When it comes to microtrends, the rumors of their demise are greatly exaggerated. Considering the amount of personal style “advice” pushed on TikTok and all those snarky comments about influencers dressing like the “microtrend final boss,” I thought we had collectively moved on from tomato girls and coastal grandmas. Alas, it seems we are not.
In 2025, a new fashion psy-op is set to break your brain just in time for summer: The Sardine Girl. Whether or not she’s really cool is one thing, but it does seem to be taking off. (News to me!) According to Google Trends, the search term “beaded sardine bag” saw a 300% increase in May. (My guess is they were looking for the Staud one.) In fact, the oily fish of austerity measures and wartime rations is trending in general. Interest in sardines reached a record high last month, with one of the top trending sardine items being a “sardine fork.” Exciting stuff.
People love Sardines, I guess. My inbox is currently packed tight with Sardine emails (see what I did there), from the high-end—Bottega’s new Sardine specs to match its beloved bag—to fishy charms and corny-but-cute T-shirts featuring little swimmers. There’s some interest around sardine-themed stuff, to be sure, but to name it a whole vibe? I’m not so sure.
Staud
Staud’s two Sardine bags.
Before you ask, this “trend” is not to be confused with the fisherman aesthetic. That look is firmly New England—think: lobster merch, the Ralph Lauren Flag sweater, boots for quahoging—and has the real-life workwear references needed for a convincing Cute Name Trend. The Sardine Girl (named for the briny delicacy’s culinary ubiquity in Sardinia) appears to be more Euro summer vibes—although what she brings to the table, except for a fish-themed wardrobe, I’m not sure.
She certainly doesn’t appear as fully fleshed out as the viral trends of yore. At least coastal grandma arrived with a bouquet of hydrangeas and a beachside property filled with linen furniture. And those coquette girls are always reading 18th-century literature outside, petting baby animals, and putting bows on everything. Even the tomato girl had all those kerchiefs and linen sets. Sardine girl has no personality (or style) outside of fish.
The Sage Vintage
The Sage Vintage sardine necklace.
She is so committed to the bit that I suspect she is AI-generated—not that there’s anything wrong with a little Italian apertivo-inspired fashion. I understand the Sardine Girl appeal—Euro summer is quite simply gorgeous. Who doesn’t want to be eating fish-covered toast and drinking Campari with the Tyrrhenian Sea breeze on their face? It’s far superior to typing away on a computer while the sun sets outside. But much like all half-baked ideas, Sardine Girl lacks world-building. I don’t really want to be her, and I definitely don’t want to dress like her all summer. Fish-themed sweaters in July? That’s not my fantasy.
Unlike her predecessors, Sardine Girl doesn’t seem like she’s always on vacation. She seems like she’s scrolling vacation photos from her blu-lit bedroom.
Bottega Veneta
Bottega Veneta’s sardine sunglasses.
Sardines are cute, and their fashion potential is, of course, obvious (we love you, Matthieu Blazy!). But tiny fish, though a good source of protein, do not exactly make for a fabulous aura. Perhaps this so-called trend was an attempt to capture the energy of a summer where everyone needs a vacation and no one can afford one. Maybe, sardines popping off is actually a recession indicator. I’m not ruling it out.
However, there’s something fishy about Sardine Girl Summer as a concept. The pieces themselves are adorbs. If you so desire a beaded swimmer bag, please buy one. (I, too, am intrigued by the idea of a gold sardine necklace.) But let’s not force this into a thing, shall we? I’m not buying it.
Read the original article on InStyle
