Ultra Femininity is Trending
Confined to our homes at the beginning of that fateful year, a frenzy of wholesome activity began. We tended to sourdough starters and littered the kitchen table with embroidery hoops: the kinds of activities women used to busy themselves with due to societal constraints, rather than the fear of two red lines on a test.
After a few months of cosplaying this old-school, domestic idyll in the privacy of our own kitchens – and, importantly, sharing the results online – the Cottagecore movement was born: a TikTok aesthetic idealizing the bucolic life of times gone by, complete with wicker baskets; vintage tableware; and considerable lounging in fields of wildflowers.
This moment of unashamed girliness gave way to an abrupt escalation. The next few years saw a flurry of maximalist feminine expression, culminating in high-camp moments like Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, the highest-grossing film of 2023, and girly icon Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, the highest-grossing tour in history. This was performative femininity, with a knowing wink to camera and a subversive energy. The male gaze was notably absent, replaced by inclusivity and a ‘girl’s girl’ attitude.
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Suddenly, it was no longer cool to be ‘not like other girls’. The ‘borrowed-from-the-boys’, corporate GirlBoss era was truly dead and we had finally hung up its grey blazers and tired definition of success. In other words, the feminine had been reclaimed. In 2024, wearing a big, pink bow in your hair is no longer letting down the sisterhood but representing it.
The dust has settled after the explosive girl-crazes of the post-pandemic world, and a softer, more enduring celebration of femininity has been left in its wake. In fashion, we can see it in the grown-up girliness of Simone Rocha’s rosettes and Molly Goddard’s tulle.
Unapologetic femininity is at the heart of the Iris blueprint. From our whimsical florals to our vintage-inspired silhouettes, the Iris collections are always inspired by the romance and beauty of womanhood. For a moment in which the world is stopping to celebrate all things feminine, we will be proudly donning our ribbons and bows to join in.
