Is It Bad To Be Trendy?
Trends are fun, attractive and make you feel like you are a part of something bigger...and you simply just feel co0o0ol when you are "on trend"...
Yet, I talk a lot of $h*T about trends, because they encourage the everyday consumer to buy, toss, buy, toss, buy... and so on and so on. It isn't that I don't want people to feel "in", modern or play with new concepts that come out. It is that trends are driven to the everyday consumer by fast fashion brands which knock off runway looks, artisans, influencer's style etc. They are created quickly without sizing/fit being heavily considered which gets us used to superrr low quality standards, ridiculously (sketchy) cheap price tags, confusing sizing that makes us feel terrible about ourselves and fit that just doesn't do anyone any favors.
We have all gotten used to grabbing these cute, cheap, trendy pieces of clothing and thinking it is the only option we have...and although that is partially kinda true in some ways, it isn't the whole truth! If we understand our personal style and focus on fit and quality we can have fun with trends while not letting them dominate our closets & style.
Trends tend to create a constant feeling of needing to keep up, and that is superrrrr hard (it is actually impossible) to ever feel fully caught up in fast fashion. In today's world we have trends thrown at us from more than just the magazines and runways like we did in the past. Social media & social media influencers have so much power on trends now. Instead of trends starting at the top and working their way down to the masses it is a bit different than it once was and trends work their way up, down and side ways, and thennnn they trickle their way back down to the masses.
Since social media is such an integrate part of our days we are are constantly hit with the urge to get the shiny new new. I know this feeling and find myself fighting it often. I am a clothes/style/fashion lover and I want to wear and love it all, but the rat race sucks and like I said it is impossible to keep up and it ends up just making us feel bad and we end up owning wayyyy too much but never feel like we have anything to wear.
I see this often with my Wardrobe Development clients. People constantly shop for what is just "cute" and end up having a jam packed closet, but when they enter it is doesn't make them feel good and the pieces don't necessarily work together so the wardrobe as a whole isn't versatile enough to work for the wearer.
Then this brings on lots of feeling of guilty and confusion because you have all these clothes, but have nothing to wear and that feels ridiculous, BUT it isn't ridiculous. You really don't have anything to wear because you haven't thought about your closet from a stand point of YOU and you haven't thought about your wardrobe as a big puzzle yet.
Each piece that you bring in should compliment the next and help make the entire collection stronger. If you only had a matter of seconds to throw on an outfit you should be able to throw something on that makes you feel attractive, powerful and chic no matter what. Trends make this very difficult.
I often see people out in the world wearing clothing that are wearing them, instead of the person wearing the clothing. The wearer looks decorated and kindaaa cookie cutter.
I find that when someone looks superrrrr uber trendy, all you can see are the trends and the person becomes the back drop... and I think this is a huge disservice to the wearer.
I strongly believe that chasing trends dilutes personal style BIG TIME.
If you understand yourself, your body and your personal style you can take part in trends, but in a way that works for you instead of against you - when we chase trends with no understanding of ourselves and without having a well thought out foundation it is impossible to take on trends successfully.
It is important to have the clothes you wear work for you and not work against you.
SO WHAT DO YOU DO IF YOU LOVE TRENDS BUT WANT TO FEEL GOOD IN THE LONG RUN & CREATE A MORE SUSTAINABLE WARDROBE YOU ASK?!?
#1: FIGURE OUT, DEFINE & CHASE YOUR PERSONAL STYLE
If you want to take part in trends I would suggest figuring out your personal style first!
Give yourself some descriptive words to describe what you love/your style.
Mine would personally be something like:
Bohemian chic with a dash of edginess, a scoop of feminine flare, a sprinkle of casual minimalism with a sliver of sporty coastal vibes
^^^So as you can see defining your personal style doesn't have to box you in.
I find myself attracted to a lot of different styles, but since I understand myyyyy style I know how to make those different things work for me.
I would suggest creating a mood board (Pinterest is ideal for this) and only pin outfits you would actually see yourself wearing and build yourself a visual to help you understand what you love.
Figuring out your personal style also has a lot to do with your lifestyle and realistic needs. If you are a nurse and mama who loves to garden and lives in suburbs youuuu probably don't need 5 matching hip matching suit sets and 20 pairs of strappy high heels. You need to dress and buy things you will actually wear! If you love these concepts, you don't need to deprive yourself from them but just go about them in a way that works better for YOU and your life.
Are you seeing a trend here....? It is alllllll about YOUUUUU!
An example of taking these hip trends and making them work for YOU is:
> Break up the suit sets! Take the over-sized boyfriend blazer and pair it with a crisp white t-shirt tucked into high-rise light wash jeans. Finish it off with some small chunky gold hoops and a sleek chelsea boot or sleek all white sneaker.
> Pick the strappy look but in a more practical shoe. If you love the high heeled strappy look but never have a chance to wear strappy high-heels, go for a flat sandal full of ties and straps instead!
#2: CREATE A STRONG CORE FOUNDATION & GET YOUR WARDROBE IN A PLACE FOR EVOLVEMENT
This is important because once you have a strong foundation, throwing in a fun trend or statement item can happen effortlessly.
You have to simplify the core of your wardrobe and just get the basics covered by focusing allllll on the fit, quality and colors that work for you.
- Quality: Understand fabrics and learn to take care of your clothing better!
- Keep basics simple and stay in blacks, whites and grays for your staples.
***You don't need every color under the sun in t-shirts, leggings or tank tops. I always suggest keeping all the basic staples white or black to start because it keeps it simple and makes getting dressed sooooo much easier. Trust me on this.
Then build the core of the wardrobe into a timeless foundation, thennnnn you can build off of that and thoughtfully jump onto trends.
You will need to go through and audit your closet because adding anything new in.
>>> Figure out what makes you happy, what you hate, what you like but don't know what to do with and then create a list of needs based on your analyzing!
I would also recommend giving some attention to how your closet and dressers are organized. This is a biggggg one that seems like an after thought, but it is key to how easy it is for you to get dressed each morning and how easy it is to keep track of what you have.
Get yourself some space saving hangers, shelf & drawer dividers, bins and under the bed storage containers and a shoe rack!
(Shoes should not be piled in baskets....EVERRRRR! It distresses them and makes them lose their shape quickly. I see this in almost every closet I do into)
Think about the prime real-estate of your closet and organize it accordingly. Example:
If you have 10 "I have been here sweatshirts" or t-shirts from collage that you just can't part with, make sure they aren't taking up the prime spots in your closet. They should not be the first thing you see when you walk in. They should be tucked away (in a bin in the attic or a container under the bed) and save space for your staples and statement pieces.
I bet you would pull for better looks if you closet is thoughtfully organized!
#3: FOCUS ON THE FIT & WHAT FLATTERS YOU
Fit is also going to be a huge part of taking part on trends. You gotta consider how the trend fits you and if it flatters YOU. The idea of the trend can sometimes be cool, but the look of it isn't always going to work on you. Focus on how it feels and fits and don't take part in it JUST to take part in it or because it looked cool on someone else.
Understand that if you shop at places that sell cheap, fast fashion - that the sizing is usually weird and doesn't fit well because it hasn't been carefully considered or developed during production and it isn't because if your body.
Focus on what feels good on your skin and shapes that flatter your figure as a whole.
Don't beat yourself up and blame your body for your clothing not looking so hot on you.
Figure out the shapes and fit that make you feel good instead. It is all about composition!
I know this is easier said than done, but if you buy into better quality and take care of your clothing better after it is purchased it will feel better on you and give you more confidence.
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Hope this helped you find some clarity in trends and how to approach them!
If you want to know more or if you feel super overwhelmed by tackling your wardrobe alone, please feel free to reach out to me! I am here to help!
Let me know if you found this helpful!!
Thank you for reading!
XOXO
Georgia Caroline // RUBA RUBA