Trendy is a dirty word. Trendy is the same as dated, but identifying trendy pieces in the stores can be difficult. Quality aside, you want to buy clothing that will last for ages, but how do you know the style won’t date you months later if not immediately? When facing a suspiciously trendy item, go through each of these categories first to purchase with confidence and avoid buyer’s remorse.
Useless or Silly
A backpack has a use. It enables us to transport numerous or heavier items at the strongest point of our body while freeing our hands for gesturing, climbing or clapping. A backpack is not trendy, a mini backpack is. In 1995 mini backpacks were available for sale. It is trendy because it had no real use. If you had that few of belongings, a purse on your shoulder makes more sense than a tiny backpack. With the perks of a backpack (relieving our arms of a heavy load) eliminated, the cons of being easy to rob and having to reach around and take off your pack every time you want to answer your cell phone or pay for something becomes publicly and personally evident.
One is Unique, Three is a Crowd
When one person wears cowboy boots in a town far from horses or cows, people notice. As the only person in these boots, the onlookers applaud you for the innovation: “How interesting to take the boots away from the ranch.” When multiple people wear cowboy boots in a place far from horses or cows, it becomes trendy. By itself, the cowboy boots stand out in a unique way, but with more than one or two people in one room wearing something “unique” it sticks out in a negative and trendy way.
Does It Flatter Your Body? Does it Freshen Your Skin Tone?
Tighter, slim fit pants flatter the body, whether you are a size two or fourteen. When worn with complimentary garments, a slim fit pant will never go out of style because it looks good. You could even say this fits under #1’s category as this lean pant has a use. Its purpose is to make you look tall and slim. A boot cut pant also has a use when worn over boots. The wider open at the bottom of the pant makes room for that bulkier shoe. Unlike these two examples, a flared leg on a pant does not have a use. A flared leg pant is an exaggerated version of the boot cut that makes the wearer look shorter and wider. You can also trip over a flared leg, putting it under the “silly” category. This goes for neons as well. Beyond the One is Unique, Three is a Crowd category, neons don’t warm the skin and often glimmers unattractively on one’s complexion, making it a trendy color for most instead of a staple shade for years to come.
Cheap Is Out
Being inexpensive does not make something trendy, but by the time a silly or unusual garment makes it to the cheap stores like Charlotte Russe or JC Penney, it is most certainly has gone stale and trendy. Also, something that looks cheap tends to lack staying power.
Trendy items will fit at least two, if not all the above categories. These touchstones can also help you avoid wearing a non-trendy garment in a trendy way. For instance, a thin legging paired with a thin baggy t-shirt is trendy, whereas thick leggings paired with tall boots and a longer structured top is chic. A baggy t-shirt with leggings fits under two of the categories: it can look cheap, and is often unflattering, as its thinness will show every flaw while the flimsy silhouette enhances nothing.
