https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/does-following-trends-help-or-hinder-personal-style Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Wed, 13 May 2026 12:04:44 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/does-following-trends-help-or-hinder-personal-style#post-874479 Mon, 11 Mar 2013 15:02:46 +0000 Angie 874479@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>You're hilarious, Gaylene. No Failed Fashionistas on YLF :). I LOVE wearing trends - yet there are *many* I refuse to wear. It's empowering to confidently filter through them. It's one of the reasons I love fashion. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/does-following-trends-help-or-hinder-personal-style#post-874426 Mon, 11 Mar 2013 14:14:10 +0000 Anonymous 874426@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Gaylene, thanks for starting this thread. I struggle with many of these issues, too. I love that YLF has introduced me to trends. I'm finding that I'm more open-minded about giving new things a shot, or at the very least, admiring the look on others.</p> <p>At the end of the day, I pretty much know who I am, style-wise. Even when I know about the trends, I tend to gravitate toward the same types of items and silhouettes, most of which are fairly simple. I'll pick up on a trend if it fits who I am already. I am not a maximalist nor a magpie nor a trend lover. (Though I love those approaches for others!) I favor clean, uncluttered and straightforward, which is a pretty apt description of my personality in general. My biggest fashion fear is coming across as overly conservative, which at my age (early '30s) isn't usually regarded as a good thing. However, I often get compliments on my sense of style from my superiors at work, which tells me I'm doing something right. It also makes me laugh because in my personal life, I feel so under-styled, especially compared to my beautiful magpie sisters, with whom I spend a lot of time!</p> <p>I believe that if you're making an effort to refresh your wardrobe, within the bounds of your personal style, your look won't be dated. Same goes for hairstyle and makeup, I think. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/does-following-trends-help-or-hinder-personal-style#post-874404 Mon, 11 Mar 2013 13:54:05 +0000 ironkurtin 874404@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I only wear trends if they appeal to me. Just as when pants don't fit, it's the pants, not me, if trends aren't hitting my hot button, then I pass on the trend. But it's always fun to see what new looks and shouettes are out there even if they don't suit my personality or body type. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/does-following-trends-help-or-hinder-personal-style#post-874374 Mon, 11 Mar 2013 13:21:55 +0000 Mander 874374@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Funny, I have been pondering this same question lately! I feel like I've been "sitting out" the trends for years now, although that's probably not strictly true. So many things that have been trendy and popular just don't appeal to me at all. I'm vaguely worried that this is exactly how those ladies I see now and then wearing outfits that even *I* can see are ill-fitting and dated got to be frumpy -- because they just don't like the clothes that are available today. I could easily be the same, and in fact I already am to a certain extent. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/does-following-trends-help-or-hinder-personal-style#post-874265 Mon, 11 Mar 2013 11:21:34 +0000 ramya 874265@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Hmmm ther is something about me that never lets me buy certain items just because they are in fashion.<br /> Peplum, harware are some of them...</p> <p>Some I love and easily incorporate it into my style: moto jacket for once.</p> <p>So yes trends are fun. But do I adapt all? Probably no. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/does-following-trends-help-or-hinder-personal-style#post-874259 Mon, 11 Mar 2013 11:13:40 +0000 Molly L-R 874259@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I tend not to follow trends unless they're something I really like already. For certain trends it seems like every shop does their own version of it, everybody on the street is wearing it and it dates really quickly. In the UK in 2010 there was a microtrend for t-shirts with white and black or navy horizontal stripes with a big red poppy printed over the top. These t-shirts were in every shop and I got so sick of seeing them. If somebody wore one today, it'd look so out of date. I fear mixed media jackets may go the same way.</p> <p>So, yes, I'm not excited by this spring's trends and so won't be participating. However, I'm very excited by the news that tartan and tweed will be big for A/W 2013 and this is something I do plan to participate in. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/does-following-trends-help-or-hinder-personal-style#post-873838 Mon, 11 Mar 2013 00:09:05 +0000 Gaylene 873838@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>And thank you, Angie, for giving me "permission" to not feel like I'm a FF (Failed Fashionista) because so many trends give me the shudders. And, Claire, those leading the pack need to have laggards so their purged Celine coats can go to a good home! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/does-following-trends-help-or-hinder-personal-style#post-873819 Sun, 10 Mar 2013 23:55:42 +0000 Angie 873819@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>That sounds like a great plan, Gaylene :). You've found your way to manage and filter trends that keeps your style journey fun, and your style current. Fantastic! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/does-following-trends-help-or-hinder-personal-style#post-873817 Sun, 10 Mar 2013 23:53:38 +0000 Anonymous 873817@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>What a beautiful response you just added Gaylene, summing everything up nicely. I'm a pretty classic dresser, and I'm almost embarrassed at how ho-hum my outfits must seem to those more on the cutting edge of fashion. But I'm paying attention to more trends than I would have been if it weren't for YLF. I'm wearing pointy-toed flats, but that's because I've always loved them. In any case mine aren't the "new look" point-y toes, but the ones from the fringe trend a year or so ago. I have changed my pencil skirts to high-waisted pencil skirts (works better for my proportions that way) and my jeans are more straight now than skinny. I once read a description of a Classic that said something like "she only switches to a new trend once it has become established". For me, and for the people that I come into contact with, that seems plenty trendy enough. I don't think you're in any danger of descent into Frumpville! I think you're probably just very secure in what works for you. Your interest in fashion and YLF will keep you safe from the abyss! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/does-following-trends-help-or-hinder-personal-style#post-873673 Sun, 10 Mar 2013 21:26:23 +0000 Gaylene 873673@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I had to run after posting yesterday, so I didn't get a chance to scroll through all the responses until now. A big thank you for all the comments; they have really helped me sort through my conflicting emotions.</p> <p>Vildy, your last paragraph really sums up my feelings. Experimenting just doesn't seem to work for me like it does for so many others. I usually end up feeling strange and uncomfortable instead of fashionable.</p> <p>Unfrumped, Kalli, Mo, Rae, and Joy--I guess it's the "refresh", "tweaking", and "trend filtering" aspects that make me doubt my ability to avoid wardrobe frumpdom. I'm totally happy to hand over my credit card for another pair of Fluevog boots, but those metallic oxfords and mixed media tops (both of which I actually own, BTW) seem to be such a challenge to style in a way that seems right. The Fluevogs, on the other hand, are totally dependable. And easy seems so--easy?</p> <p>Becky, maybe we need to to start a sub-section of this forum--NTFs--Non-Trendy Fashionistas? ;)</p> <p>Day Vies, my experience is almost the exact opposite. I found following trends fun when I was younger, but now, in my 60s, find it much more difficult to figure out how to interpret so many of the current trends in a way that feels right for me.</p> <p>Shevia, it's the choice that makes this difficult. I mean, if style icons can wear the same uniform for years, why can't I? But you've expressed my fear: will my "uniform" be as well received as, say, Kate Hepburn's--or will I just look like a dumpy, frumpy old lady?</p> <p>Deborah--Yes, it feels so odd that experimenting can have exactly the opposite result to what is intended. Instead of expanding my options, it makes me want to focus (that sounds so better than "retreat", doesn't it?) and narrow my wardrobe. And your goal sounds much the same as mine; I don't want my style to just be a reflection of my love for fashion; I want it to be a reflection of ALL of me.</p> <p>Suz and Denise, the need for an entire wardrobe overhaul after losing weight was the catalyst for my joining YLF and did result in a lot of experimenting. But, in reflecting back, I've always had a fairly defined personal style so the experimenting, instead of helping, just made me unsure of my style. I think Suz's point about one's fashion persona makes a lot of sense--trends are a lifeblood for some but a source of confusion for others. I think I fall into the latter category.</p> <p>Anna, it's funny that you feel the need to defend being trendy. To me, it's my desire to stay with the tried and true that seems at odds for someone who professes a love for fashion. On the other hand, your fearless willingness to experiment with trends seems to me to be the essence of a true fashion lover.</p> <p>Ornella, your point about not having body shape that works with traditionally feminine clothes really resonates. I guess I found years ago that a streamlined, more dramatic, style worked well for me. When this look is trending, it seems like a such natural extension of what I'm already wearing that incorporating doesn't seem like following a trend--more like, whoa, everyone is starting to dress like me. ;)</p> <p>R&amp;J and Irene, your method of incorporating a trend if it fits your style seems to be a good mid-ground, but I sometimes think having a strong personal style means that you can quite easily sit out several seasons without wanting to adopt anything new. That, in essence, is what I'm struggling with these days. (ETA: But Angie's comment below is SO reassuring!)</p> <p>Krishnidoux, hmm, you raised a really good point about intent. The choice to ignore or to incorporate fashion trends, as long as it is deliberate, can have quite a different vibe than just looking unaware of what is happening in the fashion world.</p> <p>Angie, thanks for popping in. I knew you'd have a good perspective on this topic because of your work with your clients. Reassessing a wardrobe every 3-5 years seems much more doable for me than purging and editing every season, or even every year. I love watching fashion from the sidelines, but the thought of trying to re-work silhouettes, shapes, and styles constantly doesn't thrill me--more like exhausts me. It's enormously reassuring to know "fashion now" can mean a couple of seasons old, not just what is currently being shown on the runway and in the stores. I promise to toss those blocky, square-toed shoes from 6-8 years ago, but I'll wear my two-year-old, wedged espadrilles more confidently this summer. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/does-following-trends-help-or-hinder-personal-style#post-873360 Sun, 10 Mar 2013 15:44:22 +0000 Angie 873360@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>This is a great question, which I think is 100% relative to where your style is right now. AND to what extent you want to be on trend. Here are some candid thoughts that span both ends of the spectrum with my clients: </p> <p>- One the one end, there is no need to update your look seasonally if your look is already current, and you're just not a trendy dresser and not all that interested in fashion. But you will probably need to replenish and reassess shapes in 5 years.</p> <p>- On the other end of the spectrum, if wearing fashion forward trends, being an early adopter or even ahead of the fashion curve is your thing *each season* - I bless it with all my heart. It's your way of having fun with fashion, expressing yourself, and it's probably a hobbie. Why not! </p> <p>Being ultra trendy is a huge plus in my book, as is sticking to simple understated classics. No negative judgements either way. Great style is about filtering trends that work for you, and having fun on your style journey.</p> <p>I'll end off by saying that having a killer sense of style does mean adding a certain element of "fashion now" into your look. But the "fashion now" does not need to be this season. It can be a few seasons old, and completely remixed with brand new, and vintage.</p> <p> To answer your question Gaylene, yes. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/does-following-trends-help-or-hinder-personal-style#post-873197 Sun, 10 Mar 2013 12:22:19 +0000 krishnidoux 873197@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>There is more to "trend" than a pointy toe.</p> <p>What I mean is that trend is a big word that can mean what Cocolion describes, incorporating new fun pieces inspired by what the mainstream is liking, or what Kalli describes, refreshing your staples with new ones regularly. In either case, it is positive to your ever-evolving personal style. </p> <p>Personal to me is something both material and organic. It is a reflection of your preferences, yet, in the end, we are presented with a limited choice - what is on the market. Including something obviously on trend like Cocolion does helps keep you current in a way that says: I like youth, I am dynamic and I am aware of fashion, I like to play with it and follow it. I like teams and groups. I feel confident in a crowd.<br /> NOT including any of it yet being very stylish and fashionable says: I am creative and like to stand out in my own way. I am a highly confident person, yet aware of others as I put effort in my presentation.</p> <p>Renewing pieces is important. Too much vintage does look frumpy. Broken, over used accessories do look shabby. Just in the same way that chipped nail polish looks on any person older than 12. So, in a way, we are forced to shop for our clothes and accessories regularly. In doing so, we are buying new trends, because cuts and shades change though time. Sometimes it causes you to renew more than one item at a time, because of conflicting lengths and shapes. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/does-following-trends-help-or-hinder-personal-style#post-873164 Sun, 10 Mar 2013 10:46:16 +0000 Irene 873164@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I think I might just not be trendy at all. When I think about it, I'm not doing anything that's on trend right now:</p> <p>- pointy shoes<br /> - peplum<br /> - pastels and fluors<br /> - leather or pleather accents<br /> - loafers<br /> - oxfords (eventhough I do like oxfords, I only own one pair I bought before they were trendy and hardly ever use)<br /> - spikes and other metal hardware on bags, shoes and shoulders<br /> - moto jackets<br /> - dolman sleeves<br /> ...</p> <p>Mainstream trends I have adopted:</p> <p>- Checkered shirts -which have nothing of original<br /> - Polka dots and stripes (and only on tops)<br /> - Lace<br /> - Floral patterns<br /> - oversized knitwear<br /> - denim jacket</p> <p>The truth is, I only buy what I like and I have a tendency to go for classic items that will not go out of style. It would bother me to spend money (even if little money) on something I will wear for two years, and I just can't get past that feeling. </p> <p>I do think that following trends shouldn't go against your style. Peplum is a look I could have easily acquired, since it's ladylike and I like that. Oxfords and grungier pieces of clothes would have paired well with my rougher style (I tend to go for more masculine shoes, for instance). Some new things will work with how you dress while some others will not. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/does-following-trends-help-or-hinder-personal-style#post-873158 Sun, 10 Mar 2013 10:06:34 +0000 RoseandJoan 873158@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I view it this way Gaylene, do I need to buy into new trends if the things in my wardrobe continue to be on trend? No.</p> <p>If you aim to keep the classic fundamentals of your style contemporary this will be enough to halt the frump factor IMO.</p> <p>However, I love to watch the trend cycles. I have a small wardrobe so pieces wear out and need replacing. I enjoy the process of assimilating a new trend to see over time what parts of my style remain consistent and which parts evolve. Fashion to me is a game of which I choose to play, whether I have a personal style will be for others to judge. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/does-following-trends-help-or-hinder-personal-style#post-873157 Sun, 10 Mar 2013 09:48:30 +0000 Ornella 873157@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Gaylene, I had a twilight-zone kind of moment of "I don't remember starting this thread, how did it get on the forum?" This and similar issues regarding style development have been brewing in my head a lot. </p> <p>Because I was never much of the trend-follower both for practical reasons (pretty new things seem to be made mostly for daintier ladies and not my tall frame) and because my eye is much slower in adapting to the new silhouettes and aestethics especially if I can't see ladylike elements in them at first, my style development was never affected by trends. I consider my real style development to have started when I found YLF a few years ago.</p> <p>ETA: In fact, I find that *not* following trends helps my style development, if it makes any sense.</p> <p>Here is what I wrote on <a href="http://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/it-has-been-awhile-not-thrilled-with-new-trends">Jean's thread</a> the other day:</p> <p>YLF had given me tools to understand that I neither have to aim to incorporate many or any of the trends if I feel they are not for me, and it had also given me the platform to enjoy those very trends on others. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/does-following-trends-help-or-hinder-personal-style#post-873085 Sun, 10 Mar 2013 04:42:38 +0000 CocoLion 873085@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Following trends is great fun for me. Fashion is my hobby, and I love figuring out what I will and will not adopt each season (yes to a bomber jacket, no to pointy toe flats because I don't look good in flats, period). Also, I like the editing process where I decide what to leave behind each year. What I leave behind could be burn out (I was simply TOO into colored skinnies last year, and feel saturated) or -- the look really didn't do me any favors (yellow skinnies). </p> <p>So like Suz and Joy, following trends really helps me develop my emerging personal style.</p> <p>I do envision myself entering a different phase as I get older. I don't know when that will happen. I think my style will be much less trend-driven and more based on classic elements. This is a gradual process and I am accepting that this is where I will go. Whether it is a classic tailored look or a classic artistic kind of look, that remains to be seen. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/does-following-trends-help-or-hinder-personal-style#post-873070 Sun, 10 Mar 2013 04:06:56 +0000 annagybe 873070@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Hmm, a thread like this pops up every once in while. It rankles me a bit because I feel like I need to defend trendy as one of my style descriptors. There is nothing inherently worn with being trendy nor being outside of trends. Even Yohji Yamamoto one of the most untrendy designers out there changes with seasons and years. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/does-following-trends-help-or-hinder-personal-style#post-873068 Sun, 10 Mar 2013 04:02:38 +0000 Suz 873068@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>In my own case, I think it helps....because when I didn't follow the trends I had no style. (I had almost no clothes, either, so maybe that goes without saying!) </p> <p>But I don't really like the word "following." Not if it implies BLINDLY following. That, I think, leads away from true personal style and probably towards financial ruin. </p> <p>"Paying attention to" or "being aware of" trends is probably the better attitude for most of us. </p> <p>Then, too, it depends on one's fashion persona. If one's style is "trendy fashionista" -- well, it would be death not to follow the trends! But an artistic eclectic can perhaps get away with paying less attention or paying attention in a different way. </p> <p>I really like Joy's response. Thinking about the new makes me identify what I like and why. Playing with new silhouettes or colours helps me evolve my style. I am glad it is not the same as it was when I was in high school, or even when I was a young mother. Does that mean I am going to wear pastels, or ditsy florals, or bomber jackets because they happen to be the "it" things of this season? </p> <p>Certainly not, but just determining that is valuable. It is like Angie's Team x or Team Y exercises. You do those (especially a bunch of them at once) and patterns star emerging. You start to understand your own style in a deeper way. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/does-following-trends-help-or-hinder-personal-style#post-873066 Sun, 10 Mar 2013 03:59:23 +0000 Deborah 873066@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Gaylene how did you get into my head?;) </p> <p>For me, to a degree, new trends hinder my personal style. I have a very clear view of my personal style, my style goals etc and my time on YLF has been eye opening and has led me to try new things BUT I could re post a handful of outfits that are simply not me. They might look good, but they are not an honest reflection of my style personality. However it has been fun experimenting but if anything it has brought greater focus and narrowed my preferences.</p> <p>I do not think "a devotion to fitted, straight-leg pants and a love for solid jewel tones just be the start of a slow descent into Frumpville". This sounds like a woman desiring good style over trendy fashion.</p> <p>Perhaps updating MY classics with updated silhouettes, injecting a current colour etc can freshen my style.</p> <p>But really my goal is to develop a style that transcends fashion (if that makes sense). I want to be the woman about whom people say "her style is really unique, it suits her, and the garments are not recognizable as being from a certain store or trend/season.</p> <p>Too much too ask?? </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/does-following-trends-help-or-hinder-personal-style#post-873065 Sun, 10 Mar 2013 03:58:46 +0000 rae 873065@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Short answer: yes. ;)</p> <p>It can hurt if a person just wants to buy up every trend every year... nothing feels personal about that to me. But being aware of trends, following them, and filtering them helps keep a wardrobe fresh and current, I think. Maybe someone will go a couple years without buying into *any* trends. But it's hard to believe they wouldn't find anything at all for several years on end... conversely, if you don't follow trends and don't keep an eye out for what is in stores, I feel like it is easy for the "personal style" to turn into a dated look. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/does-following-trends-help-or-hinder-personal-style#post-873052 Sun, 10 Mar 2013 03:27:37 +0000 Anonymous 873052@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Thinking about incorporating new trends helps me to think about what I like and what could work with my style. For that reason it helps me move ahead. I will certainly not try every new trend, but it adds to my fun to try. I probably get bored too easily. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/does-following-trends-help-or-hinder-personal-style#post-873048 Sun, 10 Mar 2013 03:17:52 +0000 Mo 873048@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I am going to pass all replies to just mention that I had an oblivious mental block somehow about short shirts when I joined here. Not that I thought they were my signature or anything, but just to exemplify what not paying attention to the trends can mean for you when you get comfortable with a certain look. I now like to keep apprised of what's going on, but chasing fashion trends is way too tiring in my life, and with my budget!<br /> I believe that being aware of what's in, and then choosing which of it you do or don't like, is the most important thing. Having a signature look can still roll with the trends. Jewel tones - great! Maybe replace the staid button up cardi with a mixed media top. Etc, etc </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/does-following-trends-help-or-hinder-personal-style#post-873020 Sun, 10 Mar 2013 02:15:18 +0000 Jaime 873020@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Although I understand and love the idea that fashion has become more open and there are a lot of things to choose from at any time, I don't agree that means anything goes in terms of avoiding frumpyness and remaining current, or whatever style interested people are after. On the other hand there are the oft-cited style icons that do not change (just mysteriously and subtly update) their look for years. I managed most of my life being oblivious to trends but now that I am more aware am very happy to adapt things that appeal to me (and there are lots right now) and leave the rest alone. I am eh for pastels but do love pointy toes and slouchy pants! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/does-following-trends-help-or-hinder-personal-style#post-873010 Sun, 10 Mar 2013 01:50:46 +0000 Kalli 873010@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>You can still stay frump free and on trend if you refresh your wardrobe with updated versions of your tried and true staples. Jewel tones are still in style but maybe not that exact shade of purple. There are classic shoes with an updated look, aka oxfords in metallic. I don't follow the trends so closely and like you I love a more classic style. I throw out the things that don't work for me and work in one or two new trends such as a sequin vest.</p> <p>Personally it's easier to digest and wallet friendly by picking 1-2 things to try per season. It's another thing if you are starting over from scratch. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/does-following-trends-help-or-hinder-personal-style#post-872942 Sat, 09 Mar 2013 23:14:09 +0000 Day Vies 872942@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Probably help, I can get an idea of what is new and fresh and incorporate it. (wear the trend on my terms) When I was younger it was probably more of a distraction because trends made it difficult to figure out what I liked on a consistent basis. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/does-following-trends-help-or-hinder-personal-style#post-872937 Sat, 09 Mar 2013 23:03:26 +0000 Becky 872937@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I don't have much wisdom to offer, but I'm in the same boat. I tend to be a late adopter anyway and usually incorporate trends only after they've gone mainstream. I don't have much love for the current trends, and only time will tell if my eye adjusts or if it's a no-go all the way around. I just don't want to buy or wear anything I don't love. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/does-following-trends-help-or-hinder-personal-style#post-872929 Sat, 09 Mar 2013 22:49:21 +0000 unfrumped 872929@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>The answer is yes if you.mean every season, for some at least,<br /> and no if you mean at some kind.of interval. I touched on this in response to Shannon' s post on cost of trends and CPW.<br /> Or maybe trend is a loaded term as we have found." Something new" may be better.<br /> Or it depends on the point in the style journey.<br /> For me it's been a mixture. I absolutely believe that becoming more aware of the whole<br /> Shifting fashion sands thing has been helpful to developing a better personal style. But that awareness finally is bringing perspective-- I need to evolve, but trends keep.rolling in faster than I need to change, if that makes sense, and I will be.more successfulwith a few focused, well,- done changes here and there than a hodgepodge. So yes trend-chasing can cause you to.lose your focus and wardrobe goals,but wardrobe reviews are good. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/does-following-trends-help-or-hinder-personal-style#post-872925 Sat, 09 Mar 2013 22:42:46 +0000 Vildy 872925@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I think you can judge a lot by people's reaction to you - those you see on a regular basis.<br /> The general public is not jumping on every trend and only the longer lasting ones are going to start replacing what is available in stores for them to buy. For example, I knew a fella who was stubborn about refusing to wear flared leg pants and eventually he couldn't find any straight leg pants until a friend tipped him off to L.L. Bean. They were probably the only two guys in their workplace who wore straight leg pants then. </p> <p>So if you are garnering generally positive reactions to your appearance then I wouldn't worry about frumpiness. </p> <p>I find new trends interesting - oohhh, new toys! - but I also find that I do better to concentrate on factors/features I always have liked and the more new ideas I incorporate the more diluted my own style becomes. I know they say that you should adapt new trends to your own style or pick and choose the ones that suit but my own experience has been somewhat negative. I still get complimented but I begin to lose grip on what is my own style. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/does-following-trends-help-or-hinder-personal-style#post-872911 Sat, 09 Mar 2013 22:29:07 +0000 Gaylene 872911@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Does adopting new trends every season help, or hinder, the development of a personal style? </p> <p>If fashion has shifted to the point where choice reigns supreme, there is more than a little irony in my thinking I need to incorporate at least some of the current "trends" into my wardrobe to stay "updated". If none of the current trends get me excited (ugh to pastels, pointy-toed flats, baggy pants, and animal/snake prints), can I just sit on the sidelines basking in the knowledge that maybe I'm moving towards developing that elusive commodity--a personal style? Or will a devotion to fitted, straight-leg pants and a love for solid jewel tones just be the start of a slow descent into Frumpville?</p> <p>I can see how experimentation and a willingness to try something new can expand horizons, but can there be too much of a good thing? Can continually trying out new trends every season end up just being confusing (and expensive) instead of liberating? Is there a time limit to how long you can sit on the sidelines?</p> <p>I'd love to hear your thoughts as I sit here trying to make up my mind about what to do with this season's trends. </p>