What constitutes a genuine trend?

[666tubeamp]

Sorry if this is a dumb or obvious question, but I keep reading that leather is "big" this fall. Aside from being very happy about that [yes, I love my leather - I should have been born in Germany ], the same words were used to describe last fall. Soooo, my question is, if something is "in" for two years running, is that still considered a trend or is it an indication that something - and it need not be leather, I'm just using that as an example - has attained a higher degree of general "staying power", if you will?

Educate me, please

 

[gius]

i think when they say something is in.. it's usually the mass media.. magazines, tv.. it's a marketing tactic. "we say yellow is in so you will come buy everything we have that is yellow." leather to me is sort of classic than a trend.. there is a great amount of people who will always like and wear it (or faux)

but i do think trends aren't usually seasonal.. they last several seasons.. it can be one idea that will evolve in slightly different directions over time
like influence from athletic and sportswear in 2007 ..you see dresses with anorak detailing or technical fabrics.. in time i also saw it mixing with "green" ideas like an earth coloured tee shirt but done in a shiny activewear fabric or synthetic material that is biodegradable, sustainable...

 

[Scott]

generally it's an idea or stylisation that's repetitive. usually amongst the mainstream.

 

[gius]

right exactly.. a trend something you can't hold in your hands
a concept, style ...

especially if you look in trends books it's not about a specific material or plaid or houndstooth.. it's always an idea... a mood for the seasons...

 

[ediewho]

yeah i think when something gets very popular as a great becomes a trend so everybody wear it... even when they don't even stick much on the trend or don't fit 'em...yeah it could be that way argh hahah... and everybody love it in a seasonal way... then it's time to search for another thing or something if you don't want to be a copy cat until people get bored if that was your style before it became trendy... even having a such a persdonal style its hard to get away from the trend persecution cause is at any shop , at any magazine... I think we all get someway infected by trends.. maybe its just as natural as breathing... but when a trend is too exploited tend to fall massively or it used to be like that in other decades and eras... cause there were more specific trends in the 50s, 60s and 70s, 80s and even 90s... now its all a mix and reinvention isn't it?

i think even if you go against- the-trend you are following a trend that consist on avoid that trend.... yeeeeh to cryptic maybe this last bit...but in a way its true!

 

[John_M.]

I think a trend begins with a certain style. It can range from a celebrity wearing something a certain way, to an average Joe or Jill who notoriously wears something that becomes fashionable or fun. It continues with others wanting to sport that same look. And when it seems like multiple people are sporting a specific style... you got a trend.

The key in fashion is inspiration. Without inspiration, you're basically just throwing together clothes. Inspiration may even come along with pieces inspired by celebrities, musicians, athletes, etc. I am even reminded in the late 1990s of message T-shirts saying stuff like "I Have the Golden Ticket" and "Dump Him." But I think for it to become a trend, you have to see lots of people sporting one style or wearing a certain style in different ways. Like when lots of people wore skulls (you know how I feel about this, so I won't waste your precious time), it was because someone got looks to sell, and it caught on with people. Do you have to follow trends? Absolutely not. But if there is a style you love, I'm sure you'll want to sport someone else's look and style with your own personal flair.

The thread is about GENUINE trends, and sometimes, genuine doesn't always mean following design cues from designers and stylists. It can be from average people who probably aren't even trying to look stylish or cool. As the name of an old movie suggests, "Gold is Where You Find It."

 

[Couture_Tribe]

Trend is anything with a pattern towards a certain direction or a certain behaviour.

In fashion, it is just a start point for the fashion designers based on new ideas, new fabrics, new technology. If a certain color, mood or theme is "in" or something is "new", designers have their own spin or twist to develope the what is to be the next trend, then it goes onto the runway, promoted through the mass media and eventually accepted by the mainstream.