about microtrends (a rant)
Microtrends.
BLLLLEEEEEEEEGGGGGGHHHH. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.
You are telling me that Alix Earle wore skinny jeans one (1) time and now has her own line of them? Because if she’s wearing them omg FINALLY we’ve been waiting for these to start coming back! Everyone has to get some now!!!! Gold dainty jewelry and minimalist clean girl aesthetic is tota-OH WAIT SORRY NOW ITS ISABEL MARANT AND 2014 BOHO CHIC AESTHETIC FOR 2025. MAXIMALISM MAXIMALISM MAXIMALISM!!! LINK IN BIO FOR MY AMAZON STOREFRONT WHERE YOU CAN GET EVERYTH- no. First of all, Isabel Marant would probably roll over in her grave (she’s still alive) if she knew her name was being thrown around in the same sentence as “Amazon storefront”.
Second of all, you complain about all your jewelry rusting and your clothes not lasting more than two rinse cycles yet get everything from either Amazon, TikTok shop, or Shein? Hint: if you actually do want to lean into this maximalist aesthetic, vintage stores are the way to go (just don’t go to mine because I actually find good stuff there and I don’t want that to change sorry). I love the thought of girls supporting girls and us giving each other advice when it comes to style questions, but “ladies, are tankinis coming back this summer or are we still dong bikinis?” makes me kiiiiinda want to scream and cry. Now why are we searching for approval on what to wear based on trends? What happened to personal style? Why did Addison Rae have to wear it first for you to think you can?
When I first got to college in 2021, Shein was a PLAGUE. It was a force to be reckoned with. You could step into any club within two miles of campus and see nothing but mesh cropped tops with “groovy” designs that snapped a strap on night one, a tiny white Shein purse (strap also snapping on night one), paired with lightwashed mom jeans and white AF1’s. Sophomore year all the rage was White Fox sweat sets during the day and by night it was parachute pants with the infamous Urban Outfitters corset top and a slicked-back ponytail (still had to pair it with those white AF1’s, of course). Junior year was all talk about chunky gold jewelry, “Hailey Bieber Blueberry Milk nails”, clean girl aesthetic, Adidas Sambas, Aritzia, and then BOOM. Saltburn summer! Complete 180 switch. Suddenly everyone you have ever met has known every word to every Fleetwood Mac song since the day they came out of the womb and own nothing but HUGE necklaces on string instead of chains and everything is sequins or boho. Now, well, same thing except we are adding in the name “Isabel Marant” in front of the aesthetic without ever having seen a single piece she has ever put out (seriously, I am convinced half of TikTok has never even looked her up before saying she was who they’re trying to channel with their look).
All that to say, trends come and die within the span of a couple months, and social media is making it seem like everyone absolutely has to be up-to-date with the latest trends and “walk don’t run!!!” to every new product an influencer gets their hands on (when in reality 90% of the time it’s a paid promotion anyways). HAVE YOUR OWN PERSONAL STYLE. PLEASE, I KNOW YOU HAVE ONE. Find it and stop wasting hundreds or thousands of dollars on fast fashion in an attempt to stay caught up with the never-ending cycle. Do not get me wrong, I have been absolutely loving the looks I have been seeing recently. But don’t just wear things to be trendy. Once you find what you feel best in, don’t run to social media for advice, just say screw it and wear it.
