

2020 is bringing us more clarity than ever and we are seeing these fashion trends clearly. No matter what your intentions are for the new year, we want to make sure you know about the trends that have the seal of approval to carry over from 2019.
Like all trends, there is history attached. Trends are cyclical and it's our job to make sure you know which ones are here to stay. Time to toss out the clothes that no longer serve your 2020 aesthetic and be sure to include these six trends that will continue to elevate your outfit inspo for the year ahead.
Puffed Sleeves
We have seen many iterations of the puffed sleeve up and down the runways. The fashion gods believe that this trend will get more structured and full of whimsy this year. The exaggerated shoulder has been a thing ever since the days of Princess Diana and still remains popular in the days of Lizzo. From dresses to tops, you can don this trend in various ways. xoNecole approves this message because it asserts the perfect amount of feminine masculinity.
Challenge: Try pairing a puffed-sleeve top with cigarette pants and loafers for a chic career look.
Leather in All Forms
Word on the street: if it's leather, buy it. It will take on more buttery colors of the rainbow wheel in more forms than you can handle. Designers like Coach 1941, Bottega Veneta, Marni, and Alexander McQueen created everything from skirts to pants to dresses in this luxurious texture. Though leather was once only deemed suitable for fall and winter, we have some intel that you should keep that same energy for spring. This means you will have to be more creative while taking more risks.
Challenge: Don a leather dress with matching leather boots for Sunday Funday.
Polka Dots
Polka dots are my favorite print with their fanciful features. Back in September, we spotted tons of dots of all types on the runways from designers who had previously fawned over the likes of stripes and lines. This is one of the most wearable trends because the pattern lends itself to all shapes, sizes, colors, and dimensions.
Challenge: Mix it up by wearing two different sets of polka dots; try a top and midi skirt with a pair of solid-colored pumps.
Big Ass Bags
If you're going to secure the bag, you might as well make sure it's a big one! Micro-mini bags have become extremely prominent on some of our street style stars but never forget the importance of a big ass bag. The storage and practicality of a large handbag is unsurpassed.
Challenge: Wear your larger-than-life handbag with a monochrome outfit.
Suit Up
Whether classic or deconstructed, make sure you have some suits in your arsenal for this new year. Going for the deconstructed route, your options vary as you can opt for no pants with your blazer or replace the classic button-down with a lacy or netted bralette. Bold prints and colors are your friends, so don't be afraid to do the most.
Challenge: Style a classic suit with a different print coat but with a similar color to drape over your shoulders.
Neon
You probably thought that the neon days were gone... you thought wrong! Specifically, bright green neon is one to watch in 2020. Mario Abad of Paper Magazinesaid, "Call it neon, tennis ball yellow, or highlighter green, the acid hue took form in structured separates and fluid dresses."
Challenge: Couple bright hues with equally vibrant hues or demure neutrals for a light contrast. For example, you could style a neon sweater with khaki cargo pants and printed booties.
Featured image by @monroesteele
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Joce Blake is a womanist who loves fashion, Beyonce and Hot Cheetos. The sophistiratchet enthusiast is based in Brooklyn, NY but has southern belle roots as she was born and raised in Memphis, TN. Keep up with her on Instagram @joce_blake and on Twitter @SaraJessicaBee.
Eva Marcille On Starring In 'Jason’s Lyric Live' & Being An Audacious Black Woman
Eva Marcille has taken her talents to the stage. The model-turned-actress is starring in her first play, Jason’s Lyric Live alongside Allen Payne, K. Michelle, Treach, and others.
The play, produced by Je’Caryous Johnson, is an adaptation of the film, which starred Allen Payne as Jason and Jada Pinkett Smith as Lyric. Allen reprised his role as Jason for the play and Eva plays Lyric.
While speaking to xoNecole, Eva shares that she’s a lot like the beloved 1994 character in many ways. “Lyric is so me. She's the odd flower. A flower nonetheless, but definitely not a peony,” she tells us.
“She's not the average flower you see presented, and so she reminds me of myself. I'm a sunflower, beautiful, but different. And what I loved about her character then, and even more so now, is that she was very sure of herself.
"Sure of what she wanted in life and okay to sacrifice her moments right now, to get what she knew she deserved later. And that is me. I'm not an instant gratification kind of a person. I am a long game. I'm not a sprinter, I'm a marathon.
America first fell in love with Eva when she graced our screens on cycle 3 of America’s Next Top Model in 2004, which she emerged as the winner. Since then, she's ventured into different avenues, from acting on various TV series like House of Payne to starring on Real Housewives of Atlanta.
Je-Caryous Johnson Entertainment
Eva praises her castmates and the play’s producer, Je’Caryous for her positive experience. “You know what? Je’Caryous fuels my audacity car daily, ‘cause I consider myself an extremely audacious woman, and I believe in what I know, even if no one else knows it, because God gave it to me. So I know what I know. That is who Je’Caryous is.”
But the mom of three isn’t the only one in the family who enjoys acting. Eva reveals her daughter Marley has also caught the acting bug.
“It is the most adorable thing you can ever see. She’s got a part in her school play. She's in her chorus, and she loves it,” she says. “I don't know if she loves it, because it's like, mommy does it, so maybe I should do it, but there is something about her.”
Overall, Eva hopes that her contribution to the role and the play as a whole serves as motivation for others to reach for the stars.
“I want them to walk out with hope. I want them to re-vision their dreams. Whatever they were. Whatever they are. To re-see them and then have that thing inside of them say, ‘You know what? I'm going to do that. Whatever dream you put on the back burner, go pick it up.
"Whatever dream you've accomplished, make a new dream, but continue to reach for the stars. Continue to reach for what is beyond what people say we can do, especially as [a] Black collective but especially as Black women. When it comes to us and who we are and what we accept and what we're worth, it's not about having seen it before. It's about knowing that I deserve it.”
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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Feature image by Leon Bennett/WireImage
Teyana Taylor & Aaron Pierre Might Be The Internet’s New Favorite Pairing
Is it just us, or are Teyana Taylor and Aaron Pierre making it harder and harder to believe that they’re not a thing?
The two have been serving soft launch vibes for months, but their most recent Instagram interaction has folks raising their eyebrows and their glasses.
Just this week on Sunday, April 13, Aaron shared a shirtless selfie to his IG Stories, a classic thirst trap moment, complete with abs on display, and emitting just enough heat to get the timeline talking. Not long after, Teyana hopped on her own IG Stories with a three-word message that had the internet abuzz: “on di wey 😮💨.”
Aaron Pierre/Instagram via people.com
Now, maybe it was just a coincidence... but let’s be honest, it didn’t feel like one.
Especially considering Aaron’s West Indian roots and Teyana’s long-documented admiration for tall men she can climb like a tree (her ex-husband Iman Shumpert is 6'5" and Aaron's not far behind at 6'4"). That “on di wey” hit like a flirty green light. And fans caught it, quick.
Teyana Taylor/Instagram via people.com
This isn’t the first time these two have had us side-eyeing and doing double-takes to their timelines.
On March 3, Teyana posted a striking set of black-and-white photos on Instagram alongside Aaron. The two stood back-to-back, dressed to the nines and giving high-fashion, high-intensity energy. Her caption? “Oscar night in black & white, no grey area. 🤍”
Aaron posted the same photos, except his was without a caption, just vibes.
They also shared a table at the American Black Film Festival Honors back in February (where Teyana was also spotted holding his award that he won that night) and were spotted at the Vanity Fair Oscar party looking entirely comfortable in each other’s space. While they haven’t officially confirmed anything, the visuals have done most of the talking.
(L to R) Aaron Pierre, Teyana Taylor, Niecy Nash and Jessica Betts attend the 2025 Vanity Fair Oscar Party
Dave Benett/VF25/WireImage for Vanity Fair
And if you're wondering whether Teyana fits Aaron’s type? First, how could she not be? But second, according to a 2024 interview on Buzzfeed’s Seasoned podcast, the Mufasa: The Lion King star had a thing for women like Ashanti and Foxy Brown growing up. "My first childhood crush was Ashanti, and my second childhood crush was Foxy Brown," he shared at the time, sending social media into a frenzy.
Black women who exude sex appeal, confidence, and boss energy, aka, everything Teyana walks with daily. She’s the moment, the mood, and apparently… the mirror selfie responder...
Since finalizing her divorce from Iman in June 2024, Teyana has been booked, unbothered, and flourishing on her own terms. Between starring in a Dionne Warwick biopic and starring in One Battle After Another, a star-studded film led by Leonardo DiCaprio and helmed by director Paul Thomas Anderson, sis is locked in.
Aaron, meanwhile, is fresh off voicing the title role in Mufasa: The Lion King and gearing up to appear in Lanterns, an upcoming Max DC series, as well as the new season of The Morning Show. Lowkey highkey, they’re both in their leading-role eras, on-screen and maybe, just maybe, in each other’s lives.
Or maybe it’s just vibes. Maybe it’s more. But from the flirty exchanges to the red carpet proximity, this pairing feels like the kind of slow burn romance that soft launches are made of.
And if it is what it looks like? We love this for her.
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Featured image by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for Vanity Fair