The fashion and style world has been evolving in significant ways, and our new normals have recently accelerated these changes. They have also solidified my own thoughts on what great style, fashion savvy, and fabulous dress sense is really all about. 

The fickle fashion world has historically thrived with fast changing fashion trends. The idea was that you will look more fabulous if you wear the newest, trendiest, and in some cases more fringe and exclusive silhouettes and combinations. If you don’t, you won’t be as stylish, special and attractive as you could be. If you wear items that are considered dated, then you aren’t as stylish.

Thankfully, we have reached a turning point. We can throw this type of thinking out the window because there is no one way to be stylish. Fashion is less fickle than it used to be. It has become a melting pot of sartorial choices. Increasing diversity in fashion with each passing year means that there is something for everyone. Trends are no longer seasonal — some lasting decades — and fads no longer exist. Trends are becoming harder to define, and at some point they will be irrelevant.

I dutifully report on fashion trends in great detail twice a year because it’s been part of my job for 27 years. It’s a hard habit to break, and an important part of how I keep my pulse on where fashion and style is going. On the other hand, as I wade through countless fashion shows to piece together new emerging trends, I think to myself how unimportant it has become. Fashion has repeated most of our previous fashion eras in some small or large way, and adapted the silhouettes, combinations, and fabrics to suit modern life. That’s why very general themes like Sustainability and Ethics, Do Your Own Thing, Practical Comfort, and Celebrating the Classics keep on coming through, and are so much more meaningful than which bag or shoe is “it” for the season.

I’m finding it hard to think of a dated wardrobe item these days because the defining bench marks are gone, or at least very blurred. We’ve reached the point where there is no “in” or “out”. Every silhouette and proportional mix can look stylish if it’s worn with conviction, confidence, ease, and is a good fit. Wearing decades old items from thrift and consignment stores is on the rise because of its sustainable integrity, and is as popular as buying something trendy and brand new. It is time to say that calling items dated is a somewhat dated concept itself.

Fashion trends are not yet completely irrelevant. They are still fun to ponder and discuss with like-minded fashion folk. I enjoy researching seasonal trends, putting my posts together and sharing them. I also like adding what I think is a more “hot-off-the-press and new” fashion look to my own style from time to time because I’m a fashion professional. It’s not wrong to wear trendy items. If it gives you pleasure, why not! Especially since now they have much more longevity, which makes them more sustainable. I do think it’s important to remember that trends are losing their place as an essential component of one’s personal style. Fashion is fun, but style is not dependent on trends.

We hold the power. An item is only dated when we feel it no longer fits into our style or feels authentic. Whether we’re decked out in trendy items or non-trendy items, we can look fabulously stylish, because, now more than ever, great style is a celebration of individuality. It is also subjective, built from the inside out, and the sum of many parts. If you can wear a wardrobe item, any item, in a way that makes you feel confident, good, empowered, happy, and attractive — go for it.

The annual Nordstrom Anniversary Sale (NAS) is operating differently this year because of COVID-19 restrictions. The sale has been delayed for a month, and is officially open to the public on August 19. Nordstrom cardholders have early access to the sale from August 4 to 18. Your Nordy card status determines when you can purchase online and in stores.

Instead of a catalogue, Nordstrom has made the sales assortment available online for all. You can preview items, and pop items you like into a wish list. You can purchase items on the designated days of your Nordy status during the two weeks of early access. You can also view sales merchandise in stores when you make an appointment with a sales assistant. In-store access to sales items is restrictive, and there are many, many COVID-19 measures in place.

I will not be shopping the NAS with my clientele this year, so I will not be creating my top picks lists with the level of detail about fit, colour, quality, and fabric that you are used to seeing on YLF. I will, though, be sharing top picks over the next few weeks as I navigate the NAS in an adapted way.

The sales assortment is much smaller than in previous years. Items are more basic, minimal, practical, classic, essential and casual — all signs of the times. There are many repeat items, and bestsellers in different fabrics and colours. This approach might seem boring to some, but I think it was a wise and safe way to go. It’s extremely tough for retail right now, so keeping things simple and familiar minimizes risks, returns, uncertainty and frustration. Even so, I wish there was a larger assortment of plus and petite sizes. It’s disappointing that size ranges are not more extended and inclusive. 

I’ve reviewed the items online many times over, and recognize quite a few of them. That’s good news because I’ll be able to share more accurate intel about those items. They are also adding new NAS items to the mix daily, so keep checking back.  In the meantime, I’ve compiled collections of items that I know have been winners with my clients in the past, or have the potential to be winners this year. Think of this as my first shortlist of items at the sale.

There are no detailed descriptions yet, but that will follow as I piece together what I can from the resources I will have available to me over the next few weeks. Be sure to browse the size and colour options.

1. Coats

2. Jackets

3. Cozy Comfies

4. Bottoms

5. Tops

6. Footwear

7. Dresses

8. Accessories

9. Table Top and Kitchen

I have a NAS appointment at the Seattle flagship on my own with a few sales assistants today, but will not be trying anything on. My plan is to have a look at the assortment to get a better sense of what is on offer, and purchase what tickles my fancy online. I will report back on what I see asap.

Remember that if shopping for your own wardrobe is not in the cards at the moment, there’s a good selection of beauty products, underwear, bedding, bath products, home decor, menswear and children’s wear on sale too. I’m also putting in a very good word for our favourite towels.

Cuyana is a women’s fashion brand that is all about incorporating fewer and better items into your wardrobe. It was started by co-founders Karla Gallardo and Shilpa Shah, who encourage customers to create a lean wardrobe of great quality pieces that they will love and treasure for years to come. That’s why the brand prides itself on the relatively timeless integrity of its designs, the use of carefully selected fabrics, precise silhouettes, attention to detail, and a commitment to producing these items responsibly.

Cuyana cares about how each product is made, and its impact on the planet. Over time they have intentionally built their supply chain to support sustainable and ethical production from raw materials to finished product. As far as possible, the brand tries to minimize its carbon footprint by manufacturing in close proximity to their material sources. For example, their Pima cotton is home-grown, spun and made into finished garments all in Peru.

Crafting items with integrity is key if the brand is to maintain its very responsible approach to garment production. Their vendors are small family-run businesses in Europe, South America, China and the United States that support skillful artisan techniques that have largely been left behind by modern mass production. In turn, the mills and factories that they use help support local economies around the world.

The brand wants you to maximize the wear of your items, and offers a 2-year warranty with every item and free repairs. They also provide ways to recycle every product through second-life programmes. Every domestic order in the US includes a thredUP shipping label to encourage you to pare down your closet to fewer, better things, AND pass on your items in ways that avoid landfills.

I’m familiar with the Cuyana brand because it’s popular with some of my clientele and our forum members. I see clean, crisp, beautifully made, luxurious, elegant, minimal, and versatile pieces that can be dressed up or down. Quality and precision jump off the page. Items are solid and neutral. Despite a classic integrity, there is a subtle nod to current trends.

Items are on the pricey side, and there is room to extend size curves beyond an XL, which I hope they do soon. Their handbags are beautiful, and their basic tees go down particularly well with my clients. The simplicity of their items might seem a little strict, classic, and void of fun to some. Instead I see that as an opportunity to adorn, remix, and dress them up YOUR way.

Plenty of sneaker news, sustainable jeans, and other style stories that caught our attention in July.

• New online beauty marketplace Geenie pairs shoppers with beauty brands that align with their values.
• Renowned fashion designer Kansai Yamamoto has passed away at the age of 76.
• Levi’s new Wellthread High Loose Women’s jeans, made with organic cotton and Circulose, is its most sustainable jeans yet.
• Skechers has launched an under-$50, podiatrist-approved sneaker line with Amazon.
• Birkenstock is also foraying further into the sneaker market with the Birkenstock Bend sneaker.
• The new Converse Chuck Taylor All Star Crater is made with 40% recycled content.
• Victoria Beckham is cutting staff at her fashion label by nearly a fifth due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
• 200-year-old retailer Brooks Brothers has filed for bankruptcy.
• For the first time in its 107-year-history, Vanity Fair magazine has featured the work of a Black photographer on its cover.
• The H&M Group will further invest in the circular fashion economy via Sellpy, the re-commerce platform that specializes in selling second-hand clothing.

Fashion Quote

I thought this quote from Rebekah Taussig in Cup of Jo’s Week of Outfits series was food for thought:

“Sometimes I feel like my ability to present myself the way I want to be seen is limited, because the wheelchair is so loud and immediate. As soon as people see me, and my age, and my chair, it’s like they write a story about that in their minds — what it means to them, and what it must mean to me. So, for me, the things that I choose to wear are in part a way for me to control that narrative in some way. I love these wheel covers for that reason — the first time I wore them, they changed the conversation. Instead of asking ridiculous or invasive questions about my chair, people asked me about the artist. Immediately, my wheel covers asserted that life in a disabled body can be engaging and playful and creative.”