Fashion. What is it and do you have to buy into it?
According to the Cambridge Dictionary:
Fashion is a style that is popular at a particular time, especially in clothing, hair and makeup (but of course can be applied to interior decoration, architecture and every other design industry.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines it as:
Fashion is defined as the prevailing dress or behaviour at any given time.What both of these definitions indicate is that there will always be change, and change is a big part of fashion.
Why does fashion even matter?
Well, it helps keep the economy going and we all know a strong economy is good for us all. We get bored with the old and therefore want to update and buy something from the latest fashion trends. Did you know that globally, the fashion industry is valued at $3 trillion? It's the second biggest worldwide economic activity and employs over 57 million workers in developing countries, most of whom are women. Sadly there is a dark side to this, but there is also a bright side, with that income that helps people empower their own lives (and fortunately the fashion industry is being held more and more to account for how they treat these workers). This is why it's great to become a more conscious consumer of fashion.
What is important to know is that we have a core human need for variety ( according to Tony Robbins) - and fashion is one way that we can get this need satisfied, as fashion is ever-changing and so provides ongoing variety in our lives. Fashion is not a new construct, from caveman who adorned himself with natural paints, furs and feathers, through every era. There is always a fashion of the times.
What you wear tells the world something about who you are, as well as who you want to be.
To Fashion - is a verb - it's about making something new.
This is why fashion is a hammer - it's the tool you use to build and develop your own personal style. Read more about that here.
Should You Follow that Fashion Trend?
I was recently asked by a reader if she at the age of 52 should follow a particular fashion trend that she'd seen out on "street style" influencers. I recorded some thoughts about this topic on this video chat.
The answer is, it's up to you. As only you know what is right for you.
Does it make you feel positive or negative?
- If you love it and it makes your heart sing
- If you feel great in it
- If you are excited by it
- If it expresses your personality from the inside out
Then wear it!
But ...
- If you feel ho-hum about it, then avoid it.
- If you feel that you'd look ridiculous in it, and that bothers you, then avoid it, or figure out a way to add a touch of that trend in without doing it head to toe.
- If it doesn't feel quite right, then I'd be careful about adopting it. Here are some tips on deciding if a fashion trend is for you or to be avoided.
Don't worry too much about needing to wear every latest fashion trend. There will always be a new one on the horizon and the new one may be more "you" than the current one.
Plus at any one time, there are multiple fashion trends in the zeitgeist. You don't need to adopt them all.
Having some element of current fashions in your outfits makes you look more modern and fresh. It communicates that you are keeping up with this ever-changing world and what's happening in it. But that doesn't mean you have to constantly update your wardrobe with all the latest trends (or fads).
There are many trends that are not going to create harmony with your body, colouring or personality. Even if you 'buy into' them, they will most likely be very short-lived for you as in my experience, the clothes that last longest in your wardrobe, are the ones that are in harmony (flatter if you will) you. Knowing how your physicality and personality impact on your choices is a great place to start educating yourself so that you make the best choices for you about what is available out of the current fashions.
The key with fashion trends and fads, is to dip into the ones that you love, leave the others. And be aware that if it's extreme in any way, it will disappear faster than if it's more understated. This is why fashion classics last the longest. But nothing lasts forever, and every now and again you have to give up the trends that you've loved and let something new come into your wardrobe.
So should you dip into the latest fashion trend?
Only you can decide!
How to Distinguish Between Fads, Trends and Classics in Fashion
Fashion is a Form of Ugliness - Oscar Wilde
Understanding Where You Sit on the Fashion Continuum
