's break-up text.
