I think that this kind of rapid change, coupled with the perception that many trends are not flattering on me, is part of what fuels my fashion frustration. Skinny jeans and leggings still seem wrong to me, unless worn under tall boots, but I do find the more body-hugging silhouette to be (counter-intuitively) more flattering on my rear and my thighs than the slouchy look. But if I don't fit into whatever is trendy at the moment, then it becomes very difficult to find things that I like. This is part of why my attempts to define my own style and clean out my closet have been so slow-going. I might know that really, I want to get rid of X thing, but I can't find anything better to take its place in my wardrobe, so I just put it back and keep wearing it.

I am late to the party but wanted to add my humble imo. I think too that fashion trends wax and wane but this is no reason to abandon who we are. I read ( perhaps here ) there are some flop-proof ways to look current while sitting out trends. Fullskirts are not your cuppa? Wear pencils and perhaps update them with one in a fun/ yours/ trendy color or pattern. The new trouser silhouettes are not your thing ( well, neither are mine) but i wear my shinnies and bootcuts with peplum tops/jackets and that is trendy but "me". Not a pattern mixer? Perhaps a little colorblocked item floats your boat. And so on and so forth. In my case ,while i don't like slouchy 80's bottoms at all, i love slouchy sweaters and severe/delicate pointy toe thin heel look. So , i'm not concerned at all. I look at kate spade or parabal gurung and i see there's enough trendy tailored for us who want to sit out the slouchy phase.
More, i have my greatest fashion icon. My mom. In her 50's not skinny and still looking stylish, not dated and not frumpy without feeling the need to go overboard. She's a clothes lover ( and a tailor) but she adds trends in drops. Like this autumn she bought a beautiful jersey a-line dress, but in a grey and white graphical pattern. That was her nod to the black and white graphic and bold pattern that's going on. One trendy piece per season ( Shoes , that is a whole other story )

I think this is a really helpful insight. I bought my first skinny jeans in spring 2008 and was already tucking them into boots in the winter of 2008-2009. When the new trends came around, I was feeling that it is high time for some change.

Ummm, are you folks actually FINDING tons of slouchy bottoms and the like? At my price point (and I don't shop at F21) and petite sizing, all I see are skinnies, esp. ankle length ones! I am waiting for soft tapered baggy pants to appear. My crotch hit so low that pants will look slouchy when they're not! I figure these new fangled pants in regular sizes will give me a nice scrunch since my legs are so short.

FWIW, I avoided buying clothes for over a decade, maybe closer to two, because low rise skinny pants/jeans simply do not flatter me and I didn't have the time or energy to spend a zillion hours in a search that I figured would be futile. I also do not look good in soft, flowy knit tops, especially empire line ones, so that was another deterrent. I am pretty good at just saying *No*!

Now, I'm learning to pick and choose. I now have a peplum top and two zipped peplum jacket/tops. I just bought a flowered jacket. I like booties (but not mid-calf or high boots). I would at least try full skirts but worry that they would look too twee at my age, and want to try what I call jammie bottoms, knowing that they have to fit *just so*. Bigger shoulders look like they may be trending, and that appeals to me because they would make my waist and thighs look smaller! Pointy shoes have my fussy feet worried, but I briefly tried on some Tildons at Nordies, and I was aghast that they seemed comfy and worth a try.

Just gotta be sure I don't look MDAL as I turn 60 in a couple of months. . .

Janet, and other late adopters...like Dianthus writes, middle of the road can still be stylish.

I never got into skinnies, but always liked a slim straight leg. I'll just cuff the straight leg, and call it a 'boyfriend'.

Slouchy or oversized isn't going to work for me. I felt weird using the term body con, and then came across the term 'body honouring clothing' and had a light bulb moment. Slouchy is not body honouring to me. Maybe slouchy will be something that is softly draped and body contouring?

This forum is great for learning about fashion, and then making a conscious decision about whether or not a particular trend is useful and makes you feel good and projects the image of yourself that you want to project.