Have you ever heard your mother or father say, “I wore those back in my day?” Fashion is a constant cycle of clothing and accessories going out and coming back into style. So many things our parents wore in the 70s and 80s are currently in style again. High-waisted jeans and flare pants are just two examples.

Though a lot of styles have come back, there are also a lot of new trends. These are things that probably wouldn’t have been so widely accepted before, but are now the new normal. I’ve picked out seven trends that have shown how much fashion has changed, a combination of new styles and returning styles.

Sneakers

This form of footwear used to be reserved for the gym or if you were planning on doing a lot of walking. Certain styles like Converse have always been popular, but were never worn the way they are now. The style is currently wearing sneakers with EVERYTHING from dresses to flared pants to skirts. Sneakers are the easiest way to make any outfit more casual.

Denim on Demin

Let’s be honest, if you were to wear this a few years ago people would have thought you either lost your mind or you were Canadian. Wearing denim on denim was usually frowned upon. Now, you can’t go out anywhere without seeing someone in this ensemble. I would say it’s all thanks to the denim shirt. That became one of the first staple pieces to pair with jeans a couple of years ago.

Athleisure

Wearing gym clothes used to mean that you were actually going to the gym. Now, you could be going to get groceries, the library, or out shopping. Gym sneakers, leggings, and sweat jackets are quite possibly one of the hottest trends right now. These are easy to wear and very comfortable. When you pair one of these pieces with something more dressed up, you instantly have the perfect relaxed look, while still looking put together.

Undergarments on the Outside

There was a time when bralettes, camisoles, and slips were to be worn specifically under your clothing. Over the years, these have suddenly started showing up everywhere. Bralettes being shown under shirts, camisoles worn as shirts, and slips worn as dresses.

Bomber Jackets

Bomber jackets are one of the most popular styles right now. This style comes all the way from World War I. According to Wikipedia, “most airplanes did not have an enclosed cockpit, so pilots had to wear something that would keep them sufficiently warm.” Nowadays, they’re not designed nearly as tough as they were back then. The previous style had pockets on both the arms and body and some were even lined with fur.

Mid-skirts to mini-skirts to maxi-skirts to mid-skirts again

It seems that skirt length changes every single time you blink. Long skirts were the look pre-1920’s, according to womenshistorynetwork.org. Knee length skirts became popular in the 1950’s, the mini-skirt emerged in 1962, and flash forward to the 2000’s, a mix of miniskirts and maxi skirts are the style. Now, the trend seems to be back to mid length…again. The skirts hemline is a perfect example of fashion following a cycle.

Bodysuits

In the words of my mother “We used to call those leotards back in my day.” I had to laugh because bodysuits generally weren’t even worn the way they are in present day. Worn for athletic activities, bodysuits are now worn to the club or to your everyday life activities. You probably won’t catch someone working out in a bodysuit at Soul Cycle.