A trip down memory lane! Crochet is making a comeback

The great thing about fashion is that old styles always find a way to come back into vogue, and the latest fashion trend getting a revival is crochet. The delicate art, which involves using a single needle and thread, takes its name from the French word crochet, which means hook.

Crochet, which most likely originated from ancient Chinese needlework techniques, was big in the 1960s and ’70s and we have fashion icons such as Twiggy to thank for its popularity. You can probably recall seeing the English model sporting a crochet vest or mini dress a number of times over her successful career.

And it wasn’t just crochet dresses that were popular back then, women and men sported a variety of crochet designs such as vests, sweaters, skirts, shorts, pants, scarves and even hats! And now, according to The Sydney Morning Herald’s Melissa Singer, it’s all making a comeback.

The fashion editor says her the article published on Monday, that several Australian labels such as Alice McCall, Albus Lumen, Oroton, Romance Was Born and Zimmermann are starting to embrace the retro trend, with the brands showcasing their new crochet-inspired collections at Fashion Week earlier this month. Popular shoe brands are even jumping on the bandwagon with Jasmine Stefanovic’s label Mara & Mine during inspiration from “a chic grandma” for their latest line.

 

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“[Crochet] has a one-off, handcrafted feel that is very hard to come by,” Stefanovic and co-founder Tamie Ingham said, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.

“We were drawn to the bohemian feel and style of crochet when visiting coastal regions in Europe, USA and Australia … What we normally find is bright and bold crochet apparel, so we put a sophisticated spin on it, inspired by a chic grandma that would crochet blankets and homewares and making it modern.”

It’s not the only trend that’s making a comeback either. In March this year, we published a story about macrame. While you might shudder to think of the macrame curtains, vests and barely-there knotted tops of the ’70s, it too, is getting a second time in the spotlight.

The art of knotting rope into a variety of different patterns and shapes, was an essential in groovy, bohemian-style homes and no doubt one you remember well. The trend gained mass popularity during the ’70s when the knotted-rope art decorated most on-trend houses (and bodies). Popular items to make included wall hangings, shirts, bedspreads, jean shorts, tablecloths, draperies and plant hangers. The trend had fallen out of favour by the ’80s, but in the last couple of years has been growing again in popularity.