Some trends come and go and then come back. With force. Think, tiny sunglasses, baggy denim, strappy sandals. Born from the 90s and the 00s, these trends have managed to infiltrate back into our lives, and we’re not exactly complaining — let’s be honest, skinny jeans were never that comfortable. But when a trend — say, neon — comes back and tries to wriggle its way into our wardrobes, we’re not really sure.
As one of the biggest runway and street style trends of year past, neon was backed (heavily, we might add) by the likes of Kim Kardashian West and Bella Hadid, who wore various fluro shades in spades throughout the course of the year. Bike shorts, puffer jackets, heels… make it neon!
But there was one outfit that really took the cake when it came to neon meeting the street: Blake Lively in a Versace pantsuit.
On tour to promote her film, A Simple Favour, Lively stepped out in New York in August wearing what was literally just head-to-toe neon. Neon blazer, neon top, neon pants. Only her platform pumps weren’t neon. They were sparkling and pink, of course.
So when Hailey Baldwin (sorry, Bieber) tried her hand at the all-neon look in the early days of 2019, we couldn’t help but compare. Pairing a highlighter green turtleneck with a green tracksuit, the newly married model stepped out with her husband this week, proving she too can pull off the tricky trend. Pairing her neon with a neutral coat and casual white sneakers, Bieber made the case for dressing down the colour with simple accessories. Manageable, but still statement making.
So while our tracksuits might continue to be various shades of grey, maybe 2019 is the year we started to light up our off-duty wardrobes with a pop of colour — neon, even.