“I follow fashion, but I do not follow fashion blindly”.
The fashion world has taken us for a spin in these last few years with the varying rotations of styles; from fitted dresses to baggy denim, and then back around to the vintage vibes yet modern Kanye fits. How do you follow fashion trends while still maintaining your style and values? How do you shop when the stores you love have such a combination of styles?
Use the Fashion World as Inspiration
Flip through your favourite fashion magazines such as Vogue or Elle, browse your favourite fashion site, and build an inspiration board either in your mind, on paper (keep a page in your planner for ideas), or electronically (Canva or even Word will do the trick). Make notes of colours, patterns, and outfit ideas and combinations. Write down the brands that catch your attention; you’ll likely want to go back to them for more inspiration later.
Another little activity I’ve always liked to do is find a few “muses” that you can get inspired from. Find someone who has a similar body shape to yours, as well as someone who has the type of style that you like – in a perfect world this would be one person, but I do think this is doable; at least to some extent. Always keep in mind though that not everything is as perfect in photos as it is in reality. So perhaps that influencer with the perfectly fitted jeans is just modelling an outfit, and in reality, those jeans are tucked in the back, for example.
Again, it’s all about the inspiration here, build yourself a space to get creative.
Invest in Pieces you Love and Want to Wear (those two need to work together)
Imagine stepping into your closet and not knowing what to wear because you want to wear it all! Is that even possible? Yes, yes it is. A well-curated closet gives you that piece of mind because you love all of your pieces and are ready to style every one of them endlessly.
One of the strongest points I consistently make on this topic is the importance of investing in pieces that you love and want to/will wear. You can very easily love an item, but not want to wear it – that happens to every one of us. For example, you can be completely in love with The Super Puff™ Shorty – Hi-Gloss at Aritzia, but as you’re standing in line to purchase it, you must think deeply – when and how will I wear it – then it’s not for you. Just because it looks good on your friend and you see just about everyone wearing it, doesn’t justify that you will. You CAN love different pieces but only love looking at them, and not love wearing them.
Adjust Trends to Suit Your Style
Sometimes aligning to a new fashion trend is as simple as adjusting the piece. For example, the colour burgundy is on high style alert right now, and if you want to give it a try but do not like wearing burgundy clothes, why not try incorporating the colour into your accessories? Demellier makes a beautiful burgundy tote bag and Lebrand offers a trendy burgundy bandana scarf, as an example.
The “I’ll Wear It Later” Excuse
The I’ll Wear It Later excuse is the oldest in the books – but it just doesn’t apply anymore. The same thing goes for the “save it for later” theory. Don’t purchase an item with the idea that you will “wear it later”. If you’re not excited to wear it now, then you will not wear it later. If this piece does not compliment your body or style in the current moment, then put it back where you found it and walk away. If you are shopping for something to wear “now” then stick to it. Unless it’s a vintage Chanel blazer or pretty bikini that’s on sale; then there’s some room for debate.
There are of course some exceptions to this rule, such as a classic cut blazer, or a little black dress, for example. But the exemptions are pieces that fit into your curated closet checklist and are in line with your closet colour story and style vision.
For the Love and Feel-Good Moments
Most importantly; purchase and invest in pieces that you look and feel good in; those balloon jeans or crop tops aren’t flattering for everyone. This last point is a beautiful combination of the above points. No matter what the “current fashion” dictates, no matter what others are wearing, if you are wearing clothes and accessories that you love and feel comfortable in, then you will look amazing.
Having style does not require following fashion trends, it requires having logic and knowledge of your outfit values to follow.
