After the nineties showcased a range of loose threads and low cuts, our fashion industry moved from its boxy belt lines to custom fits and skintight looks. We’re now seventeen years out of that old look, and walking right back into the oversized trend once more.

Over the centuries, fashion has gone from Marie Antoinette’s gaudy bodices to something much more geometric. The square-like threads you see in futuristic movies may not be as far out as you think. Sans shoulder pads, our generation is loving on the overcoat, the wide leg pant, the crisp tee.

What made us jump back into this?

People sway back and forth, blaming the battle on body image, cursing the technical gods, raving that we’re turning ourselves into smart phones. Maybe we are. Whatever the inspiration behind our geometric fetish, the oversized look is in and thriving, and providing a fashionable feast for our eyes and bodies

How do we dip into this look without looking like a blob of fashion?

A mix of slouchy t-shirts and proportioned overcoatshold weight when we let ourselves be tight in other areas. An exposed ankle, a tight sock, skinny shoes—giving yourself the balance you need to avoid looking like a heap of fabric. When we choose a wide leg pant, we should give ourselves a tighter top. When we slip into a clunky sweater, we should be cinched around the legs.

Fashion, like a studied art, is madly dependent on proportion and balance. And even in our fix-it generation, where apps can tell you what to wear, only the human eye can answer that question.