To Trend or Not to Trend? A Socratic Seminar

By Chloe Chanren ‘24

Christian Allaire, April 11, 2022: Eve , Kim Kardashian, Britney Spears

Fashion raises not just eyebrows but looks of confusion as well. Secrets are so very sexy and stylish. and We brush them off and allow the industry to consume us, or rather, we continue our frenzied consumption. But I have to ask, who creates trends? Who can judge trends? So quickly is our social media flooded with new looks and viral videos, we hardly have time to mull over the purchase of that Y2K babydoll cami before it's out of fashion. Absolutely horrendous. Canceled.

Upon further research, I have found that, although not completely clear, there is a certain way through which style reaches us mortal beings. According to alleged ‘Style Expert’ Colin McDowell from CNN Style, trends tend to trickle down. First come big designers and their runway shows, journalists, shop owners, and buyers for retail. Elizabeth von der Goltz, with twenty-five years of experience at Bergdorfs, Henri Bendel, and most recently Net-a-Porter, makes huge impacts despite her considerably low-key social media presence (zero when her comparisons are Anna Wintour and Beyonce). Von der Goltz’s career revolves around her ability to predict trends, and then buy en masse for her retailers' shelves.

Her influence, however, extends much further. Big brand designers come to her for advice, and she even lends a helping hand in the creation of fashion houses. McDowell also cites youth as a big player in trend-spotting with dynamic individual tastes. Finally, retail store networks across the country, like H&M, Forever 21, Pacsun, and American Eagle dictate trends on a local level. McDowell mentions The Devil Wears Prada as an extremely accurate depiction of the manner in which fashion reaches the masses, with favored colors, clothing styles, and accessories making their way down from fashion houses to the average consumer. Colin Mcdowell rocks, I want to watch The Devil Wears Prada with him.

But we also must consider the influence of technology and social media. Have they democratized fashion? We, the Internet's obedient masses, imitate what pleases us from the media we consume. Trends blaze through TikTok, macro (think clean-girl minimalist Emily Mariko, for example) and micro (sunset lamps, the Aritzia Melina Pant, oat milk matcha lattes - my absolute favorite). How much can we attribute these trends to ‘higher ups’ in fashion? They seem to be fairly grassroots movements to me.

Of course, this could very well be (CONSPIRACY!) a guise by the ‘higher ups’ who condition us into thinking we are democratizing our fashion and lifestyle choices. Two French interior designers, Hugo Sauzay and Charlotte de Tonnac make an eye-opening comment regarding trends: ‘We live in l’air du temps, but you have to keep your distance,’ de Tonnac says. ‘We do mood boards for projects, and we have to be careful with Pinterest and Instagram. You see the same aesthetic all the time. We want a place to hang on 10 to 15 years at least.’ Suzy adds, ‘We’re afraid of the fashion effect on space. It can be two or three years before something we design sees the light.’ It might look great at first, but if it's too influenced by the color of the moment, ‘it's already a has-been when it opens’” (Marshall, Vogue, March 2021). As someone who lives off of Pinterest, this quote made me question my own media consumption and creative process. Obviously, the act of dressing day-to-day is not as serious as the design concepts of multi-million dollar projects, but Sauzay and de Tonnac’s comments reverberated in my mind even as I put down my Vogue magazine and went about with my day.

Existential capitalist brainwashing aside, insisting on what is ‘in’ and ‘out’ is particularly objective, in my opinion. No, I will not be throwing out my LBD for spring-colored dresses, thank you very much, Bella Gerard from Stylecaster. Just because I may feel slightly happier that seasonal depression will disappear and flowers will bloom and little babies will be birthed in spring, that doesn't mean I’m willing to let go of the color black. We have far too intimate a connection. Not to mention, constantly buying new clothes in a different hue every few months is wasteful and a time suck. Conspicuous consumption anyone

Brunette From Wall Street, March 5, 2022

In reading Brunette from Wall Street during preliminary research [insert in and out clippings from brunette article], I was quite put off to find such an authoritative tone in her declarations of in and out-ness.

There is no Ministry of what Thou Shall and Shall Not Wear to write into legislation the big no-nos of this season’s outfit-making. Or so I thought. Officially unofficial, there is an organization that essentially functions as a Ministry of What Thou Shall and Shall Not Wear. It goes by another name, the Worth Global Style Network, or WGSN, and the company predicts trends as early as two years in advance. It claims to have 90% + forecasting accuracy.

Beyond all this theorizing, the ultimate choice comes down to the individual. How much of the craze do you play into, subconsciously or consciously? Do you care if other people wear the same thing as you, or does your personal enjoyment override the commonness of the item? I personally feel bothered, like damn, why does this girl literally have the same nails as me. Who gave her the right? *Ignores the fact that my nail inspo was from Pinterest*. In the end, true value lies in enjoyment and a sense of fulfillment. Personal style is not a competitive brand, looking for the most profitable and cutting edge fashion. Fashion should comfort and inspire, making you feel confident. I am very much a believer in feeling your style, rather than strictly following trends to be à la mode. Of course, take the trends that you like and run with them, but I like to see that happen with artistic reinvention. Sometimes I’ll appreciate how a certain silhouette looks on myself. I’ll find old magazine or newspaper clippings and linger over images that speak to me. Maybe someone on the street was wearing a color that really caught my eye, and I’ll try to recreate it in my own outfit. Perhaps I am being influenced by pre-ordained trends, but I think it’s all part of an organic system of little moments, tangled up and feeding off of each other. Most ideas are slightly reimagined ideas built off of a previous thought. But that's a Socratic seminar for another time…