Welcome Back, 2009: The Economy’s a Mess and So Are Our Outfits

The economy is showing signs of strain, Lady Gaga is topping the charts, and skinny jeans—yes, skinny jeans—are making a cautious return to wardrobes across the country. If that does not evoke memories of the last recession, I am not sure what will. Welcome back to 2009, the year when market volatility was the norm and pop culture offered a familiar distraction.

We joke, but also… not really. Consider the current trend landscape: peplum tops are reemerging, quiet luxury has overtaken logomania, and the “office siren” aesthetic dominates the TikTok for you page. Suddenly, your “day to night” look is not a flex, but a survival strategy. And if you have checked your investment portfolio lately—maybe on Robinhood, Fidelity, or whatever finance app you still have notifications turned off for—you have probably felt that economic unease creeping in. The same instability showing up in stock markets is also reflected in closets everywhere.

Fashion has long reflected broader economic conditions. After the 2008 crash, 2009 saw a sharp pivot away from the glitz of the early aughts. Hemlines dropped, colors muted, and fast fashion surged as consumers tightened their belts—literally and figuratively. Designers like Marc Jacobs and Donna Karan traded in maximalism for restraint, while retail giants pushed recession-friendly price points. In a period of financial uncertainty, wardrobes became less about statement and more about survival. Today, we are seeing the same shift: the return of muted tones, practical cuts, and the kind of clothing that says, “I’m holding it together... barely.”

When someone shows up to a club in skinny jeans and a blazer, it represents something beyond just a questionable style choice. It is part nostalgia, part necessity—and maybe a little bit of denial.

The resurgence of skinny jeans speaks to more than just the cyclical nature of trends. Like clockwork, whenever the political needle shifts to the right, our pants seem to get tighter. This is not a coincidence. Patriarchal systems have long favored aesthetics that restrict and contain. Slim silhouettes subtly reinforce the notion that women should take up less space, both physically and socially. This is fashion as quiet compliance: do not question the system, just fit into the jeans. Austerity, but call it style.

Even the luxury market is not safe. Hermès has quietly removed the waitlist for its iconic Birkin bag, signaling either a decline in demand or a clever play to preserve the illusion of exclusivity. Either way, it is a subtle but telling fracture in the polished façade of late-stage capitalism—echoing 2009’s luxury market, which clung to exclusivity even as consumer confidence plummeted.

If you have recently scrolled through one of your many social media feeds, you will see outfits that whisper, “I have a job interview at 3, but I am crying in the club by 10.” Designers are leaning into recession-coded aesthetics, embracing a blend of corporate structure and after-hours allure. Stella McCartney dubbed the style “laptop to lap dance” chic, and honestly, that is incredibly accurate: tight pencil skirts, button-ups with too many buttons undone, and blazers that let our employers know we are too competent and hot to be laid off.

But recession fashion is not just a red flag – it is also a survival tactic. These style shifts reflect our instinct to adapt and, just as often, our need to hold onto what feels familiar. In 2009, fashion recycled older silhouettes as a way of comforting consumers—cue the return of shoulder pads, the boom of "investment dressing," and a fixation on "basics" that felt safe. In 2025, we are doing the same thing. A Suits reboot? Indie sleaze making a comeback? Neutral-toned everything? These are not just trends but coping mechanisms. We find it easier to reach for a peplum and pretend it is 2009 than to admit we are repurposing the Zara blazer for both work and social life, because, well... our disposable income has all but ghosted us.

So when Tumblr-core is trending again, skinny jeans are back in rotation, and Gossip Girl-inspired headbands are creeping back onto foreheads, maybe it’s time to ask: are we spiraling, or just seeking comfort in chaos? Are we channeling 2009 for style inspiration… or for emotional support? Or worse, maybe it is both.

Welcome back, 2009. We missed your chaos. Sort of.

Strike out,

Strike St. Louis

Written by: Ashton Burgess

Edited by: Jordan Siegel