Last time, we examined which style essences are reflected in the early 20th century’s most popular fashion trends.
Now we’ll explore trends from the 60s through the 90s, plus how these trends can inspire costumes and everyday style.
1960s Trend: Gamine Ingenue (and Ethereal)
A defining aesthetic of the 60s was Mod, characterized by youthful, cropped, and playfully rule-breaking fashion—very Gamine and often Ingenue, too.
One especially fun variation of Mod was space-age style: a merging of youthful silhouettes like mini skirts and shift dresses with futuristic-feeling elements, such as metallic or shimmery (often Ethereal) fabrics.
Costume Idea: Cyber Princess or Mod Girl
If your style type combines Ethereal with Gamine and/or Ingenue, you can choose a youthful mod silhouette, like a mini dress with short flared skirt and sharp tailoring, paired with Ethereal shimmery or metallic fabric.
This can create a “Futuristic Ice Princess” or “Cyber Princess” vibe.
Alternately, if you have a lot of Gamine and/or Ingenue without Ethereal, you could choose a mini dress in matte fabric, do some graphic 60s makeup, and be a 60s mod girl.
Fashion for Daily Life: Modern Mod
Elements of mod style like mini skirts are still pretty popular today.
This is such a cute look for a Gamine Ingenue with Classic.
1970s Trend: Ethereal Natural Gamine
The early 70s were all about boho and hippie-inspired trends, featuring pieces like tunics, flared denim, tie-dye, and clogs—perfect for Ethereal and Natural.
Sometimes Gamine elements like fringe and playful patterns popped up, too.
Costume Idea: 70s Hippie, Groovy Chick, or Flower Child
A short dress with playful fringe (Gamine), tie-dye print (Ethereal), and a roomy silhouette (Natural) embodies the 70s’ festival-inspired aesthetic.
This sunhat is avant-garde enough to add Dramatic. But a more standard-size wide-brimmed straw hat would suit Natural.
Another option is to rely on the 1970s wardrobe staple of flared denim:
Flared jeans, bold patterns, and oversized oval transparent-frame glasses—all very 70s and all very Ethereal Natural Gamine.
To keep up the 70s theme and add even more carefree Natural, pair this with clogs or chunky wooden sandals.
Fashion for Daily Life: Flared Denim
An easy way to add 70s-inspired style to your modern wardrobe is by pairing flared jeans with anything and everything.
Or mix it up with a flared ankle-length denim dress:
Folk-inspired boho fashion meets casual streetwear—very 1970s and suits Ethereal Natural Gamine.
1980s Trend: Gamine Natural Dramatic
The 80s overflowed with eye-catching looks, from neon athleticwear to “power suits” consisting of bold-colored padded oversized blazers and matching trousers.
There was a lot going on in the 80s, but the most prominent trends evoke Dramatic, Natural, and Gamine.
Costume Idea: 80s Jazzercise Instructor or Power Woman
If you have a lot of Gamine and Natural, you could don fitted and oversized athletic-wear (ideally with color-blocking or the brightest colors in your personal season) and be an 80s aerobics or jazzercise instructor:
Bright fitted cropped leggings were a popular 80s choice and flatter Gamine. But you could also do flared leggings that bring in a touch of Ethereal.
If you have Dramatic, you could do an oversized “power blazer” with sharp, exaggerated lapels or padded shoulders, plus platform boots. Add Gamine with slim-fit windowpane pants, playful colors, or fun color-blocking.
Fashion for Daily Life: Bold Suits
So these two outfits may still feel more costume-like than wearable… but if you paired the bold green blazer with a tank top and jeans, or the bright pink pants with a plain tee, you could get the perfect fusion of 80s-meets-modern style.
Choosing a cropped blazer with a ripple-effect print adds some dreamy Ethereal, while still having a fun Gamine side.
1990s Trend: Natural Gamine (and Romantic Ethereal)
The 90s were obsessed with the stylishly undone grunge aesthetic. Think distressed denim, oversized flannels and tees, and Converse—all very Natural Gamine.
Sometimes grunge incorporated edgy Dramatic elements like leather jackets, too.
But another side of 90s fashion was in many ways opposite to grunge: 90s glamour featured sleek slip dresses that embodied Romantic sensuality and Ethereal delicacy.
Costume Idea: 90s Girl
If you have a lot of Gamine and Natural, you can channel the 90s with striped tees, relaxed-fit jeans, Converse, and colorful sunglasses:
You could also add an oversized flannel with colorful pinstripes:
Or go in a different direction with a slouchy top and overalls:
If you have Romantic and Ethereal, opt instead for a glam silky slip-dress:
Fashion for Daily Life: …90s Girl!
90s fashion arguably achieved Peak Casual vibes. And ultra-casual style is still popular today.
So you don’t need to wait for Halloween to channel 90s grunge. Many core elements of grunge are still well-represented in contemporary fashion.
Slip dresses are a little less hyper-mainstream but can also work well for a modern look.
The Trendiest Essence?
Which style essence deserves the title of “trendiest”?
Based on the many iconic trends we explored so far, I might say it’s…
Gamine!
Gamine elements are prominent in almost every trend we’ve covered, from 20s flapper dresses to 90s grunge.
And if we’d ventured further, into the 2000s and 2010s, we’d encounter additional trendy pieces that embody Gamine, like skinny jeans, playful crop tops, graphic lettering, and more.
Why is Gamine so Trendy?
I don’t have a definite answer, but here’s some theories:
Trends are meant to feel playfully rebellious—a subversion of timeless, refined style. And that’s largely what the Gamine essence is all about. Gamine’s wardrobe staples (such as short shorts, mini skirts, loud prints, etc.) represent a bold departure from formal, conservative fashion.
For some people, Gamine fashion might feel a little intimidating to try, since Gamine can appear daring and eye-catching. So maybe this essence is trendy partly because Gamine fashion abounds with the fun styles that a lot of people want to wear but would feel more comfortable wearing if other people are, too.
Trends can be designed to stand out and make people want to join in on the fun. Gamine fashion easily grabs our attention, plus embodies humor and liveliness.
Those theories may all basically be saying the same thing: Gamine is daring, fun, and eye-catching, and trends are (often) daring, fun, and eye-catching.
So if you have Gamine, you can take a ton of inspiration from the last 100 years of fashion!
Any Essence can be Trendy
But ultimately, every single essence can find inspiration in various trends from past fashion eras—including trends beyond what we explored here.
Future posts may say more about making trends work for every essence.
