“I am a bit of a dirty guy, but people like that right now.”
Among a slew of incoming trends spurred by the “vibe shift,” (an article I still have not had time to read and comprehend), my intuition is caught on a budding pattern. This summer, I firmly suspect, will be the summer of the bodysuit - legs included. Easily styled, sexy and versatile, the full body bodysuit can take a variety of directions while falling in line with ongoing themes in our current zeitgeist. Worn with a banana clip and shoulder bag for the Swedish-influencer-oversized-blazer girlies, with clear heels and shield sunglasses for the 2016 Kim K revivalists, or with Balenciaga boots and cut outs for the subversive basics demographic, bodysuits are welcoming, even if, perhaps, unforgiving. However, I also largely raise this suspicion on a recent development in popular culture — defrocked American Apparel founder Dov Charney’s re-entry into society. Because there is no sleaze in indie sleaze without the architect himself.
Dov Charney and a few vintage American Apparel ads shot by Terry Richardson, also a creep. Also, their glasses are popular again haha.
Following founder Dov Charney’s early cancel-culture era exile from his company for lewd behaviour, and the brand’s subsequent loss of meaning and feverishly respected cultural capital amongst a coveted demographic, a new iteration of his industrial project as returned as LA Apparel. While not totally reviving American Apparel’s folklore of salacious marketing schemes, Charney’s resurgence in pop culture is a sacrificial offering for conveniently shoppable, American-made basics and the seduction of indie sleaze nostalgia. I suggest that the LA Apparel bodysuit has the capacity to become this generation’s disco pant or tennis skirt. While we revisit and romanticize late 2000s hipster culture and have a bittersweet softness for early-2010s Tumblr aesthetics on the precipice of The Lost Era that is that decade, the bodysuit is primed to become a summer staple for Summer 2022 - but because I’m often ahead on these things, we’ll touch base again next year, in 2023.
Below, stylist and influencer Courtney Trop (@alwaysjudging) wears a form-fitting Ottolinger bodysuit during a recent trip to the techno capital of Berlin. With straps and cutouts, her take on the bodysuit is sleek and angular. Vogue Italia insists that Matrix Mania is back, and it looks like they’re onto something. Brands like the rightfully-beloved Ottolinger and the renovated Helmut Lang’s offering of subversive basics offer the prime opportunity for experimental cutouts on stretchy and comfortable jersey materials to extend below the waist. No need to shred pantyhose into tops anymore - but you totally can if you want to. Expertly styled with the Balenciaga Cagole, the gusseted holes of the shoulder strap add a touch of fetish-wear inspiration, perfectly suited for a night at Berghain.
Photo via @alwaysjudging
In another example, fashion journalist Jo Rosenthal takes on a romantic version of the trend. Wearing the Beaufille Baes bodysuit, Jo’s version taps into the gamine and coquettish ballerina trend you may have seen floating around on TikTok - think leg warmers and Maison Margiela Tabi ballerina flats. Layered with tights underneath, it gives the illusion of the full-body silhouette of a ballerina’s delicate warm-up gear. I would not be surprised if this bodysuit is soon out of stock (and not just because Dora Boras Baby wrote about it.) I love the way Jo styled the socks to give a touch of ‘80s legwarmer vibe with a strappy low-heeled sandal. Last summer was truly the summer of the strappy sandal, and the subtle low kitten heel is an example of how Carrie Bradshaw continues to rightfully grip the fashion psyche - but more on that another time.
Photo via @justjorosenthal
The bodysuit is fun, sexy, and has been kicking around for a while, but it’s now time for its moment. COVID is over, I think, maybe, summer is around the corner, and it’s time to stuff your goods into some spandex and enjoy brunch on a patio with your besties. Free yourselves of austere minimalism and embrace the new sartorial philosophy: dress rambunctiously, there is nothing left to lose.
Stay tuned for next week where I go in on dark wash denim, if I have enough time. (:
For continued reading, please check out Claudine Ko’s breakthrough article on Charney for the iconic Jane Magazine. For those who have not heard of Jane Magazine before nor read Cat Marnell’s amazing autobiography, but long for liveliness of a 2000s New York long gone, that is another rabbit hole I highly suggest you kill an afternoon on.
Thank you to Jo and Courtney for the photos.
Links to products below <3
LA Apparel Asymmetrical Biketard
LA Apparel Garment Dye Cutout Biketard