Tie-dye was a thing of the 60s and, apart from a brief reappearance in the 90s, it sort of died on us. However, recently Justin Beiber was seen rocking up to church in it, Beyoncé was papped on the beach in it, and Dree Hemingway chose it for the red carpet. All this can only mean one thing – tie-dye is back!
Every brand from Dior to Elder Statesman to Ralph Lauren to Prada is taking on the new look and the list is growing. Ok, maybe the top models rocking the look on the red carpet is hard to live up to, but pretty soon we will be able to do it soon. Starting with bikinis or accessories, tie-dye will slowly be making its way into your closets.
“It was a huge trend that we saw both on and off the runway and we embraced it from a wide variety of brands,” said Net-a-Porter global buying director Elizabeth von der Goltz. “T-shirts were our key item; think the Ibiza degrade at Chloé, the purple tie-dye at Paco Rabanne, a bright and vibrant version at R13 and Stella McCartney’s oversized T-shirt dresses in pastels colors.”
While we usually think of a typical surfer girl t-shirt when we think of tie-dye, 2019 has expanded the look much more. Proenza Schouler even applied the print to denim, while Prada put the hippy print on more feminine items such as mini dresses and A-line skirts. Knowing this it seems tie-dye has evolved. “Historically, tie-dye has a hippie, ’70s flower-power connotation, whereas the new spring tie-dyes are very modern,” says von der Goltz. “From the more sophisticated color combinations to the more elevated fabrics and the unexpected shapes, the new tie-dye is more elevated and fashion forward.”
Although all the shops will be featuring the patterned look very soon, remember, you can always go old school and do it yourself!