LUST for the PAST

What draws us to the charms of bygone eras and classic creations? Vogue Singapore explores this nostalgic fascination with insights from a trend forecaster and two Singaporean make-up artists.

- Words AILEEN LIANG

The first thing to catch my eye on my mother's vanity was a clam-shell-shaped eye palette. It opened up to a tiny, rectangular mirror, and a 10-pan spread of coastal hues. Naturally, I picked up the sponge-tip applicator and dipped directly into the aquamarine blue before swiping it onto my lids. The results were shocking, but it also made me feel like the models in the magazines. Twenty years later, the impulse to own a blue palette has returned to haunt me again. Uncannily, it bears near-identical, shell-like ridges on its cover. And nostalgia is hanging in the air for everybody. Dior lip gloss bracelets are getting pulled from the backs of drawers and into the hands of clamouring fans. We await every MAC Bringback with bated breath and continue to beg for the return of the iconic Frost line. But beyond the '90s and 2016 throwbacks, something is happening amid economic uncertainty and the constant barrage of new launches and trends to try. And no, it isn't the lipstick index.

For Jien Goh, senior consultant at WGSN, it's not just about revisiting aesthetics. “It's a response to the uncertainty, digital fatigue and rapid change that define the current era,” she explains. “As trend cycles accelerate and digital life becomes overwhelming, consumers—especially Gen Zs and young Alphas—are seeking meaning, community and emotional connection through familiar visual languages and rituals.” And it shows in the evidence: a growing appetite for retro packaging and references to niche subcultures, as noted by WGSN.