I have two big shopping regrets from the past couple of years. One is a pair of black boots with witchy, pointed-toes from Staud, and the other is a beige coat with oversized shoulders from Sandro. I bought them because I wanted to freshen up my wardrobe, replacing pieces that boasted an air of outdatedness with cooler, more modern alternatives. But after just one season of wears, I never wanted to reach for them again.
While the Staud boots haven’t left their spot in my closet all year, being passed over for new 60s-style alternatives, I was able to have my Sandro coat reconstructed to a normal size. When I brought it to my local seamstress and tried it on, she confirmed my feelings towards the coat, blurting, Ah non! Followed by a laugh. C’est trop grande! Non non non non non non non…
My redone coat is now one of my wardrobe’s MVPs. But my purchase blunders got me thinking about trends, and how to know which ones to try and which to avoid. Fashion is about knowing your go-to silhouettes but also taking risks; having personal style but also evolving—however, the environment and I can’t afford to make wrong shopping decisions and acquire a line-up of pricey pieces on the bench for eternity. So, how do I get better at taking safer fashion risks?
That’s the perfect topic for Ashlyn Greer to cover—she’s the founder of Fashivly, a three-year-old fashion company offering personalized virtual shopping guides to help people refine their style and embrace trends that are right for them.
“People think you can either follow trends or have personal style—that they're mutually exclusive,” says Ashlyn. “But trends are a means by which to figure out and further hone your personal style.” Her team of stylists work with clients to create personalized lookbooks of shoppable outfits, based on style info and preferences clients share in a questionnaire. “Our philosophy on how we approach styling is we want to see where someone’s at with their wardrobe and take them up one level,” says Ashlyn. “We choose pieces based on our assessment of their style and find trends we feel may resonate with them.”
I chatted with Ashlyn about how we can be smarter trend shoppers, and we came up with a few questions to ask yourself before buying a new piece.
Where’s the trend in its cycle?
“A typical trend cycle is about 10 years, and silhouettes, like jeans, follow closer to a 20 year trend cycle,” says Ashlyn. “For example, we started to see more of the oversized silhouettes come into play around 2013, and now we can see they’re starting to be more mainstream”—meaning, they’re on their way out.
Trends have a five phase-cycle: First, it’s exposed to us by trendsetters, which are typically designers. Next, it’s picked up by the early adopters, who are often the fashion-forward influencers who are quick to blend the trend into their wardrobe. Then it hits the mass market, where it’s more readily available through fast fashion retailers. And then we start to see the trend’s decline as it becomes more popular, and it eventually becomes obsolete.
“We suggest purchasing and adopting trends when they're in between the early adopter and the mass market phase,” says Ashlyn. After that, it might not have enough longevity to be worth the investment.
Does it match your style?
“We tell clients all the time: You should never purchase a trend just because it's trendy,” says Ashlyn. “That's where you're gonna get frustrated and have to replace your wardrobe every year or two.” Instead, only reach for the trends that fit your personal style.
Ashlyn says personal style is something many of Fashivly’s clients get stuck with when asked in the questionnaire about their style inspiration. She suggests: "Think back to moments in time when you have been inspired by something. It doesn't have to be fashion—it can be books, movies, TV characters, a city. Collect all the references, and pick up on the common themes.” Your style will start to feel a little more clear, and you’ll have a better understanding of which trends to try. “When I feel a trend fits in with my style references, I know it’s something that's going to stand the test of time.”
Are you choosing the version of the trend that’s right for you?
“There’s always a version of a trend that will work better for you,” says Ashlyn. This is where I went wrong with my Staud boots and Sandro coat. Now, there’s certainly nothing wrong with them. In fact, I still like them—but on other people. Although I was on the right track updating my almond toe boots (the skinny jeans of footwear) and traditional outerwear with cooler styles, I chose the wrong versions of the trends for me. “You have to try [each variation of a trend] with your wardrobe to figure out if it works for you—or if you even like it,” says Ashlyn. What I learned works for me? Boots with a more rounded toe and a coat that plays up the oversized trend with a longer length but has properly-tailored shoulders.
Are you interested in the trend only because you fear that without it you’ll look outdated?
If you don’t love the trend, it’s not for you, says Ashlyn. You can still look current by teaming whatever older styles you own with more modern pieces. “When you try to pair an item with the pieces you wore with it when it was first trending, it's going to look outdated,” says Ashlyn. For example, if you prefer a more classic trench over a trendy, oversized one, wear it with “something that's going to update it and make it feel more fresh,” such as a maxi skirt or a rugby shirt.
Does it fall into one of these trend categories?
According to Ashlyn, there are 10 items that have staying power for the next couple of years:
Mixed metals (gold and silver together)
Barrel-leg jeans
Square-toe shoes
Rosettes (as a pin or on shoes and bags)
Polos and rugby shirts
Sheer lace
Icy blue (replacing red)
Mini skirts
Open-work materials (like crochet)
White dresses
The trend to skip? Cheetah print (which is basically 2024’s version of 2019’s leopard midi skirt). “If you loved cheetah print 10-15 years ago, pull it out of your closet or invest in it again,” says Ashlyn. “But if you're just getting it because it's a trend, in six months, you won’t want to wear it anymore.”
After talking with Ashlyn, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about rugby shirts—and I think I’m ready to try it. Not only are they at the perfect spot in their trend cycle (between early adopter and mass market), but also, I found a store in Le Marais that has a selection of chic vintage versions that feel a bit me. Besides, if I wear one with a dainty shoe, they’ll feel very Carrie Bradshaw (who, as you know, is one of my style references).
Until next Sunday,
Renée