When you see an item a lot, do you want it - or not? - YouLookFab Forum

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Outfits Ensembles Trends Advice

When you see an item a lot, do you want it - or not?

ironkurtin

Veteran

I'm getting moto fatigue. I really *like* moto styling and have been looking for my perfect moto for what seems like ages. But now there's a moto on every page of every magazine, and instead of gearing me up it's actually cooling me down. I really don't want to wear what everyone is wearing (as some of you may recall from the infamous "lemmingwear" post from a while back). Does this happen to anyone else, or am I just cantankerous?

Shopping

32 replies

Latest reply was from elpgal

annagybe

(website)

Veteran

It happens to me. I got my striped midi skirt independent of YLF. Then Vince Camuto striped midi blew up here. Now I'm not so sure of it.
That being said I still stand out hugely here in Seattle. So in my real life no one really dresses anything like me.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

This happens to me all the time in other dimensions of my life.

I don't want to be reading the current "hot" book (if there is such a thing any more...but you know what I mean. I prefer to come to it in my own time, even if it's genuinely fantastic.)

I don't want to go see the current favourite movie.

I'd rather wait until the foodies have moved on from the newest "hot" restaurant.

When it comes to fashion trends, it's a mix. I do like to incorporate new trends. It's fun. But I hope I don't look exactly like everyone else. I'd like to wear them my own way.

Deborah

Veteran

It really depends. I am notorius for not wanting to wear what everyone is wearing lol. BUT... for example... I have ordered the Speigel leather jacket. I wanted it when I first saw it... then I didn't...then I saw more of it being worn by various women here... and then I bit:)

But generally speaking I think I might be with you. When a look is all over the fashion media etc, and on the streets where I live, I tend to shy away from it, peferring to (try) to look a little unique in my dressing. And may I just clarify that I don't think there is anything wrong with following very popular trends, it's just not always comfortable for me.

Deborah

Veteran

That's interesting Anna, I bought my stiped knit skirt two summer's ago and I am kind of over it now:)

Transcona Shannon

Veteran

Yes and no. I find if I see an item a lot that looks fantastic on all sorts of body shapes and style personas (such as the Spiegel leather jacket) I'm enticed because I like that it seems like a versatile piece.

But if I see an item over and over again that doesn't look great on folks or can be unflattering, then it just turns me right off.

Pawprints

I do have a similar reaction. If everyone's cloning it and my eye lands on it over and over, I don't want it. Or, if it's a perfect-for-me item I may grab it while it's available and plan to wear it when everyone else is over it and even more time has passed--which isn't as long as it used to be. That's not Team Wear, but a reaction to droughts in things that do suit me.

This fatigue has to be tied to the fashion cycle that gets faster and faster. We're all online looking at blogs and Pinterest and Instagram and the like, and browsing online stores to see what's new, clicking on links and sake notices, seeing fashion ads everywhere in our browsers thanks to cookies and adware, putting our wardrobes into electronic visual formats and playing with them, plus some people are watching it on TV and online vids frequently.

Our eyes never rest from fashion now. We may see more fashion on a slow day than kids see instances of violence on tv, movies and games. Its no wonder trends get huge, blow up and die like overnight supernovas. Everyone sees it, tries it, watches everyone else try it, and gets retina burn from all the repetition before the tags come off the latest purchase.

We don't wait for monthly fashion magazines to see what's hot any more. In a month we may have seen so much of the latest big thing we never want to see it again.

In the olden days it was the biannual fashion show cycle supported by monthly fashion spreads. It didn't wear us out so fast.

I've been picking up pieces in the popular wine colors because it is my radiant color and I adore it. But because I'm seeing it everywhere I'm now sick of looking at it in pictures, stores, and my closet, and the fall season it's meant for isn't even near (for me). Argh. But if I wasn't looking at fashion so much now than years ago, just picking up a magazine or noticing a store window here and there, the color would still feel fresh and beckoning.

Echo

Veteran

I guess it depends on HOW I see it. For example, leather motos might be everywhere (online and in larger cities and amongst bloggers, etc.), but I guarantee you they aren't being worn here. On the other hand, I see "mom jeans" each and every day here and I don't want those!

I certainly cannot say I am immune to trends - no one is, even if they think they are - but I tend to like what I like and not like what I don't, regardless of what is on-trend. I had a helluva time finding clothing when empire waists dominated, as I DID. NOT. LIKE. THEM. But as for a leather jacket? Timeless, especially in a classic moto style. The Alexander McQueen silk scarves? They were ridiculously popular for a while and then not so much, but that doesn't matter to me. I adore mine, wear them all fall and winter, and will buy another this fall. Let lemmings do as they may, but if an item or style is YOU, then it ought to be you regardless of how popular it is to others.

ETA: It also occurs to me that unless we shop only through small, local designers or make our own patterns and clothing, there is virtually nothing that is truly unique. Almost without exception, everything we see in stores is mass produced and/or thousands of people already own it. That goes for high-end designer pieces as well as discounted items at Target. It is usually true of absolutely anything we see, unless it is through etsy or a local artist.

So is it just an illusion when we think we are different? In other words, would the leather moto feel more special if you didn't see something similar on the blogs and on the streets, despite the fact that just as many people might own one?

Diana

Veteran

Depends. If its something that's super popular IRL, as in I see all the girls on the street wearing it, then I probably become less interested. But something a lot of ylfers have is a different story. To me, YLF is a tribe that loves fashion and style, so liking something others here like is like a sign of shared interest in something stylish, if that makes sense, whereas looking like everyone else on the street just makes me feel uninteresting.

Plus, the style sense on YLF is not at all like Boston street fashion. I hardly ever see bf jeans worn as bf jeans IRL, for example. No VC midi sightings yet either for that matter.

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

It doesn't happen in real life - I am just not exposed to enough fashionable people. Seeing something a lot on YLF may intensify my desire for it if I already wanted it and also completely decide me against if I didn't initially like it. Seeing Angie wear her pointy pony shoes did make me want them more - but I liked them before I realized she bought them.

Caro in Oz

Veteran

What Suz said. BUT if I love something then it wouldn't put me off if everyone was wearing it. I may be relieved when the trend was over & I could go back to just being me rather than trendy though (Birkies I'm looking at you).

DonnaF

Veteran

Hmmmm. Seeing skinnies a lot IRL and here doesn't make me want to wear them because I know they don't flatter my short chunky bowed legs and I generally can't get them up over my calves so I end up feeling bad about myself. And I know what you meant about motos . . .although I don't see them much on the street. But it also makes me think that with so many being sold in various fabrications, I should hold out for the perfect one for me. As to YLF lemmingwear? For whatever reason, the styles aren't generally those that flatter my body so I pass since I will inevitably compare myself to other owners and will end up feeling bad about myself. This isn't to say that I haven't tried on a few items like the Academy blazer and the Bailey 44 dress which actually looked good but was/is outside my comfort zone and would be for my fantasy life anyway.

Mo

(website)

Veteran

I have bought no less than 2 of the recent lemming items . . . but honestly I normally gloss right over what is hot and being duplicated around here. These items must have hit me at a perfect storm of budget, desire, and fitting in with my own personal style. I had zero interest in the B44's for instance. Or any Burberry-ness.
I will sometimes see an item I love on another member and want it desperately for myself (hello MuuBaa destroyed moto). But I think oversaturation certainly plays a role in me sometimes wanting to opt out of being lumped in with the masses.

FlorenceFearne

First, there's definitely a difference between seeing something a lot in fashion oriented publications/site/forums, and seeing it a lot in person. I see motos everywhere online. I have yet to see a single person wear one in my town. So I can be wearing something that all the fashionable folks out there think is done to death and still be an innovator here. Ha ha.

Generally though, I don't worry about it. When I was younger I was scared to death of being too trendy, or wearing things everyone else had. Now I know that I wear it differently than everyone else does. That probably sounds cocky, but I do the majority of my shopping at Macy's, Speigel, Target, Walmart, etc, and I constantly get comments/compliments on how unique my outfits are. I think the fact that my style of choice never has been "in" means it can never look obviously "out" either. It's consistently outside the norm, which means I can wear everything I buy for a very long time.

anne

Veteran

I think I need to see things a while, either here, or in catalogues, because I am a late adopter by nature. But I can also relate to not wanting to dress in a certain way because it is ubiquitous in the people around me. But the converse is also true.

I am totally off bootcuts (except around the house) because since I moved to the city I just don't see anyone youngish wearing them. I have developed quite an aversion (though I am keeping them in case they come back in - they are the most flattering option for me)

RoseandJoan

Veteran

This is harder to answer than I originally thought. I do get turned off by over exposure because I hate being told what to think but equally I do not wish to appear out of touch with the fashion scene.I aim for a nod to fashion, therefore, this autumn I will add a touch of grunge to my look with a sheepskin boot but will not be wearing the Saint Laurent look buckle boots which are the new darling on the scene.

Mochi

Veteran

I'm also wearying of the moto trend, fwiw. It's not that they're not nice jackets. But the edginess factor is definitely gone IMO. It's just another trendy jacket.

texstyle

(website)

Veteran

I'm not a fast adopter of new fashion trends so I'm not sure it impacts me too much. Most trends I skip altogether I guess. Seeing various styles here on YLF does increase my interest of new things and makes me more comfortable trying them. I see most moto jackets as classics that have been in style for a very long time so I wouldn't really tire of them any more than a trench coat or blazer. But I tend to like classics.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Huh. I'm never tired of moto jackets, but for me they've always transcended trend.

But I totally get those who are saying they reach a saturation point with certain looks. I have no desire at all for the Spiegel jacket (I already have enough black jackets and would only get another one if it was very unique), even though it's a great piece on so many of you. I also think I'm sufficiently content with the black and grey stripe tube skirt that the black and white one isn't tempting me.

So, yeah, I'd have to say that once an item reaches a certain saturation point, I actually want it *less* not more.

ManidipaM

Veteran

Depends why I was interested in the first place. I am usually a late adopter for reasons of lifestyle and budget more than preference. If a garment is meant as a wardrobe updater with my old pieces and then everyone wears it...it no longer does the job!

Or it may be simply something very me so that I wear it anyway, irrespective. To an extent, mismatched brights and pattern mixing were like this. There I am in no hurry to buy because I am not treating the trend as a trend.

Sometimes, I do wait till everyone has one quite deliberately, when I am not sure how well the garment will work for my lifestyle or body. Waiting means my experiment does not exacerbate the pushing of comfort zones too much. And lets me experiment at a lower price point perhaps.

I will admit to a fear of being seen as a blindly trendy person so do also sometimes buy a favourite colour or silhouette to wear later...and yes, I realise it may look dated by then so usually make it very unusual or very plain so it won't readily reference its birthday.

Cindy

On the one hand, seeing something worn by someone my size and/or age and liking the look on them can prompt me to try something new. On the other hand, I generally don't buy something just because it's on all the "must-have" lists. I did have a moto jacket on my fall shopping list but, the more I looked at them online, I realized it isn't really the look for me.

In My Joi

(website)

Veteran

Agreed @ironkurtin ! "I really don't want to wear what everyone is wearing "! Hence, I opt for vintage pieces more than mainstream. There are few things more annoying to me than seeing someone else wearing something that I have, let alone- wearing it at the same time that I am!

cciele

Veteran

What Echo said - "Let lemmings do as they may, but if an item or style is YOU, then it ought to be you regardless of how popular it is to others."

And like a few other PPs, I think motos are classic. Most of my jackets are motos, because they look good on me, and I will continue to wear them, trendy or no.

catgirl

Veteran

Where I live, this is rarely an issue for me. Plus I've become more and more certain of what I like and don't like, regardless of whether everyone is wearing it (or no one is). I'm finding that my own style happiness has little to do with every trend and more with my own heart. For example, I've always liked moody or acid colors and black and grey, never pastels or brown. Always liked oversized and androgynous fits, never feminine, frilly or pretty styles. Those things have remained consistent despite my dabbling in copying many others here - I just had to learn it the hard way. If everyone else happens to be wearing the Spiegel jacket or a moto or stompy boots, so be it - those would be my style no matter what.

Aziraphale

Veteran

I think there's a saturation point with a lot of things. I'm pretty sure we've all experienced saturation point with music -- when you hear a good song so many times over the course of a couple of months that suddenly you can't stand it, sort of thing. That's probably what's happened with moto jackets for you. They're suddenly everywhere, and you were already focused on them you've been actively looking for the perfect one for a long time, so now you're sort of done with them. Perfectly understandable.

Gaylene

Veteran

Another echo for Echo

To my mind, it doesn't make sense to reject something simply because others are snapping it up in droves, but I also will admit to feeling a bit conflicted when something seems to suddenly the item on this forum or in the blog sphere. There are just too many other styles out there to make me want to spend my dollars on an item that makes me feel like one of the pack.

Irene

Veteran

You know what, I really don't care. I don't dress like anyone in mind -I have no fashion idols- but I don't mind if others dress like me (or I dress like other people without meaning to). I don't get bored with an item as long as I still like it, and my becoming bored with it depends on how much I've worn it already instead of how much I've seen it on others.

I am unique because of my personality, not my style or clothes. As long as I have an opinion on trendy stuff (be it a movie, clothes, book, music, etc), I don't mind following the crowd. Because I know I'm not really following, just enjoying something genuinely while others do so as well.Maybe it's because I don't dress to look different, I just am.

Never understood that feeling of anger when another classmate got the same pair of sneakers you had. Not even as a child.

However, it does bore me when everyone is talking or doing the same thing. It's not because the thing stop being special to me, it's just that I like variety and change. Besides, I'm not really that alert when it comes to fashionable things -either I get there too soon by chance (as with Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Twilight, Regina Spektor, love for vintage clothes...) or way too late (Lady gaga,Cristina Aguilera, Katy Perry, 50 shades of Grey...). I honestly haven't heard a song from Justin Bieber yet, and although I was a pre-teen during the late 90s I never learned a song from either Spice Girls nor Backstreet Boys. I'm boring and unconventional at the same time. (and I don't listen to the radio, nor watch TV, which doesn't help lol)

rachylou

Veteran

Well, now, it's funny. I'm a total YLF lemming wannabe, but if I see too much of one thing on the street - instant over for me. I think it's an *energy* thing. If people are into something, I think that's great. If they're hooked into a trend because they essentially don't care and find themselves in stuff simply because the market has been flooded, it's a big whatever at that point.

unfrumped

Veteran

This is a very interesting post.

Similar to several posters' responses, my town seems pretty conservative, and I could be almost sticking out in an item when all of NYC or YLF has moved on. So I might still be enjoying feeling like I'm steppin' out when some other folks would not be satisfied with their level of current-ness.

After realizing that, I have been trying to tune in more to which things really seem like "me"--in terms of silhouette, comfort factor, figure-flattery--maybe not for a decade, but at least for a 2-3 years. I realized it is and would be very disturbing to me to spend time looking for a certain item, find and purchase it, wear it a few times and then feel like, oh, style's changed now, that's so lame. There's just no happiness in that for me (not sayin' one thing here or there, but don't want to feel that way on a regular basis).

So that's why hybrids like "fluid fit," or tailored-easy, or straight not skinny; in- style if not on-trend footwear, and so on are appealing to me--and then tweak other things around them.

Thistle

Veteran

I don't shop much these days, so I don't see much.

I am very heavily influenced by recommendations from fellow YLFers and Angie as those recommendations tend to be fabulous. And as I don't shop much myself, I feel like I am borrowing their breadth of experience.

And here in Wisconsin, I sometimes feel pretty fashionable.

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