From Runway to Reality: How to Determine Which Trends will Work for You

It may not even be Spring yet, but the Fall Runways are going STRONG!  That's how the fashion world works.  I've always wondered why we use the phrase "fashionably late" when fashion is ALWAYS very early on the physical calendar.

As a Personal Stylist, I pay a lot of attention to these runway shows because I want my clientele to know what's coming and to be ahead of the game.  For most people, fashion is either viewed in Vogue or on the Red Carpet (always a fave!). Most of the time when you see these outfits, the normal person is thinking "I would NEVER wear that" and, truth-be-told, you likely shouldn't.

Trends are all about interpretation.

The normal person walking down the street likely will NEVER wear an outfit as seen in the fashion magazines or on the Runways. However, there are ways to make what you see on the Runways wearable. That is what I am going to talk about this week.

What is a Trend?

Fashion Trends, by definition, are a style or expression that is popular among a large number of people at a specific time and place.

Trends can be long-term (macro) or short-term (micro). Those are the things I'm reading as a Personal Stylist to help my clients approach them wisely.

When it comes to clothing specifically, there are many elements than can become "trendy". Those include:

• silhouette (or the shape) of a garment
• volume
• color
• lines
• length
• prints and patterns
• necklines
• fabrics
• etcetera

Before I get into my Top 7 Tips for making trends wearable on the day-to-day, I want to share a couple that are really big right now.

Sheer:

Vogue image: Jean Paul Gaultier Spring Summer 2024 Runway

Sheer is going STRONG and don't expect it to go anywhere for at LEAST the remainder of 2024. While this runway look is gorg, the vast majority of us would not purchase this dress and have no interest in showing THAT much of our private parts, amiright?! 

There are ways you can wear this trend tastefully.

WHBM Sheer Trench

Anthropologie Blouse

As you can see with the two pieces shown above, both of these are very wearable and yet still carry through on the sheer trend.  The White House Black Market Sheer Trench is a bit more fashion forward and "trendy", but so gorgeous. The Anthro blouse has that pinch of sexiness from the sheer, but most of the body is covered and this top could easily be worn on a normal day (just not to the office).

Voluminous Sleeves

The sleeve volume is MASSIVE this season, and this look on Ariana Grande from the Oscars is STUNNING.  Again, most of us aren't going to be walking around with sleeves like this.

Image from WWD

Runways are meant to be very fashion-forward. To wear the voluminous sleeve trend for your regular GNO or Date Night, here are some very approachable styles.

Kate Hewko Blouse

Anthropologie Blouse

These two blouses are absolutely stunning and still make a trend-forward statement, but in a way that won't have people side-eyeing you as you pass by!

There are so many more trends for me to share (more on that later), but for now, here are my

7 Tips to Make the Trends Wearable

Tip 1 - Never live by Trends

Your closet should be composed of great basics. No one wants to be a walking billboard for the trends. To have a fully functional wardrobe, you need to focus on basics.  I know that they can seem "boring", but they really don't have to be.  When you do this, you create a more versatile wardrobe. If you have too many trends in your closet, you will struggle to put together an outfit.

Want to snag my list of Must Have Basics?  You can grab it here.

Tip 1 leads into Tip 2, which is...

Tip 2 - Wear what you love

As you notice the trends (or learn about them from your favorite Personal Stylist) 😉, think about if the trend is one that really speaks to you. If voluminous sleeves just make you think you will constantly have dirty sleeves from them slipping into your soup, maybe you pass on that one.  But maybe you love the idea of peekaboo sheer details, so you embrace that trend.  Pay attention to how you feel when you see a trend and think of how wearable it is before you adopt it.

Which leads me to...

Tip 3 - Consider your lifestyle

You HAVE to consider what your life dictates before you even think about introducing something into your closet, trend or not.  Back to the sheer trend. If you work in a corporate office and never go out to dinner with friends or on a date, it may not be the best trend to invest in.  You may be more likely to wear a print or color trend. You will waste a lot of money if you don't consider your lifestyle.  Loving something so much because of how it looks without anywhere to wear it is a losing battle.

Tip 4 - Shop your closet first

Okay, so I'm not talking about reaching into your closet and grabbing something you wore in the 90's. That is an ENTIRELY different blog post.  What I am talking about here is seeing if you already have something current in your closet that could speak to a trend.  Maybe you have a blouse that has a bit more of a voluminous sleeve.  It may even be a subtle voluminous sleeve.  Sometimes other people may not notice the trend (most people aren't terribly trend-aware anyway until after it's phasing out), but by YOU knowing you are wearing a trend-adjacent piece, you will feel elevated in your outfit.

Tip 5 - Make sure it goes with what you own

This one is important.  If you have to buy an entirely new outfit to go with the new trending item that you just purchased, that is not a smart purchase.  If you need to go buy a new top to make those trend-forward pants work, that's a no!  I DO have two caveats to this:

1. If you are already needing a secondary item and have been looking for it and it goes with the trend, that's okay. For example, if you have been on the look out for a pair of straight leg jeans (since skinnies are a bit dated right now), and you find a great pair to perfectly match your voluminous sleeve blouse, go for it!
2. If you are purchasing an item that is a Macro trend, which is long-lasting and you need to buy something to go with it, that's okay.  Here's an example: Wideleg pants are going NOWHERE.  I want you to begin to think of them like the Skinny Jean of past. When you are styling a wideleg pant, you have to wear it with something more fitted on top.  So, if you need to buy a top or two to go with that pant it's okay BECAUSE the wideleg pant will be in your closet for several years.  Make sense?

Tip 6 - Don't forget about accessories

Accessories can make or break an outfit. Accessories have trends, too.  Whether it's a style or shape of a shoe, or chunky or minimalistic jewelry (bold and oversized is IN right now), these are also important to pay attention to. Maybe you are more of a t-shirt and jeans type of gal. If that is the case, look into what's on trend with accessories and have fun spicing up your outfit with handbags, jewelry, hats, scarves, gloves...whatever is happening in the moment!

Tip 7 - Do not overspend

One important thing to keep in mind is to not spend too much on trends if they are micro trends.  It is not worth it to go buy an expensive Designer piece that is too trend-forward.  As an example of this, Peplums are very happening right now.  I personally just purchased a Denim jacket that has a peplum on it.  **if you don't know, peplums are a short flared piece of fabric that highlights the waist on a shirt or jacket** So, I spent just over $100 on my new jacket and it is totally worth it.  I would not recommend going out and spending multiple hundreds of dollars on a piece like this.  It would be a waste of money as the trend fizzles out early next year.

Okay, so those are my 7 Tips to Make the Trends Wearable.  If you are even the tiniest bit curious about what is trending for Spring and Summer 2024, you have to check out my Mini-Masterclass called Spring/Summer 2024 Trend Report.  Inside, you will learn:

• A bit about the trend and fashion cycle
• How to understand the difference between Macro and Micro Trends
• What ALL the Trends for this season are
• What to spend on and what to splurge on
• Which items you still have in your closet that are dating you

The Mini-Masterclass is only $37 and available for a limited time.  You can get access to it RIGHT NOW using this link!

That's it for this week!  I will see you back here next week. Same time, same place!

Stylishly Yours,