Edward Berthelot/GC ImagesThe boys brands are back—in a big, big way.
Remember the early aughts, when designer jeans and luxe labels were everywhere? You didn't just know Britney Spears was wearing Gucci, she was covered in intertwined Gs. In oversized sunglasses, Paris Hilton was far from incognito—paparazzi flies couldn't resist the flicker of her monogrammed Louis Vuitton flames. It was the age of overt apparel—where the bigger the visual branding, the better.
In more recent years, retailers have streamlined their collections—the less obvious, the better—giving structure and fabrication more attention than the label itself. But leave it to It Girls, like Jennifer Lawrence and Gigi Hadid, to bring a tired trend back…in the most modern way possible, of course.
Undergarments No Longer Need to Live, Well, Under: Ever since the naked dress emerged on red carpets a few years ago, it's become more and more acceptable to show your negligee in public. When Beyoncé hit the 2015 Met Gala stairs in a sparkly Riccardo Tisci for Givenchy stunner, the trend officially became the norm. It was fashion-forward to go pantless and showing lacy details and strappy bralettes couldn't be more on-trend. It only made sense that designers would use the undergarments trend to promote their brand even further. If customers are going to show their delicates anyway, they might as well show your name, right? Marketing 101.
It's a Throwback: Trends come in waves. Before we saw Justin Bieber and Kendall Jenner rocking Calvin Klein undies and Gigi Hadid and Hailey Baldwin in head-to-toe Tommy Hilfiger, supers like Kate Moss and Cindy Crawford were doing it in the early ‘90s. While the models of the past ushered in the trend through underwear campaigns, today's celebs prefer to wear their branded pieces to make a causal style statement—sometimes with athleisure at the airport like Bella Hadid in Versace Versus, sometimes in support of a design house, a la J. Law at Paris Fashion Week. Either way, we notice.
It's a Comeback but Not Like Before: We've already seen this trend come to life, from fashion houses like Christian Dior and Moschino to big-box retailers like H&M and Topshop. Will we be walking around with Sean John and Armani Exchange in big letters across our chests, arms, legs and head like before? Probably not. Like other throwback trends (see: chokers, crop tops and frayed denim), the branded look will be ubiquitous but minimal in design, most likely paired with less obvious pieces, letting the contrast speak for itself. Whether it's on a bra strap or waist band, this modern take on branded apparel is straight-forward and casually sexy—jarring but quintessentially millennial.