We are currently experiencing a blast from the past as we revisit iconic trends from the most fashion-forward decades. Major retro styles from various eras, such as the sophisticated 60s and the psychedelic 70s to the elaborate 80s, are flooding my fashion pins as I scroll through the latest outfit posts via Pinterest. Groovy prints and color-blocked ensembles featuring bold neons are bringing the excitement back to our wardrobes this season and I couldn't wait to get in on the action.
Like most, I've felt uninspired with fashion as of late, less motivated to create new looks due partly to the lack of available options in stores and lack of variety. Now that things are finally getting back to normal, brands are taking cues from more exciting moments in fashion history as customers are thrilled to have reasons to dress up again.
As if looking through a time capsule, summer 2021 is bringing back retro styles from decades past to get us back in the groove and over our fashion slump. The best moments are upon us so get ready for a nostalgic embrace when it comes to this season's most coveted trends. Here are the vintage-inspired looks I'm obsessed with this time of year.
Monochromatic
Shahirah Ahmed/xoNecole
Shahirah Ahmed/xoNecole
Reminiscent of a 1960's vacation look, this sporty chic outfit is a major mood. With such vibrant color and sleek fit, I feel as though I've stepped into a time when women always looked their best. Paired with a thong sandal and vintage-inspired chain linked purse, these are the perfect additions to the flare ankle skinny trouser topped with a cut-out peplum top.
Shahirah Ahmed/xoNecole
A Retro Remix
Shahirah Ahmed/xoNecole
Shahirah Ahmed/xoNecole
This season is all about taking risks and no longer playing it safe. What I love most about 70's fashion was the far out color combinations and use of print to convey a message of freedom and liberty of expression. Psychedelic prints are seeing a resurgence as the popular retro style is taking over as the season's must-have. I paired this vintage mini skirt with a contrasting yellow crop top and green blazer for a fun mix of color.
Shahirah Ahmed/xoNecole
Nothing But Color
Shahirah Ahmed/xoNecole
Shahirah Ahmed/xoNecole
Tired of wearing dull colors, my goal is to implement brightly pigmented pieces from my head to my toes this summer. One of the emerging trends this season are colorful pants and I'm excited to experiment with a variety of denim washes and trousers designed with a range of hues. Paired with a vintage chain belt along with a printed halterneck bodysuit, this is a casually modern take on a 70's disco look.
Shahirah Ahmed/xoNecole
To get your fashion fix and to stay up to date with the latest trends, check out the xoNecole Style section here.
Featured image by Shahirah Ahmed/xoNecole
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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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The festival hosted panels that focused on mental health and the future of podcasting as well as many live shows. Good Moms, Bad Choices hosts, Erica and Milah, welcomed Dreka Gates and held a live dating show that was nothing short of hilarious. Naked Sports host Cari Champion sat down with Iman Shumpert and they discussed sports and dating.
Tank and J. Valentine surprised the audience with Jacquees, Cam had a live conversation with Real Housewives of Atlanta star Porsha Williams, and Sarah closed out the festival with reality star Toya Johnson. Check out photos from the festival below:
(L-R) Shawn Bethea, Jay Barnett, Devi Brown, Charlamagne tha God and Amber Grimes
Photo by Derek White/Getty Images for iHeartMedia and The Black Effect Podcast Network
Jamilah Mapp, Dreka Gates and Erica Dickerson
Photo by Derek White/Getty Images for iHeartMedia and The Black Effect Podcast Network
Mandii B and Weezy WTF
Photo by Derek White/Getty Images for iHeartMedia and The Black Effect Podcast Network
Porsha Williams and Cam Newton
Photo by Derek White/Getty Images for iHeartMedia and The Black Effect Podcast Network
Iman Shumpert and Cari Champion
Photo by Derek White/Getty Images for iHeartMedia and The Black Effect Podcast Network
Tank, Jacquees and J. Valentine
Photo by Derek White/Getty Images for iHeartMedia and The Black Effect Podcast Network
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Feature image by Derek White/Getty Images for iHeartMedia and The Black Effect Podcast Network