We live in a society with countless sources of information. Millions of tweets, instagrams and status' are posted every second. We analyze so many different social media, we keep up to date with so many influencers, and we are constantly reinventing ourselves. Fashion and music evolve and change so fast, that in the blink of eye the trends have switched into a different direction. It is safe to say that most of our information is processed from internet sources, and with this type of platform that is instantly updatable magazines need to move fast or risk seemingly falling behind. Trends are actively being created and shopped online before they are even printed. Although it can be pleasurable to hold a physical piece of paper in your hands, it needs to become a more interactive and personalized experience.
We have so much variety in this day and age and an infinite amount of ways to style ourselves and form our identities. Fashion week is amazing but is more of an art form then it is a creator of trends. To know the trends even before magazines write about them follow these three things:
1. Always keep up to date with great street style. Drive to the most fashion forward neighborhood in your city and just observe. Go to Soho when in New York, Sunset Plaza in Los Angeles, le Marais in Paris or East London. You will soon find yourself immersed in the fashion world, and keeping up to date with all the new boutiques and capsule collection drops. These people browsing the stores and walking around are the ones starting the trends and living them. Are floral prints coming back? Is pastel the new white? You can find out all these things by going to these areas, or observing the street style during big fashion weeks. Keep up to date with hashtags such as: #NYStreetStyle #MilanStreetStyle #PFWStreetStyle and on different fashion apps or blogs.
2. Use your social media/ social shopping apps to keep up to date. We place a huge importance on the appearance of other people, especially influencers, and use them as a guiding point to our own lifestyle. Would they wear it to the red carpet if it wasn't in? Absolutely not. Often times they wear high end brands but it is the overall style that counts, so keep the look, not the price tag. Top shoppings apps like Shopstyle, Polyvore or Shopcade, carry multiple brands and offers are a good place to look for trendy yet affordable outfits that celebrities have been seen wearing and connect the user with top items for best prices.
3. Classic never dies. There has been great trends like pea coats in the winter, and rather questionable ones like sneaker-heels. Those that were truly amazing have remained timeless. Who can criticize the classic looks? Like the great Coco Chanel said "Fashion changes, style endures." It is always good to be trendy, but don't buy into any fads that seem ridiculous. Remember to do what feels right to you individually. Sometimes classic is the way to go, people still look as cool in a leather jacket and a white t-shirt as they did 20 years ago. So go to the shed and dust off those iconic pieces and include these items in with your regular day-to-day style.