When it came time to tally the top trends of 2021, who better to ask than Vogue Runway’s readers and followers? Last week on Instagram we polled all 7 million of you in a year-end Instagram bracket of the most popular trends of 2021. Listen, the results may surprise you.
We started with a bracket of 16 trends decided by our editors that we felt best represented 2021 style on the runways: midriff, monogram, body chains, oversize, surrealism, miniskirts, ugly shoes, balaclavas, Y2K, goddess, stripes, popcorn tops, catsuits, platforms, sheer, and cozy core. After the first round of voting, midriffs, body chains, surrealism, ugly shoes, Y2K, popcorn tops, platforms, and cozy core had all lost in head-to-head polls. Some won by a landslide—with monogram knocking out midriff with an 62% of votes—others were flickering back and forth to the last hour, like catsuits and platforms.
There were some upsets in the second round of voting, too, with TikTok-popular balaclavas winning out over miniskirts with 52% of the vote. Goddess-style drapery, as seen at Loewe spring 2022, fell to spritely stripes like those at Tory Burch spring 2022, and Rick Owens’s sequin catsuit was beat out by Nensi Dojaka’s sheer dress.
After two rounds of tallying, the top four trends were monogram, balaclava, stripes, and sheer, with monogram ultimately taking over sheer in the final round, earning 53% of your votes. Agree? Let us know on Instagram and find more monogram style inspiration below.
