After a whole year and two generations’ obsession with minimalist trends like Quiet Luxury and Old Money, let me say hello this festive season to the aesthetic of maximalism.
What is Maximalism?
Before I dive into the whole story of the how’s and why’s of maximalism, let’s make this aesthetic more definitive. Maximalism is the fashion style where the outfit uses many patterns, textures, colors, accessories, jewelry or a mix of all of the above.
While minimalism is all about sticking to the same color or color family, maximalism does the opposite and mixes different colors and tones together in an unexpected way. Similarly, while minimalism sticks to neutral colors or matte fabrics, maximalism may bring brights or shiny fabrics into the outfit. You may also see print on print, extra embellishments or overdone silhouettes like poufy skirts or sleeves, oversized collars or ruffles. And then maximalism could be about accessories, for example layered necklaces or bangles, many rings or shiny textures.
The mix could create an unexpected or even jarring outfit, but not necessarily. The whole idea is to make your outfit stand out through color play, many details or layering on accessories.
The maximalism aesthetic contrasts strikingly to some of the biggest trends we’ve seen recently. One such example is quiet luxury, which is all about using items that look expensive but are just basic and simple (for example basic neutral pants with quality fabric and construction). Another example is the old money aesthetic, which pairs polished classic pieces together that have a subtle but expensive look, emulating the style of people with generations of wealth.
Personally, both of these have been my go-to for styling since before they became a trend. But, as a fashion lover, maximalism is an art that, today, I want to give it the attention it deserves.
Maximalism Dates Back to Renaissance, and Beyond
The maximalist aesthetic might be a quirky Gen-Z trend, but like all Gen-Z trends (sorry, guys) this one’s just a modern spin on something people have already done (and then some) back in the day.
In fact, I’m not even talking about Carrie Bradshaw in the 00s with her pattern bonanza or even Madonna in the 80s with her accessory overload. This trend could go on and on to even the Renaissance with layer upon layer of corsets and petticoats, sleeves and collars and jewelry and what not.
Back home in India, maximalism is hardly new or foreign. We here love an overdone outfit with bright colors and jewels galore. And in fact, ‘solah sringaar’ which translates to sixteen adornments, is the go-to outfit guideline for the Indian bride and the married woman.
Evolution of Modern Trends & Where Maximalism Fits
In the 1980s, we saw many maximalist outfits when mixing and matching bright colors was totally okay, wearing shiny fabrics was more than okay, and layering necklaces with rings and bracelets and bangles was encouraged (I was still a toddler back then but I think that’s how it must have been, judging by all the Michael Jackson and Madonna music videos)!
The 90s toned fashion down with the supermodel basics, the little black dresses and the one-statement accessory rule, a lot of which you see in the 90s chick-flicks and Sex and the City early seasons (1998).
The 2000s brought about some color, but stuck to similar fashion rules. Fashion was getting more expressive and you do see more everyday outfits that were a little extra in the 00s pop culture like Gossip Girl (2007) or Britney Spears videos.
The maximalist trend of the 20s is kind of like 00s revival but back then, maximalism was reserved for the villain, not the heroine. The Queen of Hearts (Alice in Wonderland, 2010) has a whole fancy outfit and hair. I bet her makeup routine takes hours everyday. Bellatrix from Harry Potter (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, 2007), I’m sure, has a personal tailor, given her love for bespoke Gothic costumes and well-fitted silhouettes.
If you look at the newer villains too, like Maleficent (2014) or Evil Queen in Mirror Mirror (2012), or so many other female villains (or even male ones) or negative characters, you’ll notice the maximalist aesthetic at play.
Maleficent (2014) from Snow White and Hela from Thor Ragnarok (2017) even have their own elaborate headpieces so you can recognize them from afar. Harley Quinn (Suicide Squad, 2016) and Cruella (2021) have outfits and makeup so elaborate you could spot their costumes at a Halloween Party from the party-next-door.
Even Miranda Priestley in Devil Wears Prada (2006) wears sequined jackets or pattern mixes even though her daily style is more toned down.
Men are not far behind, from Loki to Joker to Mogambo to Syndrome and Darth Vader, it seems like every villain worth his money needs an iconic costume and makeup routine to really be evil.
But yes, maximalism until recently, was limited to the villains and not the heroines. We saw the 90s and 00s heroines wearing basics and everyday costumes to appeal to the girls-next-door. Carrie Bradshaw made the LBD famous in Sex and the City (1998), and would wear all sorts of plain dresses, tank tops, skin-toned minis and gowns around town. While the villain-like Georgina piled jewelry on and on, Serena van Der Woodsen’s everyday outfit was a jeans and tee or a mini-dress in Gossip Girl. While Even the chick-flick heroines loved their basic dresses and jeans, for example The Notebook (2004), Mean Girls (2004) or How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003).
The 2010s, with the popularity of social media, made fashion very different. Fashion has always been a way to express yourself, but to who? Before, it was to whoever saw us IRL (in real life), now this changed to the whole world, and onscreen, mobile screen nonetheless.
When your whole real-life look is reduced to just a few pixels (in the order of 750 pixels to be precise, back in the decade), your outfit should seem to literally jump out of the screen to make an impact. And so we saw the change in celebrity fashion, like big dresses, chunky jewelry, embellished shoes and yes, influencer fashion followed. And so the everyday outfits became a bit more ‘extra’.
While minimalism has still been a big trend through these social media years, we’ve seen those extra looks everywhere. Red carpet queens like Deepika Padukone, Blake Lively and Ezra Miller have given us outfits bigger and more detailed than Netflix movies nowadays are.
While we’d already those maximalist looks in TV like on Gossip Girl, they were reserved for special occasions like galas and black-tie parties. Now, TV shows served maximalism on an everyday basis, outfits getting bigger and poutier than ever before.
Emily in Emily in Paris doesn’t want to step out of the house without a color brighter than my future, or an outfit bigger than our whole media company (which is pretty small, in her defense). Older characters aren’t far behind. Even Sex and the City’s revival, And Just Like That (2021), had Carrie Bradshaw and other new characters like Lisa and Seema dress like couture mannequins just for brunch. Carrie’s average outfit on the show is more extra than her all of SATC season 1 outfits combined.
It’s like the show is saying, it’s okay to wear what you love just for that average day. And then what do you wear on the special occasions? Well, then you wear something extra! And just like that, Carrie Bradshaw became a maximalist.
Maximalism is not an aesthetic just onscreen. Rihanna’s maternity outfits last year were a sight more memorable and overdone than Madonna’s 80s album covers.
So why then, right after the whole world swearing by quiet luxury and old money, are we now seeing maximalist outfits everywhere from red carpets to magazine covers and TV shows? I guess the simplest explanation is that trends are not for everyone. If fashion is a way to express yourself, it’s hardly surprising that you’d see outfits that themselves seem surprising.
Maximalism and You : Are You a Maximalist?
If you looked at the basic outfits of the quiet luxury trend all of this year and thought to yourself, you can do better, chances are you’re a maximalist. Maybe your friends can’t stop making fun of your overdone looks at a casual drinks thing, or your colleagues can’t help but comment on your well-put-together matching ‘fits and contrasting accessories at work when all they can put together for that hectic workday is a simple jeans and tee.
Why do you always have to be overdressed for everything, they ask.
For the celebs at the red carpet, it’s their literal job to look different and get noticed. For the characters on our favorite TV shows, they’re fictitious. But for maximalists, putting on an extra accessory or two feels as real and as normal as me typing this in my joggers and tee.
One of the easiest ways to look at it is in the Netflix K-drama hit, It’s Okay Not to Be Okay (2020). In an effort to understand the elaborate everyday outfits of the heroine Ko Moon-young, the hero aka love interest Moon Gang-tae, caregiver at a psychiatric hospital, asks his boss and mentor about the psychology of dressing elaborately. Is it a way of being in the spotlight and getting all the attention on themselves? Quite the opposite, his boss replies. It’s their way of diverting the attention away from their real selves and putting it on the fashion instead.
But the best explanation, I guess, is that maybe now we’re finally in the era of fashion as a democracy. Perhaps now, it really is okay to wear what you like, express yourself in your truest sense. Just make sure you’re actually expressing yourself with your clothes. Not hiding behind them.
#KeepItStylish
Shilpa Ahuja the editor-in-chief of ShilpaAhuja.com, which she founded with the goal of inspiring confidence in the modern working woman through fashion. Other than defining the direction of the magazine, she also writes about fashion & beauty trend forecasts, industry analysis, and opinions.
Shilpa’s work has been published in the University of Fashion blog and Jet Airways magazine. She is also an artist, illustrator and cartoonist. She is also the creator of Audrey O., a comic series that represents the lifestyle of millennial women. She enjoys creative writing and world travel. Her art has been exhibited at Harvard Graduate School of Design and the Aroma Hotel, Chandigarh and been published in Chandigarh Times.
Originally from Chandigarh, Shilpa also has a degree in architecture and has worked in interior project management. She is also the author of the book “Designing a Chinese Cultural Center in India”. Shilpa has a Masters in Design Studies degree from Harvard University.
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