If some of the things they have in store for fashion is anything like some of the trends they have displayed as a generation--like the lumberjack beard and the "man-bun" -- I can only say that "it aint going to be pretty."
17
What an incredibly silly title! Of course there's a "generational shift"! Has any previous generation gone on forever?
17
Much like the beauty industry (which continues to pay teenagers and 20-somethings to hawk their “anti-aging” creams), the fashion industry doesn’t seem to understand that it is largely women 40 and above who can afford their top tier collections and the teens/20YO only by their cheap-looking, mass produced logo wear. Also, with all this young so-called “talent” being hired, why does it seem like 95% of them are men? Don’t women know how to dress women?
41
Nonstop blandness and recycling?
13
To qualify my earlier statement.
Well, as they're taking over. let's talk about the last Schiaparelli Couture Collection.
UTTER RUBBISH!
But that's where we have another problem isn't it; the fashion press can't say so.
That's how bad things have gotten, there aren't any critics with the weight to make any real declarations about the "true state" of the industry.
All this started with Burberry, then Off-White at LV Men's; as the thirst to seem younger and hipper continues.
It will simply end with a race to the bottom, as they battle on taste, price and now sustainability. Let's face it; what is it? It's a Sweat Top.
That's all it is, or some variation of one. But of course, they're woke.
When will the fashion industry and the media wake up too?
But as they get older; they'll be saying each generational step is pioneering. Because that'll be all we're left with. Sheer mediocrity.
18
Of course, millenials are starting to take over. They're getting older. I don't think this is the first time 30 year olds have been hired in fashion.
11
As this sartorial review reminds me, I am seriously old and would certainly look frumpy in any of the clothing pictured (BTW is any of it actually by these new designers or did the stylist just pull any old thing out of the hamper?) Oh well. Now I can pursue my iconoclastic desire for fitted, fine tailoring and my mere 3 followers surely won't care. Most of all, it cracks me up to notice that the big fashion names persist in thinking Millennials can afford any of them.
18
It seems as if we’ve hit upon the last bastion of acceptable discrimination: Age. This is part of a larger trend of companies systematically purging themselves of their older, and therefore more expensive, employees to save money.
The one thing that is certain is that every day everyone is getting older, even millennials. These younger workers as they age can expect to be pushed out and never have the opportunity to develop their careers to their full economic potential as they will be inevitably replaced by the next up and coming generation.
In many companies it is the number of years of service that enable a well-funded retirement as compensation and 401Ks grow over time. Not a problem you argue, as workers will move from job to job and get their growth that way. Here’s the thing, one day you too will be considered too old for a job and be shut out. This is the path we are on when we tolerate such things.
35
What does it mean? Well, judging by the photos, it means the end of good design.
27
@Jane Does
Marc S asks us not to dress like slobs and you, apparently think the opposite of "slob" is "business attire". It is not and it is clear from you and the way some folks dress for work these days that there is no understanding of that difference. It's really a shame. And, no, wearing a t-shirt to work is OK for the gym but not the job.
11
What does it mean? Well, I guess we are going to get ugly clothing that is ill-suited for wearing by anyone over the age of 25. On the bright side, I can cut my clothing budget to nothing and not feel the least bit pained.
18
What exactly is this constant obsession with “millennials”?
Is the the idea that kids in their 20s & 30s set fashion trends something new? When I was this age we were no different than the current crop and tried to look and dress as differently from our parents as possible. In the end it was just another uniform, we thought we looked sooo different, but we all looked basically the same! Lol
I’ve forgotten more about street fashion than most millennials know —- KWIM :-)
17
the oldest millennials are nearly 40, does this just escape the editorial board? of course we're taking over.
we
are
almost
40
19
How about some pics of their designs? As far as I can tell Millennial fashion is summed up by the triumph of t-shirts and tight pants. Not exactly groundbreaking.
13
There was a time when women “invested” in beautiful designer clothing. Today, women, especially young women, want disposable and volume. They have a closet of discounts and second-hand. The only field where women are wearing true fashion is in the fashion industry. Most offices are casual; show up dressed (even law firms and investment banks) and people will suspect you are job hunting. Young women buy from a handful of online sites... even when they are highly successful. Gone are the days when women spent their lunch hour at Berdorf Goodman, Bonwit Teller or Henri Bendel.
10
@Addie
So true. We had to have the right foundation wear and the whole ensemble. We had slips, hats, hose, hat and matching gloves and shoes...
It's the same story; things are better than ever and things are worse than ever
6
One potential problem is that this young millennial design trend might result in losing many luxury customers (you know, the people who can actually afford to buy that overpriced stuff). Appealing to young people is pointless if they can’t afford the products.
It’s usually an older crowd who can afford luxury fashion. Trust me, they’re not superexcited about cheap-looking big logos, odd-fitting clothes, and crazy proportions.
24
I'm glad young people are getting huge opportunities in fashion. But as always, what a catty industry. No qualms about kicking various older folks to the curb.
14
Millennials Are Taking Over Fashion, Too!
But are the clothes any good? URM, that's where we have a problem.
Because they aren't.... That’s when they're designing any, as opposed to being confused whether they are "Fine Artists" or not.
The reason the press is keen, is because they can't find the talent.
6
At least they're explicit in their age discrimination. Usually companies and industries try to hide it. Not so fashion.
15
@catfriend The industry is NOT explicit as the article states and no recruiter will even go on the record, even though they know it is rampant. I worked in the industry and can't get a job due to age discrimination; it's the last frontier of discrimination. If you look at most design teams (as I have) the teams are in their 20's, maybe 30's EVEN if the consumer they are designing for is 40-50 (like Athleta). The industry definitely hires young designers as they are cheaper and they can burn through them. It's at the cost of toxic environments because there is no maturity in the leadership of these teams, it takes time to develop the EQ to lead.
23
@catfriend
Good point! No, they don't try to hide it.
4
Must every article be an us against them? People of all generations have instrumental roles in the world of fashion, and always will. I object to the generationally competitive tone of this article. It only search create bad feeling in an industry that is supposed to promote things people celebrate such as comfort and beauty. Stop trying to turn the fashion industry into a series of zero-sum competitions.
21
I love how millennials, my generation, are somehow new when it comes to aging into society. Like we're the first generation to take over an industry. Like this isn't how human progress happens with each consecutive generation... The only new thing about millennials is that we have been raised with the internet, able to put us under a microscope for analysis.
Surely there is something better to cover?
25
The title and premise of this article are ridiculous. It has always been the younger people who define trends in fashion, leaving the older ones to complain about it.
9
@Jill
Or the “older ones” criticized for supposedly wearing clothing meant for younger people
Hey NYX, wasn’t Bill Cunningham’s book just released? Now there was somebody who celebrated people of all ages
9
Yes, millennials are 35 now. Lol. It’s really not that crazy. So tired of how my generation is treated in the media.
11
All I ask is that these new designers provide more options for women/men of different body types, weights and ages.
29
Judging by the comments re this interesting and illuminating article it would seem some folks feel threatened by trend commentary.
A sure symptom of cultural sclerosis and tribalism.
Usually found among the majority of trump 'sacolytes.
LOL
1
There are no individual generations. Life is a continuum...an evolution.
Besides which, fashion designers are the ones who change designs, just so they can sell more clothes to conformists.
17
I noticed most of the “new” generation designers are men, designing for women. Nothing has changed.
60
@Addie
Amen!
3
If the denying of jobs is based on the fact that "millennials" will obey like robots, be cheaper, and have an existing Facebook audience than fashion is going to be really boring.
11
It is odd: It occurs to me that I couldn't readily identify the dominant fashion of the moment. The late-aughts certainly had a dominant fashion, whose distinctiveness I think will be recognized in hindsight--the whole slim, minimalist, mod-inspired look. But now I think the dominant trend is harder to identify.
7
@RC Boxy, non-descript and unflattering, preferably in garish equally unflattering colors, are the current trend. It's hard to see because it looks unintentional, like someone just borrowed their friend's clothes because they spilled their Starbucks on their own outfit, and their friend is a totally different size and body type and happens to be color blind. But look around and you'll see that aesthetic everywhere. It partly comes from online shopping where your primal brain is attracted to the most eye-popping color on the page and you never get to try anything on, but you wear it anyway, even though it looks terrible on you, because you bought it and it's too much of a hassle to return. So that's become the signature new "look" - for example Billy Eilish epitomizes it.
2
@RC
The dominant trend now is wear what you are comfortable in
Yea!
3
Come on, New York Times. Ageism is illegal. You should be setting a better bar than this. This is not a trend but another article focusing only on one age group. Has a virus wiped out the other generations existing in our country or world?
FYI, none of the pics here show any original fashion -- it's just reworkings of the same ol' styles out for years already.
Thanks for legalizing age discrimination. Way to go
76
@Kyzl Orda
On the other hand, when have "fashion" pics shown anything other than anorexic teenage girls scowling?
5
@Kyzl Orda FYI age discrimination only applies to people over 40. Anyone under 40 is fair game. That's how the law is written and how it's applied.
@Kyzl Orda this article is simply reporting what is fact; the industry is setting the low bar, not the NYT. I am in the industry and am facing age discrimination; I know for a fact that younger, less qualified (in key points of the job description) are hired instead - but it's impossible to prove and this is how discrimination is able to continue. Saying that Ageism is illegal and assuming that it still doesn't happen is like saying that race, orientation or gender discrimination is illegal and therefore it doesn't happen.
9
I'm annoyed by the Times's mild but pervasive anxiety over millennials "taking over" or exerting some kind of cultural, social, or political influence—with an ill-defined characterization of them as perpetually on the cusp of growing up. Millennials are now adults in the prime of life. One defining line of the generation among themselves is whether you remember 9/11: my daughter, who is 22, says that for the very last millennials, 9/11 is the earliest national trauma they can recall, and those who have no memory of the world before 9/11 are not millennials. The oldest millennials are almost 40; if they aren't stepping up toward taking over by now, we are in big trouble. Is the Times run entirely by Boomers who still think they will be running the world forever and are afraid to grow old? Or Gen Xers forever tainted by slackerdom who fear they pale in competence next to the millennials?
If the article is primarily about the dynamism of those in their 30s, it isn't about "the youth": it's about the dynamism of adults who have come into their own.
36
@C Wolfe Millennials lived at home with their parents for longer than any previous generation in history. For them, the biggest national tragedy is having to grow up and become adults. They've even needed classes in "adulting" and yet are still overwhelmed by the anxiety of adulthood, even in a booming economy. Statistically they have for ten years been perpetually on the cusp of growing up. A millennial at age 35 is the equivalent of age 25 for previous generations. Mommy was just too coddling so they never wanted to leave the nest. Hopefully as parents they won't hold their kids back from growing up so much. Otherwise their kids won't be leaving home until 40.
13
@C Wolfe it's not that they came into their own --- it's that in an age where brands are easily diluted or irrelevant, executives will graps on to the only straws that look shiny -- millennials. The head of my company has already said no one over 40 should work there.
Young doesn't necessarily mean talented (so few of any age are), although it does mean cheap.
8
Much of what is now considered fashion is unattractive, unflattering and easy to pass up. Perhaps the major fashion houses should consider hiring more lead designers who REALLY reflect their consumers— WOMEN!
60
@What’s Next
I agree. My dad ( rest his soul), would turn over in his grave if he saw that the fashion today has pants above the ankle, and brown shoes with dark suits. But what can you say, it would work well if we had a flood and brown shoes won't show the mud.
4
They are "Nones" in fashion... without creativity or style, just a bland post-Gap uniformity, mostly. Generic. Conformist. No flair, no sense of fun or occasion. Who was it said that having style, dressing with style or flair is a bit like being in love? Well, I guess they never are...in love.
31
The trend seems to be hire young and Inexperienced people whose main qualification is youth. From planned parenthood to fashion we see youth as a substitute for experience and hire someone typically unprepared and unqualified for the job who then fails at it and people realize experience does matter. Ageism is not only the only acceptable form of discrimination but she is now treated an essential qualification
64
@Dana "From planned parenthood to fashion we see youth as a substitute for experience", (partial quote of the original comment). I'm not sure what you mean by your reference to planned parenthood. Do you mean that while children benefit from having older parents with maturity and experience, our culture discriminates against older parents? Comparing ageism in the fashion industry, which is illegal, with your interpretation of cultural norms and values seems like a stretch if I'm interpreting your comment correctly.
Don't ever confuse fashion re-hash with fashion innovation. We've seen most of it all before..........
51
It would be nice if this next generation could help reverse the trend that has folks dressing like slobs at work! I take BART, our local transit system, to work regularly and it is truly shameful what people think is appropriate to wear in any workplace.
59
@Marc S
You will never get people back into "business attire," except in a few specialties that require it: some of finance, and law. There is no reason why a person should wear an arbitrary uniform for a professional job. Casual clothes, jeans and t-shirts are now standard, thanks to the Millennials' insistence at being treated with respect from day one, rather than timidly accepting the "dues-paying" culture we Gen-Xers came up in. Thank god for them!
34
@Jane Does Actually I miss the old days when men wore suits and women wore skirts and silk blouses that required dry cleaning. I miss panty hose even when they got runs.
16
@Marc S If you've noticed most of the slobs of today are in their late 40s-60s. They associate sloppiness with those values of casualness they learned from 1969 onward.
The sharper dressed, better tailored men and women are usually in their 20s. Look on Instagram and see what custom suit makers are doing and usually the people will be in their 20s and 30s.
20