Flares are back in trend? Or did they never leave? In my fashion obsessed brain, where Iām constantly looking at other peopleās outfits, I donāt think flared jeans have ever really gone out of style, but in this article Iām talking about yoga-pants kind of flares, which I think have been out of trend for a while, but now Iām seeing everywhere.
It seems like only yesterday everyone was buying the ribbed Topshop flares and wearing them for every occasion – really, they are very handy: they can easily be dressed up or down, theyāre comfy, you can get them for cheap, etc. So why did we stop wearing them? Probably because everyone got in the mindset that ābigger is betterā: big jeans, parachute pants, flowy skirts. This caused us to leave the flares behind. But less than two years down the line, flares are everywhere again. This highlights the fast pace at which trends now come and go.
Previously, trends seemed to follow a twenty-year trend cycle. But now, trends appear to have a two-year circuit (kind of trendy, trendy, kind of not trendy, nobody wears them – repeat), which is seen with flares. Therefore, maybe we should prioritise personal style rather than trying to keep up with the never-ending circuit of hundreds of trends.
I think that this is easier said than done. When a trend is in full force, I am almost conditioned into liking them. I see them everywhere: in the streets, on my friends, in shops, online. This constant exposure causes me to āwantā that trend – to buy into it. Does this mean I am part of the problem of microtrends? This crazy thing, a trend, is causing me to waste my money and, letās be real, slowly kill the planet due to fast fashion.
Maybe what is needed is to decondition ourselves to stop keeping up with these trends and instead, shop for ourselves. For example, learn your body shape and research what kinds of clothes suit your shape best (and make you feel confident). Or you could get your colours done to see what tones will suit you the best, then go secondhand shopping, find anything you can in āyourā colour, and create an outfit that makes you feel powerful, especially after releasing your creative side, which makes you feel great.
My point with this article is that with the pace of trends exponentially increasing, itās nearly impossible to keep up with them all. So perhaps instead of trying to, you can develop your personal style with things you really like and can see yourself wearing for the foreseeable future – this is good for your bank and the planet. Decondition yourself of the need to follow trends and learn to follow your opinions, to develop your unique personal style.