The Trend Debate: Do Trends Die?

The death of a trend and the birth of personal style aren’t revolutionary topics. From the pages of our glossy fashion magazines to the endless articles strewn across blogs on the web, the triumphant trumping of personal style over what the runways, stores and definitive words on style say - seems to be the only lasting trend worth paying attention to. “If I like it, I’m going to wear it,” an assumed phrase many a fashion influencer utters.

It was only a few years ago where the trickling of a ramp silhouette or celeb favourite item started finding its way to the shelves of say (fashion girl favourite) Zara and this meant the trend had lost its fire in editorial circles. Those days ladies and gentleman, are long gone. Normcore and its follow-up culture sweep of Athleisure introduced a level of trend that surpassed the sequin cocktail frock, bandage dress, Juicy Couture sweat suits of yore – they were basic (not THAT kind of basic, but USEFUL kind of basic), applicable, easy to incorporate in one’s existing fashion language, ageless and available to any budget.

People who truly own their style have never bent to fashion rules, but the 2000’s saw peacocking style stars wobbling around fashion weeks in the brightest of brights and the exaggerated-ness of exaggerated cuts – as an ode to personal style, maybe, but more so as a way of standing out from the pack and validating their presence on the fashion space in part because this was the era that fashion blogs exploded. However, as the years went by and the audiences stayed loyal, the real head dons of the sartorial mafia emerged and these former human embodiments of fashion kaleidoscopes toned it down. Outfits have become more identifiable, odes to the limbs wearing them and the personality behind the choice as opposed to representing what is undoubtedly ‘in’ or ‘so hot right now.’





Not to say the quirk and pazzaz of fashion has vanished, there is still a bevvy of colours and prints, voluminous sleeves and socks with open toed sandals happening, but they’re happening in a way where we the consumer are in control. Many people deemed ‘normcore’ out but there’s no shortage of mom jeans, anoraks and the aforementioned Birkenstock running these streets - ‘athleisure’ has been reigning supreme for well over three years with the branch of style (finally) hitting runways out here in Pakistan as well! The new trend in fashion is simply to adopt or neglect whatever the current trend is and make it your own. Simple.