When did you become comfortable in your style and not being worried about trends etc?

[Britpopbaby]

Inspired by the myriad of skinny jeans threads. When did you develop an attitude of wearing what you want whether it’s necessarily in trend or not. This isn’t necessarily saying you don’t follow some trends but more about the confidence not to be a slave to fashion.

Always. Never cared what I wear or what I look like, since I don't have to look at myself!

I'm autistic and whilst I was aware that all my friends tended to wear the same types of things I never liked to look 'scruffy' so missed any trends which were jeans and hoodie type but embraced anything more fitted and formal. Didn't have much money growing up and it wouldn't occur to me to get new clothes unless I loved them or my old ones were knackered.

As an adult I've focused on style rather than trends. I'm an exaggerated hourglass and it's really not a body shape intended for fashion.

More recently I'm following to try to choose more current pieces which I like, so trainers pass me by because I associate them with scruffy casual but I've liked the jumpsuit phase.

So really I've never tried to follow trends and few people have ever said anything negative about what I wear, but I get lots of comments that people think I must have an important job or be 'posh' because I'm usually well turned out (and dont have an accent).

I'd be very surprised that anyone past a teen cares very much about trends unless they enjoy following trends, but then I'm often surprised.

I still wear what I wore as a teen (except quite a few sizes larger) jeans and t.shirts or oversized sweater. Footwear has changed from Chelsea boots to trainers but that's because I find trainers more comfortable, as I my feet changed during pregnancy and they've not gone back to my pre-pregnant state!

I've been obsessed with clothes as long as I can remember. As a teen and up to early 20s it was all hippy dippy long Indian dresses and Laura Ashley. I stopped wearing jeans in 1990 and never really wore tailored trousers.

I went through an incredibly dull and conservative period when I first started work and bought neat little suits initially from Wallis, then Alexon, Windsmoor, Kaliko, Jaeger for work but non work was still all droopy Laura Ashley (which I've still got a soft spot for although the quality of Laura Ashley went into serious decline) That was followed from mid 30s to mid 40s by an equally conservative Hobbs period.

In 1998 I discovered a shop in Amsterdam selling really quirky, highly tailored clothes (some of which came with instructions) which were like nothing I could buy in the UK. I used to go to Amsterdam about every 18 -24 months to stock up on work clothes. Last purchase was in 2017. I've still got loads of it, although much doesn't fit and it's more tailored and structured than I wear now.

In 2000 Lulu Benson and Janey Dalrymple opened Arkangel in Edinburgh and Helen Bateman opened her shoe shop. Jane Forbes opened Frontiers in 1990 but moved to its present location in 2007. Arkangel stocked mainly eccentric French brands (Lillith for example- the current iteration of Lillith is a far more "don't scare the horses" look than its earlier version) and Helen Bateman's shoes were her own designs which didn't look much like what was on the high street. Unfortunately Arkangel and Helen Bateman have closed ( not through lack of customers, the owners had simply had their time in the rag trade) I still have loads of stuff from Arkangel (hope springs eternal that I might fit into them again)

Frontiers is still going strong. I found brands like Samantha Sung, Edina Ronay, Baum und Pferdgarten, Ganni, Rixo, &Daughter, LF Markey, YMC, NRBY and Pazuki there. There's been a small amount of original 1950s and 1960s clothes mixed in with this.

Of course all of these shops and designers follow trends to some extent but their clothes aren't intended to last only 1 or 2 seasons. I don't think I've ever thrown any of it out because it was out of fashion- some I've had to because I've admitted it will never fit again.

I've always disliked clunky shoes/ block heels/ platform soles. I don't care how unfashionable ballet pumps or low heeled stilettos/ kitten heels or flat boots are, that's what I'm sticking with.

I sort of love Doc Martens because even although I never managed to break in my one and only pair of Docs, Docs and similar to Docs, have never been out of fashion.

Never been interested in fashion .. I actually worked for one of the brands mentioned in NatashaDancing's post and I used to get a generous 'wardrobe allowance' but I really didn't take any interest in the clothes. I just want to look clean and reasonably 'well presented' .. in that I fit into the norm & don't want to look out of place. But the sort of places I go to and my lifestyle means that no one really knows or cares what is 'fashionable'. I wear the same two best dresses on rotation for special occasions that I've had for 20+ years . I never worry about being 'expected' to buy a new outfit for an event or other occasion.

Probably in my late teens. I've never been interested in fashion. Just wear casual comfy clothes that suit me.

I was a confident youth. We moved around a lot so I never picked up local trends and I just enjoyed my own style this confidence lasted through to mid 20s. At that point I went through a professional shift and lost myself. My job is quite cerebral in many ways and my appearance took a back seat. I've always been inspired by what my younger colleagues wore and this influenced my choices, but it was the pandemic that got me my confidence back. My style isn't whacky or crazy or terribly unique, but it is different to my area and social and work set, so I did benefit from the confidence boost to be like i was in my youth, unconcerned by what others think. My clothes get commented on daily, always complimentary, but I'm sure loads of comments go unsaid that would be critical of my choices. My clothes and my style make me very happy though, so none of that matters.

Thank you for this post. I sometimes get quite weary of the idea that no woman with half a brain follows trends when it's apparent that most of us on S&B do, otherwise there wouldn't be so many angry threads about skinny jeans or flowery dresses or oversize blazers. I would wager that pretty much everyone on this board considers trends, decides what they like and leaves the rest. In fact I think the chances of anyone who copies every trend hanging out on a parenting website are comically small. The odd one might pop in and post something goady to see if they can get a reaction, and that's it.

I think that sometimes when a trend we like is in fashion we get so used to it that we forget it's a trend and feel annoyed when it moves on. Equally I sometimes feel a bit miffed when a style I like becomes a trend and suddenly everyone's wearing 'my clothes'. But that's just me being churlish. The point is, if we weren't interested in this stuff, we wouldn't argue about it so much.

And to answer the question, no I wouldn't say I'm ever 'comfortable' in my style. That's if by 'comfortable' you mean 'settled'. I get bored easily I'm afraid so I'm always tweaking and changing things. But I try and do it without buying too many new clothes which is why one trend I refuse to follow is getting rid of clothes I've not worn for a bit - I put them away because I know it'll only be a matter of time before they start looking interesting again.