Every decade and every century, there is a Pinterest mood board that can describe its aesthetics and fashion scene, and this era of style is no different. Innovation, individuality, intricate mechanics, and artificial intelligence come to mind if trying to describe this period, which starkly contrasts with what the 70s predicted the 2020s would be like - silver, silver, and more SILVER. An embodiment of this era that comes to mind, courtesy of my television addiction, is Tecna, the Fairy of Technology from Zenith in Winx Club.

Tecna's style was a dazzling blend of sci-fi elements and chic designs, making her a standout among the Winx Club fairies. With her short purple hair, sleek outfits, and a penchant for all things digital, Tecna's fashion sense perfectly reflected her tech-savvy personality. Tecna's signature look that screamed "future fashion!" perfectly captures the collision between Y2K, the modern flapper, and tech couture.

Sparkles, Sequins & Shimmers

Like most fairies, Tecna was a sparkling diva, similar to the stars of 2024. To take a mid-year check, we can tick glittery skirts, embellished shoes, and shiny accessories off the list. Often paired with comfort wear, it brings partywear aptly to everyday life. Sparkles and sequins were trending at the Met, Cannes, and many other red carpets and runways. Irina Shayk in Allover Swarovski Crystals, Maleah Joi Moon at the Tonys, Emma Stone at Cannes, Kendall Jenner at the Met Gala, and Dua Lipa at the Grammys personified being stars and lit events with their outfits. Though sequins seemed to be a trend of yesteryear, the shimmer is here to stay.

Hypnotic Holographic Highlights

One of Tecna's most iconic fashion staples was her love for holographic and metallic fabrics. Her outfits often featured holographic patterns that seemed to change color with every move, adding a dynamic and futuristic flair to her look. Technology continues influencing fashion, and in the 2020s, we have seen a surge in futuristic fabrics. Materials like reflective textiles, holographic finishes, and innovative fabrics that change color due to temperature are becoming more mainstream. Taylor Swift, America Ferrera, and Margot Robbie stunned us in metallic dresses on red carpets, while designers like Robert Wun and Daniel Roseberry flooded the runway with futuristic designs.

Rabanne, Spring Summer 2024. Filippo Fior / Gorunway.com

With its inspiration from the 70s punk era, these innovative materials look stylish and offer enhanced functionality, making fashion more adaptive and interactive. Metallic finishes, holographic materials, and avant-garde shapes define this trend. It is a look that is not just about dressing for the day but for the future. It showcases a blend of science fiction and fashion, where innovation meets style.

Groundbreaking Gadget Glam

Tecna's outfits were not just fashionable but functional, too! She often wore accessories that looked straight out of a sci-fi movie. Wearable technology is becoming more stylish and integrated into everyday attire. Smartwatches, fitness trackers, and even clothing with built-in tech features are becoming stylish must-haves. They added a unique twist to her overall look. Smartwatches that monitor your heart and brain activity, medical alert monitors, and meta shades are just a few examples of wearable tech. These tech-infused wearables offer practical benefits and a modern edge to any outfit, just like Tecna's handy gadgets that helped save the world.

Colorful Couture Creations

Tecna's color palette was a perfect mix of cool tones and vibrant pops of color, and the 20s brought that to life through the trend of flamboyance. It's a style that stretches the boundaries, represented by its audacious use of vibrant colors, extravagant prints, and exaggerated structures that demand attention and ooze charisma. This style embraces the unconventional, combining eye-catching facets that command the limelight.

Blends of textures and patterns, bright and contrasting colors, voluminous silhouettes, quirky fabrics, unconventional layering, asymmetrical oversized designs, and chunky accessories that make a statement are features of any design under this style. It's about intensifying every element of an outfit to produce a visually unique ensemble that refuses to be ignored.

Techno-Tailored Trends

Throughout the Winx Club series, Tecna's wardrobe was a testament to her unique fashion sense, from sleek bodysuits with circuit-like patterns to futuristic dresses with neon accents. Innovation and technology continue to make an impression on fashion. Fashion embraces technology and uses uncommon materials and daring shapes to create pieces that inspire and urge people to anticipate the future enthusiastically. The ability to converge weaves of thread and wires led to magnificent pieces like Iris Van Herpen's custom dress for Mona Patel, which she debuted on the biggest night of fashion, the Met Gala 2024. Mugler, Schiaparelli, and Gareth Pugh have flourished in the techno-futurist fashion avenue. Experiments with 3D printing pieces, smart fabrics, sustainable textiles, and wearable tech and integration with metallic holographic fabrics will take this to higher peaks in the future. This is just the tip of the iceberg, or should I say we have only seen simple machines as of now. Keep an eye out for the aeroplanes, phones, and the Large Hadron Collider of fashion.

Hair-raising Hairdos

Tecna's hair was as iconic as her outfits. Her short, asymmetrical bob was stylish and practical, and is trending right now, along with blowouts and curtain bangs. She occasionally experimented with different hairstyles, adding braids or changing colors to match her own, and so do people now. Varieties of braids, buzzcuts, disconnected mullets, undercuts, and other shaved designs adorn the heads of many. This decade has seen many comebacks from various eras, like the fringes, perms, 70s drape, the Bixie from the 90s, and choppy Y2K hair. At the same time, styles like sleek, spiky topknots, pigtails, headscarves, and clips are used to tame manes. Vivid, unconventional hair colors such as neon green, electric blue, and pastel shades have become popular. Techniques like balayage, ombre, and dip-dye are frequently used to create striking, colorful effects. But despite the rise and fall of these trends, a consistent trend has been embracing natural hair textures, including curls, coils, and waves. People are opting for low-maintenance looks that highlight their natural beauty. Simply put, this decade's hair fashion is about self-expression, versatility, and embracing individuality.

Magical Makeover

Every transformation in Winx Club came with a magical makeover, and Tecna's transformations were spectacular, just as spectacular as the trends of the 20s. The surge in skincare and minimalism is simultaneous to the bold-eye, glossy finishes, and highlighted blush summarizing this era. Bold lips are just as important today as they were a hundred years ago. An increasing demand is the need for sustainability and cruelty-free products that are simplified and multifunctional. Intricate nail art with themes on almond, coffin, or stiletto-shaped nails. Aura, holographic, mermaid, metallic, blings, and charms are in vogue in naturally short nails and dramatically long extensions. Mismatched and layered, chunky, personalized jewellery is trending in the avenue of jewellery. Mini, crossbody, and belt bags are the popular bags of the 20s, and tinted lenses, cat-eyes, oversized square frames, retro round glasses, and wide belts with bold buckles and blazers are coveted staples.

These trends reflect a blend of individuality, sustainability, and technological influence, showcasing a decade where personal expression and environmental consciousness are paramount.

Tecna's fashion era perfectly blends futuristic elements, vibrant colours, and innovative designs, which aptly describes the 20s as well. The fashion era of the 2020s has seen a remarkable fusion of technology with clothing and couture. Innovations in wearable techs, such as innovative fabrics and garments embedded with sensors, sustainable alternatives, and the renewed love for vintage clothes, have revolutionized functionality and aesthetic appeal. Designers are increasingly integrating sustainable practices and digital craftsmanship, pushing the boundaries of traditional couture. The era is characterized by a dynamic interplay between conventional craftsmanship and cutting-edge technology, creating beautiful garments that are responsive and adaptive to the wearer's needs. This intersection of fashion and technology promises a future where clothing reflects personal style and enhances daily life through innovation and sustainability. With her techno-chic outfits and bold fashion choices, Tecna inspires fans to embrace their unique style and never be afraid to stand out, and I hope you remember to be just as audacious!

Winx Club's Tecna

Biophilic Design

Night Rides