Chain Me Up
While chainmail has been a staple in decades past, both for practical and fashionable purposes, it is in our current time where it truly gets to shine.
Photo by Alessandro Lucioni, 2020
The chain mesh of the Y2K styles has made its resurgence, as Vogue India covered back in 2022. While the mesh-dress trends deserve their spotlight, we’re not here to talk about slouchy, A-list party dresses. Instead, the chain mail of today has a lot more in common with its medieval counterpart. It’s heavy, chunky, imposing, and it reflects the 2020s' love to blend reality with escapism.
Alexander McQueen FW98
Like many trends today, the current state of chainmail in fashion largely came about because of the pandemic. Spurred on by the popularity of shows like Stranger Things, our need for escapism led to the rise in popularity of tabletop role-playing games, specifically Dungeons and Dragons. From D&D shows (better known as actual plays) like “Critical Role” and “Dimension20,” to the highly rated movie Honor Among Thieves, interactive fantasy escapism has grown tremendously in the past five years: a survey by Merchoid released in 2023 showed that Google searches for “DnD” were up 85% in the UK from 2018-2023, along with 37% of respondents saying they’re playing more tabletop games than they were before the pandemic. Now, Merchoid’s sample size is slim, and there was not any apparent data on new players entering the space, but this connection between fashion and entertainment isn’t new. The Guardian reported a similar phenomenon, or even the start of this one, by correlating the return of chain mesh dresses to the popularity of Game of Thrones, dubbing it the Game of Thrones effect. All this high fantasy fashion, too, relates to the added popularity of “Renaissance Faires,” mostly in the US. Their popularity has overlapped with other trends, like corsetry and cottagecore fashion, all of which have normalized costume dress for everyday life.
Photo by Alberto Grosescu, Paris, 2019
And that is where the current love for chainmail differs from the mesh of Vogue India and the Game of Thrones effect. It is easy to put on a slinky, shiny slip to the club à la Paris Hilton because it’s expected there. But wearing literal armor leaves someone vulnerable to judgment, stares, and unwarranted questions about local costume parties. It’s experimentation by incorporating escapism with our everyday lives. Coquette cowls, jump-ring tights, and plated dresses require a level of humor, self-confidence, and dedication to the avant-garde. Only those most comfortable with themselves can be so bold as to adorn themselves with this unique style trend.
