Occasionally, we use affiliate links on our site. This in no way affects our editorial decision-making.Once upon a time, in a land of logomania and iPods, a young Anne Hathaway performed a glittering rendition of Queen’s hit song “Somebody to Love” at a giant’s wedding during the quest to find her fairy godmother — ah, 2004’s “Ella Enchanted,” Y2K Medievalism at its finest. The fantasy-comedies of the turn of the century introduced a new subculture, one that revived the Arthurian fantasies of the Middle Ages through a meta-satirical lens on 2000s politics. Or, in the words of medieval revival enthusiast and historical costume designer Samantha Franco, it’s about “reimagining the past with modern sensibilities.” The fusion led to brightly colored velvet mini dresses, metal-infused designs and intricately beaded corsets infiltrating mainstream fashion.This style actually harkens back to the medieval revival that preceded it, in the mid-1960s. Born amid the counterculture movement, revivalists rerooted medieval fashion with ’70s-inspired silhouettes, flowy blouses, flared pants and psychedelic patterns. And once again, as fashion cyclically does, we’ve arrived at its next resurgence. Nowadays, Phoebe Bridgers parades as a magical elf in a suburban American neighborhood for her new single; Brittany Broski knights celebrities into her “Royal Court” kingdom and the inescapable “GRWM to go to the Ren Faire” videos on my FYP every fall seem all too familiar. The revival seems like a natural progression of the coquette, upcycled fashion wave, and a complete antithesis to quiet luxury. Ahead, we welcome flowy “Shakespearean” tops and chainmail…
