2023 was the year of the clean girl. This was very fortunate for the likes of Glassons, who profusely benefited from the rise in basics and cotton headbands. However, for those like myself who can’t go five minutes without spilling something down themselves, or rock a slick back without genuinely looking like an egg, it was a trend we could not wait to pass. And fortunately, it seems to have a challenger, and not one anyone could have predicted. 

‘Mob Wife’ is here to challenge our now clean girl culture. Before anyone misinterprets a thing, I feel I should clarify that this is referring to the style connotations of a ‘mafia’ wife, not relating to any ‘mob’ you may think of when in New Zealand. Mob wife is all about fur coats, red lippy, messy hair, cigars, and wine. A complete juxtaposition from what we taught ourselves was ‘trendy’ in the past year.

In theory, the clean girl aesthetic should be easy; it’s essentially trying to look as monochromatic and minimalistic as possible. The complication occurs when you are also expected to look like an off-duty model. It’s meant to look low maintenance, whilst actually being harder to construct than most other trends. It also translates to a certain lifestyle being pushed at the moment. One that consists of green juice, Pilates, and skincare routines. Again, in theory sounds wholesome and easy, but in reality can be pretty unachievable. Mob wife, on the other hand, appears to be higher maintenance, but definitely isn’t. You can throw a fur coat over anything and it’s hardly noticed. The messier the hair looks, the better, and bonus points if it looks like you haven’t slept. There are not nearly as many expectations set on a ‘mob wife’- she’s just a kickass woman rocking life in leopard print.

Although it may not sound like it, admittedly I am still on the fence. I’ve fallen prisoner to the comfort and simplicity of the clean girl, although I definitely strive to be a mob wife. It makes me think about how easily influenced we are as a mass. When the whole clean girl movement started, I never thought I’d be part of it, but quickly it became ‘normal’ and the more I saw it on other people, the more I convinced myself that it was my style! I mean, I’ve been influenced by the ultimate clean girl, Hailey Bieber, to get the clean ‘funny bunny’ nails for the last year, but last week I did a full 360 and got cherry red, so things really are changing around here! There’s no real harm in it all, I guess it’s fun that fashion is ever-changing and that one way or another, everything always cycles back in style. Rumour has it that skinny jeans are back this year. Like always, I think there’s no way I’d be caught dead in them, but I’m sure if everyone around me starts rocking them, it won’t be long before I’m doing the same. 

Whether you’re a Lululemon or a fur coat kind of gal, it doesn’t really matter as long as you’re doing you (unless you really do love skinny jeans- that’s the only time I *may* judge you for a millisecond… and probably internally praise you in a year’s time when they are cool again!).