Fashion: Who cares what’s trending?

Two writers voice their opinion on following the latest trends.

Get creative with trends

Emma Jones

The idea of following the latest trends often seems surrounded by a certain negativity, that is to say, the image of us all becoming Topshop clones, completely broke and devoid of any individuality. However, following fashion does not really have to involve any of this, and can simply be an enjoyable way to keep your wardrobe up-to-date and limit those last minute ‘what shall I wear?’ panics.

Following the trends does not mean sacrificing your individual style. Instead, the trends suggest a selection of staple items, and leave you to get creative in terms of how you wear them, what you wear them with and how you accessorise. There’s still plenty of room for expressing yourself through what you wear, which is, of course, what fashion is about. When you’re struggling for inspiration, shop windows, fashion magazines and blogs are often the best places to look. They will point you in the direction of clothes which will remain popular throughout the season (it’s a misconception that following trends means weekly shopping sprees and excessive spending!) and, although admittedly there are some very questionable trends, if something is the must-have item of the moment, it’s probably because it looks pretty good and is suited to the cultural environment at the time.

Following the trends is ultimately one of many ways to engage ourselves and our identities with the constant developments in popular culture which influence the dynamic nature of fashion. We take an active interest in the latest music and films, and there’s no reason why fashion needs to be any different.

What’s all the fuss about?

Christine Wong

Fashion has always been something that has confused me. I have never been a person that’s followed any trends, and I only got the ‘Florals? For spring?’ joke in The Devil Wears Prada about a year after I watched the film.

The fuss over following whatever latest trends there are doesn’t really make sense to me. Why should you decide what to wear based on what someone else thinks is ‘fashionable’?

Maybe I’m just a more practical kind of girl, but I’d rather wear something comfortable, or something that makes me feel pretty; following a trend for the sake of being… well, ‘on-trend’ seems very impractical. Not to mention, these fashion trends are created by designer labels and fashion magazines looking to cash in on the people who will buy their products in order to keep up. There are enough rat races in all of our lives, surely not engaging in another one – and only to do with what you’re wearing – would be a wise choice?

I wear things that make me happy. I’m totally okay in wearing a t-shirt and jeans everywhere, because they’re comfortable and I can layer hoodies and jackets and jumpers over them in the cold English weather. That doesn’t mean I don’t love dressing up once in a while, but I’m just not interested in having ‘pure fashion alchemy’, as Vogue puts it, on my body. If keeping up with fashion makes you happy, that’s cool – but I’ll stick to my bunny-eared hoodie and pyjama shorts, thanks.