How to know what's in fashion

[WaitingForSunnyDays]

I'm really not very aware of what's on trend, and, to be honest, not usually hugely bothered but I've decided I'd like to have a bit of an idea. I suppose what I'm really looking for is a very simple place to see if it's skinny jeans or wide legged, tucked in tops or baggy cropped tops, statement necklaces or subtle silver chains, etc. I don't want to have to read a whole magazine every week, or follow a dozen people on Instagram. Can anyone recommend somewhere I can find a kind of "current fashion summary"?!

If you have a few places you like to shop, generally what's available is in fashion.

I think wide leg jeans and shorted jumpers are more 'in' at the moment.

Agree with PP re. shops - physical is best because then you can also do some people watching and see what people are wearing. It might not give you a single idea of 'what's in fashion' because that varies by age/tribe/area etc., but you'll hopefully see something you like.

The shops are full of skinny jeans, yet I often see posts on mumsnet that skinnies are out.

People are still wearing skinnies where I live (as well as other styles).

Disclaimer - I’m not cool.

if there’s shops you like, look on their website to see if they’ve done a look book - basically look at how they have styled the things they are selling to give you an idea.

there’s threads on here for trends each season change, I was on one at the end of the summer for A/W23/24 where posters who’d actually looked at vogue and other fashion mags talked about what they were expecting to be key trends. (Most i have ignored - see earlier statement about not being cool - but remembered that Mary Jane shoes, tartan scarfs and big black coats - not padded, but wool.)

are you on insta?

Oh and there’s different types of “In fashion” - there’s what the fashion magazines say is in fashion from catwalks. There’s what teenagers think is in fashion from what they wear, then there’s things like what’s in fashion for woman who work in offices, for middle aged SAHMs etc. you might need to find your tribe first.

I like fashion websites like Vogue and Glamour but I also like watching what other people are wearing for inspiration and sometimes I get outfit envy.

I am on Instagram, so should probably find some people to start following!

Most important thing is to dress for your body shape. I am always amazed that clothing website don’t allow you to search by “apple” “pear” etc.

Every so often I go for a wander round H&M. I don't think it's so much about what they've got in stock, it's more what's on display in the windows and inside and how they've put outfits together.

I look online too but there's so much it can get a bit overwhelming, whereas in a real store you can instantly see half a dozen or so key looks.

Can anyone recommend somewhere I can find a kind of "current fashion summary"?!

I’m not really sure it works like that …

So often an OP will begin by saying she hasn’t bought anything for years and will ask for suggestions. But when the suggestions appear she’ll find them outrageous or ridiculous - because her awareness hasn’t evolved gradually. And a summary might not give the assurance that new things can be incorporated into a wardrobe last updated in 2010.

You will need to put in a tiny bit of regular time to ‘keep your eye in’. I recall suggesting to a poster that she sign up for newsletters from a large multi-brand online store - she protested that she couldn’t cope with an onslaught of promotional material. But she was on S&B expecting other people to have made sufficient effort to be in a position to advise her …

That would be really helpful, as would showing by colour palettes. I'm a jewel winter, and autumn colours suit me least of all. The shops are currently a sea of olive green, orange and brown 😢.

I agree about what’s in the shops. You tend to find the faster the fashion chain, the more ‘in fashion’ their clothes are. But you actually see the same patterns (no pun intended) in all the shops, eventually.

Often online retailers might do a section like ‘Edwardian’ or ‘Rampant red’ to show some of the underlying themes. Actual adoption comes at different paces so somewhere like M&S is maybe a bit later to the party as they test what they can get away with but eventually a trend like looser legs trousers is everywhere.

There are quite a lot of people now saying they feel wrong in skinnies, which is because lots of people around them are wearing looser jeans as are celebrities etc. Skinnies have actually become a classic like a trench coat so they won’t disappear, they just aren’t particularly fashionable - until next time.

There’s also plenty of articles at the beginning of each season running through key trends.

It very much depends on age/shape/how deep your pocket is.

Im 60 and have always loved fashion. I have Vogue every month, of course some of it is outlandish and stupidly expensive but it does give inspiration.

Choose a magazine that fits your lifestyle and age.

I have always enjoyed seeing what's in fashion but I am not in any way fashionable. I have no eye, I am a difficult shape (short and fat) and have a limited budget.

What I have found more useful in recent years is finding a couple of instagram accounts which focus on styling. Of the 3 blockers I mention above, having no eye is by far the worst so watching other people do that bit for me is really helpful (although always no to a French tuck).

I think for a lot (but certainly not all before I get shouted at) of the Mumsnet demographic, it's the styling which is key to
looking for fashionable. Lifestyles and budgets don't lend themselves to being hyper on trend and we don't want to look like teens anymore. So seeing how to style existing items or getting a few accessories to update jeans and tops is more relatable and feasible than vogue (mush as I love vogue!)

What’s your shape/style so we could possibly recommend insta accounts for you to follow. (Height, dress size, shape etc)

And @ProperDeep is right - you might need to do some regular attention to fashion a bit, possibly just having a few more fashion accounts on your insta so you see while you are scrolling. Makes it easier to make tweaks to your current wardrobe if you have more of a feel for what you are looking for.

I reckon looking through a few clothing shop websites will do it - places that try to be on trend like Zara, &Other Stories, H&M, Arket, COS, Mango.

Mind you I went round these shops around Regent Street the other day and it was all dismal - everything is black and beige. The odd bit of red or sequins (but still black) for partywear. Lots of cropped but oversized, basically square clothes. I am waiting till fashions change.

@minipie I walked into the local Mint Velvet the other day and everything was cream, beige, cream, beige and black. The only bit of colour in there was me sticking out like a sore thumb😂

Does it really matter? Why have low use clothing or things that are not a good look on you, just to be a saddo keeping up with fashion.

@minipie your experience with high street shopping is no surprise.

Funnily enough the more expensive shops I looked at (eg Ba&sh, Rixo) had a lot more colour and variety and very little of the cropped boxy or beige stuff.

I guess they know their target demographic is more interested in things that look and feel nice and are less high fashion … at £2-300 for a single item I wouldn’t want something that will be “so 2023” in a year or two.

Free People and anthropologie were also notable exceptions, I imagine due to their boho image.

Ignoring derailers who, I imagine, have taken a wrong turn on the way to the Existentialism board - much as I enjoy a bonkers Vogue fashion shoot, I'm not sure I'd recommend it to someone who sounds like they just want a few guidelines. I'd go more for something like the 'Hello' fashion special which comes out every month (I think) doesn't take a lot of digesting and is mainly focused on the high street.

Also, if you're not massively interested in looking for its own sake, it might be worth waiting till the spring. The shops will be all death-by-glitter from now till Christmas and then it'll be the sales which, unless you've been tracking some specific things, will be full of the tat they couldn't shift.

Soz, not directed at you minipie!

I don't look at shops or brands for fashion or styling advice or ideas. They're just marketing to try and sell their stuff. Same goes for magazines. Whilst they may have in house stylists and designers they are still trying to sell you a complete look or lifestyle so you will buy their whole collection and essentially make more profit.

I look at people for style and fashion. People watching at cafes, busy city train stations, shopping centres, waiting rooms - please where you see a whole eclectic mix bringing their individual tastes. Youtube, Instagram and Pinterest are good to a certain extent too but they can be heavily driven by brand advertising.

Hi OP, I love fashion but I have some quick suggestions for you.

1. The Sunday Times Style section. It really does distill the key looks and I find that by dipping in and out of it, I keep up to date. It is way more useful than Vogue, or even Grazia, as, although there are some ‘out there’ items, there is also a lot of wearable stuff for normal life.
2. Coffee shops. I find lots of inspiration in cool coffee shops. On Friday, meeting a friend, I saw a woman wearing a short trench coat; off white ankle length straight leg jeans; taupe trainers and a black top. It was so put together yet casual - you could wear it for coffee with friends as she had, or a more business casual workplace.
3. Find a celebrity or an Instagrammer or someone in the public eye who has the same shape and colouring as you and get recent pictures of them to see what is in fashion and wearable for you - honestly, there is no point knowing something is in fashion if it isn’t suitable for you.

Mostly, you just need to add one thing to update your style. Whether that is a different type of shoe; different length of jacket or different length of jeans - any one thing can make your look more fashionable.

And keep looking at threads on here - you’ll find amazing new stores, and ideas.

😂 you win the internet today !