Personal style: Rejecting trends..

[twilight fairy]

(Please delete this thread if there is an existing one already..couldn't find one via search though..)

I know this isn't a problem for most tFSers because they have a defined sense of personal style, they know what works for them, how to pull it off, etc.
Unfortunately, it's not the case for those of us who are still finding ways to develop into your own sense of personal style..

Now some of you may know that the prospect of a trend, before it is overhyped, is exciting..
Remember how boho was the big new thing, so exciting and new? And now most us hate the peasant skirts we might've bought at the start of the trend.

How do you pros manage to reject trends, make your way around them? How do you not succumb to the temptation of buying something new and exciting? Trends aren't always bad if they fit your individual style..but what if you assure yourself that you need this piece because you will find a way to work it, and then you don't?
Are there any secrets on dealing with these things, I'm very curious.

 

[faust]

If a certain trend meets your personal style, it's Ok. 70% of my wardrobe is black, and I can assure you I will not be running around looking like a rainbow this fall just because black happened to be a trend.

SEE FOR YOURSELF, is the only advice I have, really. One wil inevitably make mistakes (I have - anyone wants my "G" buckle Gucci belt, by the way?) but you will undoubtedly develop your own style if you take my advice. If a pieces stirs something in you, it's probably right. If you notice yourself trying to like something too had, it's probably not right.

Another simple advice as to how not fall into trends is STOP LOOKING AT MAGAZINES, especially the mainstream ones. If you need to look at magz, because you happen to live in an area where you can't see a lot of clothes in real life, go for more clothes-oriented, rather than celebrity oriented ones. If you must, buy i-D instead of Vogue.

 

[QuirkyCool]

I think that even when you do have your own personal style,most of us incorporate some kind of passing "nod" to current fashion vibes.

I think that doing it well involves knowing yourself very well,knowing what you like,and knowing what suits you.Then if a certain prevalent "look" appeals,even if it isn't something you would usually wear,you'll take from it exactly what you need,and leave the rest.

I despise magazine articles which say "Get the look",or this season's "must-haves"...if you scuttle around the shops "having to buy" a Victorian ruffle shirt,a military jacket and an embroidered "folklore" skirt it can only lead to disaster.

Of course one doesn't *always* go for the same kind of thing...sometimes it is surprising what you find yourself able to wear and to like.I have learnt to become less rigid about "not doing" certain things with time.

Most of all,fashion should be fun.I think that when you're young and trying to find your own style,you can afford to experiment with different looks that appeal to you.If that involves a few episodes of fashion victim-hood,take photos. (Oh,my big polka dot shirt worn with ski pants in the 80's ). Much hilarity later,and you'll never do it again .

It's not a life or death matter,but it is your money,so only buy something if you love it...not because your friends all have it or some celeb is wearing it.And when you like something and think that it suits you,enjoy it and ignore people who loudly declare that they would have done differently!

Good luck and enjoy .

 

[fashionista-ta]

Hmmm ... I have always been pretty much like I am now, in that I didn't like most of what I saw (for me, anyway--I can appreciate things I would never wear), and knew what I liked when I saw it.

I would suggest a pictorial journal ... I think looking at as wide a variety of magazines as possible is a good idea. Tear out everything that appeals to you, then analyze and make collages. If you stick with this process, I'd be kinda surprised if your taste didn't start to refine itself

As far as trends, I'm influenced ... I think almost everyone is, and that's not a bad thing. Influenced is very different from being swept away

 

[Erin]

twilight fairy-

Very interesting topic.

If we're being honest here, I must say, I rarely buy into trends. Simply because I live by one rule - buy I what I, myself, LOVE, whether it's a trend or not. Not to say that I strictly stick to basics and otherwise classic pieces, BUT, I just know that if I buy what I love, even if it is a trend, chances are, I'll still love it when it goes out of style.

 

[Fuuma]

You have to figure out what you "style" is and stick to it for the most part. So even if the outlaw biker look is out you don't care cause that's you and that's it...Then when rhinestone decorated leather chaps come back with a vengeance you just snatch them up cause you'll still be wearing them when Vogue says it's "passe" and "so last year" and Wintour now wears a furry pink cape. I'd say it's still a good idea to buy a few, relatively inexpensive, trendy pieces each season to experiment with a new look, but your main buys should already fit your established concept.

 

[tott]

Influenced is very different from being swept away

I agree about finding your style, be it cashmere lady who lunch, punk princess or hippie. You really should try to find a basic look and feel that's you. You build a basic wardrobe, and then you just buy more of the same things for the rest of your life.

Something I really like is classic clothes and colours, they don't have to be boring. It's all about combinations and styling. You can mix in incredibly "stuffy" pieces and make them work with any style.

 

[faust]

I agree about finding your style, be it cashmere lady who lunch, punk princess or hippie. You really should try to find a basic look and feel that's you. You build a basic wardrobe, and then you just buy more of the same things for the rest of your life.

Something I really like is classic clothes and colours, they don't have to be boring. It's all about combinations and styling. You can mix in incredibly "stuffy" pieces and make them work with any style.

Tott's post made me think of something else (and I apologize for the inherent contradiction) - you MUST suspend terms that box you in (such as, my style is gypsy, punk, ladylike, etc. etc.). If your developed style can be described in these terms - that's fine, but don't let the terms go before your style

 

[renferme]

I rarely buy the big trend items, the ones that the fashion mags rave over and list as 'must haves'. A 'must have' always sounds alarm bells in my head.
Much as I like military jackets, the Chloe Paddington bag, I don't own them
I wear skinny jeans, but I've not gone for the stripey sweater, or a waistcoat. I tell a lie - I bought a vintage military jacket in the Spring, but I never wore it and sold it on ebay in the summer (for three times what I paid for it ) It just felt like too much of a trend thing for me. I knew I'd get bored of it quickly.

Those things seem to end up all over the high street at low prices and then you see them on little children.

I do have a cape, but it's vintage and I've been wearing it since I bought it two years ago and I will continue to because I love it.

I'd never buy something I don't feel comfortable in - so no suits and nothing too lady like and definately no heels. I always, always buy flat shoes.

Fortunately I think there is enough choice in fashion to suit everyone nowadays. We have to be thankful it's not like it was in the 1960's when even if you had awful legs, you had to wear a miniskirt.

Edited to add; This quote is so true - for me

I despise magazine articles which say "Get the look",or this season's "must-haves"...if you scuttle around the shops "having to buy" a Victorian ruffle shirt,a military jacket and an embroidered "folklore" skirt it can only lead to disaster.

As a designer, I've noticed that no one else I know who designs , buys into the trends either, but the buyers: well, I remember several years ago, every buyer who came into my office for weeks had their version of the Prada bowling bag - I guess they're paid to like the trend items!

 

[softgrey]

i think that from a practical point of view this is what you can do....
think about it...don't act on impulse!!!...
if your heart is beating so loudly that you can't hear yourself think...
then you must leave the store to clear your head!!!...


don't rush to buy things at the beginning of each season...
this is when the marketing machine is churning at it's strongest...
all the press and hype around certain 'looks' and 'trends' is what keeps magazines and stores in business...
*this is why we call people fashion victims...
because they fall victim to the 'machine'...
fashion victims are people who don't think for themselves...
they just follow blindly along with whatever they see everyone else doing...
whether it looks good or not......

wait a month or so...
it probably won't be the right weather to wear the new trends right away anyway...
see if you are still really loving that military jacket or embroidered skirt...

think of how you will wear it with what you already have in your closet...
if you can come up with at least 3 different outfits...
then i say go for it....

*and who knows...
by then it may be on sale......

good luck...

 

[emi25]

^^^you are so right!

 

[fashionista-ta]

Just wanted to add ... for most people, it's not about rejecting trends altogether ... it's just about distinguishing between which are you and which aren't, which will fold nicely into your current wardrobe, and which won't. (I remember starting a thread about which fall must-haves people were & weren't having, and pretty much everyone was having some of them )

I do shop at the beginning of the season (shopping now for spring ), but I know exactly what I want, and want to be sure I don't miss it. Also, spring weather starts early here, in February ...

 

[Lena]

i certainly dont buy trends, simply because they arent worth the money..
they can get ridiculous in a very short while, i prefer 'classic' pieces thrown together with very 'individual' pieces usually found in vintage shops or in charity sales

admiting i go to extremes to avoid mainstream trends, eg. this winter is just say no to black.. just because everyone (and their dog) is wearing it.

my advice: do as you please, being eclectic your own way works best, its all about personal style and following your heart.. just pay no attention to celebrity styles, do it your own sweet way t.f

 

[FemmeFeline]

Wear what conveys your message

Early on in my teenage years I really had no clue about what looked good on me, what quality was, or which trends I should follow. Now that I am early 20's, I know exactly what I want and what looks good on me. I used to look at what my friends were wearing, and because of my lack of confidence I would take my fashion cues from other people. Then I hit a point in my life and I thought, " Wait a minute.... I am a unique, beautiful woman, who has traveled to 23 countries and has so many different cultural influences. Why
should I follow everyone else?". And that was it... I started to dress exactly how I wanted to dress... and now buying the perfect pieces is so easy because I know that if I don't fall in love with it right away, its not for me.
If that piece doesn't strike me as original or captivating... then I put back on the rack. I think one of the biggest lessons to learn with how you dress is to not be so self conscious if you don't look like everyone else around you;
and to draw from your experiences in life to reflect through your style. Or, what I do is I imagine myself in a different time or place and what kind of persona I want to portray and how I can do that with subtlety in my wardrobe. I want little hints of the various dimensions of my person to show through how I dress. I am not sure if this makes sense to anyone else.... but I hope this helps someone out a bit.

 

[Lena]

karma for femmefeline's excellent post

 

[calexico]

Tott's post made me think of something else (and I apologize for the inherent contradiction) - you MUST suspend terms that box you in (such as, my style is gypsy, punk, ladylike, etc. etc.). If your developed style can be described in these terms - that's fine, but don't let the terms go before your style

true true true. well said.
i find that the moment you name something... you limit its possibilities...
it is lost in the labelling...
fitting it into a predetermined category only suffocates it...

 

[cosmocat]

Good thread. The problem is when you already love the look that becomes 'trendy', this is happening increasingly with me (and I'm sure others) as the high street and celbrity stylists becomes more fashion concious. Sometimes you have to put the item on the shelf until it all dies down or think of a completely strange way to wear it.

 

[softgrey]

but sometimes it's really handy when something you love becomes a massive trend because you can find so many things at very reasonable prices...

then you can just keep wearing them once the masses have moved on...

 

[Pastry]

*and who knows...
by then it may be on sale......

true dat

my advice:
- sound like a thing of the past, but I stay to more or less classic shapes. understandable when it comes to suits, etc. but shoes..imo one should stick to softer rounder toes rather than mary janes or aggresively spikey heels.

- accessories in general of course complete the outfit, but i think uncomplicated styles work like a dream. Penny loafers, platform pumps, softly-shaped bags/messengers, flat shoes..

- third piece of advice may is touchy, but i belive that dark colours look more expensive, neat, interesting..i have never worn anything bright. even if a usually bright colour like pink has the right saturation (not bright) it looks far better



- when shopping..well, the old don't-fall-for-impulses. if you can get that one down, you'll do yourself good. i sort of deliberate over the item. if it's the last one, there is always the return policy. i do these things because i've been burnt. things look different out of context of the shop, the styling, etc..

 

[twilight fairy]

Wow you guys gave so much valuable, logical advice!
Thanks so much.