Just how bad is it? where we examine every topic that is trending on the internet. We can learn more about them up close and find out what it’s truly like to experiment with a trend, such as a butterfly top, a viral product, or an unexpected TikTok hack.
I was wary of the Y2K revival in fashion when the Blumarine spring 2022 collection first debuted. This collection was entirely focused on reviving low-rise jeans, denim-on-denim designs, and butterflies in full flight. The latter in particular seems to encourage customers to change their wardrobes from the sweatpants and Nap gowns that characterised the lockdown era to midriff-baring butterfly-shaped tops for Hot Girl Summer.
I momentarily questioned if I had just travelled back in time after having flashbacks of Mariah Carey at the VH1 Divas Live Concert in 2000, dressed in a pink and green bejewelled butterfly top and low-rise trousers.
Anitta wore a deep green version from her Shein collaboration, and Dua Lipa wore the Blumarine denim halter. However, today’s It ladies began donning the going-out top in large numbers. Olivia Rodrigo wore a blue and green sequin butterfly variation on Instagram. Despite the fact that I could see the appeal of sporting a butterfly on a baby t-shirt, I struggled to picture myself leaving the home wearing a bedazzled, floss-string top. I prefer muted colours, capsule outfits, and crisp white shirts.
I had to give my inner child closure, though, because I was a typical millennial or Gen Z child who was too young to understand the more risqué Y2K fashion trends of the AOL era. I therefore started experimenting with three different types of butterfly tops.
H&M Open-Back Butterfly Top
I decided on a shimmering black shirt from H&M for the first outfit. I wore the look with pinstripe wide-leg jeans and a pair of sparkly platform sandals for my first night out of the warm-weather season. Even though the outfit exposed more flesh than I generally prefer, it had just the right amount of glitz to inspire me to march to a cocktail bar, dance the night away with friends, and stay up later than I usually do.
Perhaps it was because I was dressed in my uniform of all-black that brought out my inner child, but my initial shock at the return of butterfly tops to fashion appeared absurd: Why did I feel such fear? A good time?
Lovers and Friends Butterfly Love Top
I decided to wear the crochet butterfly shirt from Lovers and Friends to the beach for the second look. I’m still astonished I was able to do it, but I had to first get into it. Adjustable strings are my worst nightmare as someone who values the simplicity of buttons and zippers. I fiddled with the straps for approximately fifteen minutes, getting them just right so that my chest would fit without losing its butterfly shape.
When I had the crochet nicely tucked in, I wore the pastel ensemble with linen slacks, slides, and a straw hat and relished the feeling of lightness it gave me. Even so, the unattractive tan lines weren’t worth it; to prevent the sunburn catastrophe that followed, I should have stayed in a more appropriate setting, like brunch or a day at the park in a shaded area.
Edikted Studded Butterfly Top
I chose a non-conventional approach to wear the butterfly shirt for my next outfit. As I’ve already mentioned, I have a soft spot for white shirts, which has translated into a fondness for shirt dresses this season. To give the airy silhouette a little bit of structure, I frequently wear this style with harnesses. Therefore, why not consider the butterfly top to be a kind of harness? The Edikted studded butterfly top added the perfect amount of flair to the shirt dress, giving it a fresh, dinner-ready look rather than a club-ready one that was straight out of 2003.
Through this experiment, I discovered that the secret to following trends is to personalise them. There are ways to avoid the early aughts comeback, even though butterfly tops are featured in a never-ending loop of looks on TikTok along with other Y2K contemporaries like low-rise jeans and platform heels. My younger self felt at ease wearing a butterfly top with a professional dress to a dinner date because I had sufficiently honed my personal style to know how to include trends outside of my comfort zone without compromising who I was.
Isn’t that what the transformation is, too? developing into your truest self as you emerge from the chrysalis and face the unknown.
