The Trend is Your Friend

I don’t gamble… but I do listen to sports radio, lots and lots of sports radio. Whenever they talk about betting a game they-the personalities, the NFL experts, the NBA players turned broadcasters etc. etc- they all talk about the trend. They say ‘the trend is your friend’ meaning, look at the past to predict the future. I’m sure any fashion expert, or really, any PERSON over the age of 20 is well aware that trends come and go and come again.

I ran into Forever 21 (why? we’ll get into that at a later date) and I swear I was in the costume room of a bad/retro/ 70’s disco flick. Polyester paisley maxi skirts paired with faux suede vests- fringed vests… and shoes, oh my goodness the shoes… the platforms, the huge buckles, the break your ankle if you jive the wrong way shoes. And down the hallway, in Gap- a much more sedate, grown up store, thank you very much- echoes of the same trends- a hot pink maxi skirt, tunic tops with geometric necklines, and large chunky fisherman sweaters.

Same trends,different interpretations- and that’s what *style* is all about… you, taking whatever is out there, whatever you found at the mall, on line, at the thrift store or vintage boutique… and making it your own. Interpreting what the fashion industry has decided is ‘trendy’ into an everyday look that makes you happy- at least I hope it makes you happy (we’ll talk about that later, too).

Today, as I typed my blog address into the web browser… incorrectly… and came upon ‘Babes on a Budget’ a cool, hip blog about what celebrities wear and how you can interpret that in your own life, I saw that “MUSTARD YELLOW IS EVERYWHERE” and I thought.. mmmhmm… might be everywhere but will NOT be on me… and I was right, because the one piece of clothing with any mustard yellow on it could easily have been the topic of yesterday’s post- a silky sheath dress from Kohls with a dark blue background/leopard print and a huge paisley (SEE!!!!) design/border all along the bottom in mustard yellow and gray- the dress has been put on at least 10 times and never made it past the front door. So, in the spirit of this blog, I wore it today- using MY favorite trend of the moment- opaque black tights, almost knee high grayish boot, and a small cropped black cardigan that’s at least 3 years old from old navy (see a trend? :)) And I loved it… it’s different, funky, and comfortable… in fact, I loved it right up until I wore it to our family fun night, when, like any sane person, I decided that an old pair of blue jeans, hair pulled up in a knot on my head, and a loose comfy top would have been much more appropriate for chasing 3 kids around a packed gym full of people, cookies, and craft items.

So follow your heart but give the trend a try… it might make you happy, and that, my friend, is stylish indeed.