Personal style: Rejecting trends..

[tott]

Btw, just to clarify: I do think it's a good guideline to wear same colour shoes/accessories, especially if you're dressing more conservatively. A guideline, not a universal law.

 

[Phaeton]

There's this other forum I've visited in the past, don't remember the name, and there is a group of people there who discuss and dissect tailoring, fit and style down to the subatomic level.

Haha, that sounds a lot like the Ask Andy forum to me!

Also there is a blog I like to read often called The Sartorialist where something like this recently happened. When the man who runs it (who, by the way, defintely seems to be more of a rule-breaker) posted some photos of Thom Browne, as well as a man wearing one of his suits on the street, people in the comments portion just absoultely ripped the style apart. Mostly it was an issue with the pants being too short, but there were also a few who had problems with the fit of the jacket, fabric weight, and even the style and fold of the pocket square. Reading the comments on these posts you could just tell from the tone that some of these men didn't merely dislike Browne's work- they felt genuinely threatened by it, which to me seemed a little sad.

On the other hand I have to say that even though the mentality is conservative and by-the-book, when someone follows the rules and puts that much thought into fit, fabric, color and accessories then at least they usually end up looking pretty good. It may not always be creative or individualistic, but it is still aesthetically much better than what most people wear.

 

[Phaeton]

Btw, just to clarify: I do think it's a good guideline to wear same colour shoes/accessories, especially if you're dressing more conservatively. A guideline, not a universal law.

Exactly.

 

[Lena]

fashion rules are there to experiment and have fun with..
but this has nothing to do with rejecting trends.
trying to bring this discussion back on topic,
dare say that rejecting trends has become a trend of its own ?

 

[DaiseyHeadMaizie]

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...

this is exactly the way i feel about trends. when boho was huge it was great to be able to find belts made of coins, colorful silk saris, semi-precious stone jewelry, carved wooden bracelets.... all over the place. with the footless tights trend, i have been wearing them with long tees and tunic tops forever, but i usually have to buy only black from dance supply stores, and now i can stock up on different colors.
i think trends are great because they make things that you already use more available, and because they can show you a different way to do things.
you don't have to study the mainstream fashion magazines and memorize a uniform because that isn't being yourself. i LOVE clothes and i like to be able to adopt a little something from new trends that comes along to make my wardrobe more complex. i don't think that by doing this i'm not representing myself.
one last thought.... it would be silly not to wear something that makes you happy just because you are afraid of people calling you a follower. the people who know you know better and strangers shouldn't really matter enough to actually change the way you live your life.

 

[Kimkhuu]

fashion rules are there to experiment and have fun with..
but this has nothing to do with rejecting trends.
trying to bring this discussion back on topic,
dare say that rejecting trends has become a trend of its own ?

Yes, among the "rejecting trends" crowd, a lot of trends have emerged... Which is ironic in a certain way, but quite expected....

DaiseyHeadMaizie, I agree with you on the fact that trends make the product you like more available.... But I think that having our own style is makes us unique, and if for example your style becomes really trendy, it's quite boring to see everyone dress the same...

 

[Phaeton]

fashion rules are there to experiment and have fun with..
but this has nothing to do with rejecting trends.
trying to bring this discussion back on topic,
dare say that rejecting trends has become a trend of its own ?

Well my point with dressing rules and the example of Thom Browne was that this mentality leads to another reason why a person might reject trends (short pants and tight suits on men in this case). But rather than being about avoiding the clothes because they might become overly popular, badly worn and lose their hipness and uniqueness, this conservative angle rejects the garment at an inherent aesthetic level if it doesn't follow certain guidelines.

 

[saribrett]

I think that it's hard for most people to "reject" trends, especially those who don't know what the trends are. I say this because when a style is trendy, say purple denim (i have no idea where i came up with this...), it's a lot easier to find this purple denim in stores. So someone can stumble across this and decide that they like it, without even knowing that it's a trend. Catch my drift?

 

[Kimkhuu]

^ Very true Saribrett, my best friend is like that.... She doesn't care about fashion really, so when we go shopping, she often stumbles on trendy labels/clothes without even knowing....

 

[blackman]

If you follow a trend to the T - you are expressing yourself as a follower
If you purposely wearing white this winter then black for spring 06 - you are expressing yourself as a rule breaker
If you wear the same thing all the time - you are expressing yourself as a steadfast kind of person, loyal (either loyal to your aesthetic or loyal to your lack of aesthetic)
I am the buy the trend while its cheap kinda girl - I am being thrifty and hopefully subversive by wearing the trend in a way that is diff than expected

I guess what I'm trying to say is that the way you interperate trends can reflect on your character as well as what you are wearing.

 

[Mr-Dale]

Bumping this thread to bring it back to the present time. This way the server switching error will be undone.

 

[Kimkhuu]

The only way to be a rebel nowadays is trying not to stand out (because those who do have created a trend of their own and all look the same), to blend in and be as ordinary looking as possible.

 

[Guessgirl96]

fashion rules are there to experiment and have fun with..
but this has nothing to do with rejecting trends.
trying to bring this discussion back on topic,
dare say that rejecting trends has become a trend of its own ?

I have noticed this a lot. It seems a lot of people dont like something becuase it's mainstream, instead of liking something but not liking that it's mainstream.

 

[gardenpea]

I would say, take a step back and let the trend go a little while to see how you like it and how far it has spreaded in the population. Personnally I'm very careful with trends because of this. I remember the whole poncho/sequin shrug/stripey tees/ugg boots panic last year. Shivers. Everybody wearing the same things or same combo. No thinking, no creativity.

So my advice is: Go to a shop, grab a few trendy stuff and see if it fits you first (eg mid-calf skirts are not for my body type at all no matter how nice I think they are). Try to pick something that is not too obviously trendy or mass-marketed that will mix up well with what you already have. That's what works best to my opinion, interpret the trend YOUR OWN way. And above all, buy something because you like it and it looks good on you not because it's trendy!

 

[dare-]

I have a huge interest in fashion. But as now I'm a bit older (not much, mind you), I'm starting to find it more and more superfluous and oftentimes rediculous. I use to be jealous of women because they had so much more freedom in dress, but now when I see heels to the sky, I can't help but see how enfeebling it makes women look. Ponchos, boho, emo, jeans that show your buttcrack, distressed jeans, stockings, prints, this and that.

If you want to buck trends, aim for maturity, quality, comfort, sophistication, and functionality. Reject all affectation, and especially the most heinous of affectations, simplicity, which was the affectation of the 90s.

missing credits

 

[loubylou]

as an 18 year old i have endured somewhat of a 'fashion desert' as someone else put it throughout my teenage years, as unlike any other recent decade, the 'noughties' has failed to produce any real vivid images, only a series of disjointed and juxtaposing trends. therefore, most people my age tend to fall into two categories: those who latch onto styles and those who have their own style. im happy to admit im somewhere between. whilst i think that buying certain items from current fashions can be fun and exciting, i also feel it is important to have an identity of your own, which can be carried through all seasons. be fashion conscious, not a fashion victim.

 

[TekkaMakki]

I agree that the great thing about trends is that items you might love are available everywhere... on the other hand, it's annoying when you are trying to create your own distinct style, and then the next thing you know everyone's telling you that they have same thing in a different color :/ For instance, I love ballet flats and have two pairs that I'm going to wear all through spring, but all of a sudden ballet flats are a huge trend again and I'm seeing everyone in them! I was annoyed about it for a while, but then I figured that just because you follow some trends doesn't mean you don't have personal style. The trick is to knowing how to combine clothes in unusual ways, or just making a style your own, and I think that I'm slowly getting better at it

 

[Kimkhuu]

If you want to buck trends, aim for maturity, quality, comfort, sophistication, and functionality.

Totally agree with you on that.... There's nothing worse than trying too hard to pull off a trendy look that simply doesn't make sense... being ourselves is what is most important.

 

[fashionista-ta]

Totally agree with you on that.... There's nothing worse than trying too hard to pull off a trendy look that simply doesn't make sense... being ourselves is what is most important.

And also prevents shopping mistakes galore I was appalled by the article in the new Bazaar about the thousands of dollars people have spent on things they've never worn. I can think of only one blouse, bought many years ago on sale, that I never wore, and I'm sure it must've been less than $150.

The article specifically refers to people buying clothes for an alter-ego, or because someone else tells them to, and then never wearing them.

It seems obvious--but buy clothes for you

 

[adorefaith]

nice thread