Apart from Monica Geller’s disgraced bout with the gelatinous marine animal, our understanding of jellyfish has only been limited to our 8th grade science textbooks. And now, you’re telling us that there’s a fashion trend by the name ‘jellyfishing’? Ermm, yes. Having sprouted from the elite circles of LA and NYC, where encountering the Hadids on a morning walk is more so a pastime for residents that side, this fashion trend usually finds home in colder and posher areas, courtesy of the ample layering involved.
The fit is characterised by an oversized upper half, usually in the form of puffers, chunky knits or droopy blazers and a relatively tight make on the bottom side. Leggings, stockings, skinny jeans and the likes. This stark contrast and volume play explains the lexical science behind it, that’s for sure. But I can surely imagine the concurrent amusement and perplexity in a non-sensitised fashion atmosphere at the mere mention of ‘jellyfishing’. It’s funny guys, really.
Style Spotting
Kendall Jenner was spotted in a red, super oversized puffer paired with skinny jeans and a crossbody bag. A staple in the West, these Patagonia bad boys have a cult following and usually find themselves paired with tight leggings and similar bottoms.
Gigi Hadid lent her own, slightly more stylish spin with this vertically striped pairing to elevate the otherwise drab leaning of this trend. Solid colours and all. The overlap between the pattern of the shirt as well as the puffer is rather refreshing, would love to see more of it.
Emily Ratajkowski doing what she does best. Serve. The cropped puffer and coordinating leggings were her armour of choice for a quick coffee run and we’re loving the overlap of both fall colours here.
Marc Jacobs, for his Autumn 2021 collection took this up a notch by pairing a mammoth puffer, mammoth seems like an understatement here, to be honest. A tremendously gargantuan black puffer over a red dress. While this trend is usually synonymous with tighter bottoms, this otherwise fuller skirt seems rather minuscule given the puffer’s make.
Now this is a hybrid between the jellyfishing trend (usually associated with fall-oriented looks) and high-profile red carpet fashion. With emphasised shoulders and a column make, the gown emerges as a worthy contender when talking about the trend’s reinterpreted edge, as sported by Deepika Padukone in her LV dress.
Lampshading
Spotlight on lampshading, the (not so) evil step-sibling of jellyfishing. Here, we forgo the pants and swap them with knee-high boots under an oversized sweater/sweatshirt. Popularised by (drumroll please) the Kardashians and the Jenners alongside mainstream pop icons, this trend was all the rage back when Snapchat filters were far more important than clocking in your desired amount of steps each day. Which one’s your favourite? Pick your fighter.
With ELLECyclopedia, we aim to demystify terms from the world of fashion, beauty and pop culture. If such deep dives pique your interest, stay tuned as we’re exploring the origins of many such interesting words. In the meantime, you can also read about ‘The Alexandra Limp.’ Ever heard of it? Tap here to read all about it.
