In 2010, Celine released a collection so strong that within a year, the entire fashion industry shifted to a movement about the restraint and the beauty of bold and simple gestures: minimalism. However, as the years have progressed, it seems that minimalism has been left in the dust, and that we now live in the age of excessive embellishments and bedazzled patterns – Maximalism.

*Celine FW2010 Collection – the collection that is considered by many to have brought minimalism back into mainstream fashion*

Leading this revolution in fashion is Gucci’s Alessandro Michele, who appears at his shows with a ring on each of his fingers and a biblical beard. We see now that the demand for the simplicity of a blue Acne Studios sweater has been replaced by crowds jeering and lining up to purchase denim jackets loaded with appliques and wool sweaters printed with angry tigers. Other brands are slowly catching on too: look at Dolce&Gabbana, with their tiaras, colorful graphic tee’s, and polos decked with cartoon guitars and musicians.

*Alessandro Michele and Met Gala 2016 attendees in Gucci*

Where did maximalism come from? It’s certainly a tougher way to dress, and failed attempts to recreate what is seen on the runway can surely lead to disaster. Nonetheless, some attribute the new excessiveness and decadence to the recovery and growth of the economy, as opposed to the slowdown in which minimalism found its métier. Some would view it as a form of escapism from a world that at times appears so frightful and politically confusing. Or perhaps it’s just that our eyes have grown bored of past trends, and hungers for something stronger and more maximalist.

*From Gucci, to Prada, to Emilio Pucci, the new reign of maximalism in fashion is impossible to ignore.*