It’s happened quite a few times: someone asks me in conversation if an element of fashion – a texture, a color, an idea – is on trend for the season, and I spout my knee-jerk reaction: “I guess. I don’t know”. (The other reaction I never voice is, “Why do you care? if you like it, wear it!”) They inevitably say, “You don’t know? How can you be a fashion blogger and not know what the trends are?”
While I don’t consider myself to fit under that particular title anymore (and probably precisely for this reason, among others) it’s not an absurd question. I’ve pondered it a lot. I’ll stumble across trends like anyone, catching a post about them on a favorite blog or spying them on Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, et cetera. They’re so focused on and in demand that, in my experience, they become pretty obvious when you spend an afternoon out shopping. I’ll even write about them here, occasionally, when they magically coincide with what’s on my mind and I have that little light bulb moment. But on the whole I won’t go looking for them, I won’t ask about them, I won’t cater my shopping habits to them…in short, I don’t really care about them. I explain this to people and have the urge to add an, “Isn’t that terrible?” or an, “It’s sad, I know”. Luckily, I don’t think I’ve ever let those slip out.
To feel dictated to by fashion takes the fun out of it. When you’re on the same page with the trends it’s wonderful; last year eggplant was having a moment for me and I thanked my lucky stars that it was everywhere. A few years ago I was obsessed with the vivid cobalt that’s been immovable from the industry lately, but it took me several seasons before I was able to find it in a pair of denim pants. Ahead of the curve? Maybe. Lucky? More likely.
I love runway shows, I love the thrill of Fashion Week every season, but it doesn’t define my understanding of style. Coco Chanel – as anyone would inevitable quote on this topic – said that fashion has to do with ideas and our lives as we know them; our passions, even. It’s about expression, and another person’s own shouldn’t direct ours. Fall strikes me every year as being much more focused on trends than spring and summer (or maybe that’s just my own perception). In the fall everyone talks about what the fashion forecast is, the fabrics, the colors – seriously, the colors – and it’s my favorite season so I’m not really going to have much of a disagreement if wine is on trend, or burnt oranges, or greys. Tall boots and sweaters, bring it on. Add in a deep burgundy lip, give me a Pumpkin Spice Latte and a book and I’m a very happy girl. Tell me that this fall is all about neon and I will leave you to your imaginings.
I think it would be a unique goal to use this season as an opportunity to build your own fashion forecast. What do you love, in this moment? What styles speak to you and your mood for the fall? Take in a few things from the industry – I’m partial to the rich burgundies and the baroque scene – but revel in the fact that fall is about reinvention as much as any season, maybe more. Why not take it from there?
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
I always pick my own signature color each fall/winter.
I’ll have to see what color comes to me this year.
Great post.
How gorg is that coat?
Thank you for this post! I was just thinking about this today, and I totally agree with you!
For me, I like to know what people WANT to wear, but for my personal style, I always dress how I want regardless of trends. Also, the same trends re-emerge like every other season. It’s just a cleaver way for brands to market to consumers and pressure them to buy mass produced trends.
“Tell me that this fall is all about neon and I will leave you to your imaginings.”
yes, this. and i definitely agree with Courtney above that trends re-emerge so rapidly that it actually becomes funny. the way the fashion world can whip themselves into a frenzy about the new _____ when we all still remember them pushing it only a few years ago can be comical. i think as we get older we become more aware of this and it allows ourselves to let go of that way of thinking and move toward developing our own signature style – one that may add a few new pieces each season, but that is also not defined by what might suddenly be EVERYWHERE at that time period.
i really enjoy fashion weeks as well but I tend to look at it as art rather than dictating what I have to buy 6 months from now. There are people for whom the super-trendy thing works wonderfully, but that just ain’t me
i tend to skew rather preppy anyway, and that has barely changed in 40 years, which helps haha. but i always get a kick out of when “classic” and “preppy” are “back” in “style.” I always seem to lose the memo when it goes back out 
You know how I feel. I’m not going to wear something I don’t like just because it’s on trend. However, I love trying new things and if I happen to love it than I’ll wear it. With fashion (and everything else in life, really) you have to stay true to yourself.
But I also think most people who love a certain style during any season don’t realize that it’s probably on trend in some way or has been not too long ago. Most places carry whatever is going to be a hit for the season.
THIS.
Honestly, I say wear whatever you want! I feel like people gravitate towards brighter colours in the summer and darker colours in the winter just because of the weather, so I GUESS you could say I follow the trends (or is it the other way around? haha…), but yeah, if neon was in style right now I just COULDN’T.
Also, I kind of feel like it’s hard to describe trends now because it seems like everything is in style, no?
Equestrian-style boots + dark lippy + (decaf + soy milk) pumpkin spice latte + book = heaven, pretty much.
That trench coat is gorgeous!
What I’m loving now: dark jeans; layering tank tops with sheer tops with blazers because the weather is super wonky right now; red lippy, but I’ve been in a state of burgundy-wine-coloured lippy craving; I have school really early this semester, so I’m looking around for comfy-chic soft sweaters!
But this post totally gets the point of trends, yay!
- Laura
I LOVE this post. So many great points, and it’s so well written. I am the same way — I like to stay on top of what looks & worst best for me when it comes to fashion and I try to not follow suit with all of the trends. (Although, sometimes, if it works for me I absolutely will embrace it!)
I love that burgundy is having a resurgence! I’ve been a fan of navy, even when sales clerks would sneeringly tell me “We haven’t had navy for years.” and I feel the same way about burgundy- it’s a neutral and the perfect antidote to black or brown. To me navy says, I could kick your ass but I don’t need to. Real power.