To trend or not to trend?

 Hello, happy Sunday. 

I seem to have made a habit of starting blog posts with ‘it’s been a while…’ and here we are again. I don’t know about you, but life seems to be going simultaneously fast and slow these days - how we are in July (??!) is something that baffles me on a daily basis. Along with political decision making, rich people going into space and the England boys making it to the final of the Euros (It’s coming home lads!). 

Anyway, my constant confusion aside, I have sought a lot of solace over the past few months experimenting, namely through the medium of clothes. If this blog hasn’t already made it clear to you, clothes have always been something I’ve got a lot of enjoyment from. That might seem bizarre to type out loud, but as someone that loves to flit between aesthetics and has her mood boosted by a quick #ootd change, using clothes to become something totally different has always been a source of joy for me. Also less messy than dyeing my own hair. 

I’ve also been reflecting on my sources of inspiration, and how they’ve changed fashion-wise over the years. Anyone who was on Tumblr in the 2000s - 2010s will recall the onslaught of content we were fed; amidst memes and Lana Del Rey lyrics, ombre galaxy sweatshirts and Jeffrey Campbell litas were the talk of my dashboard. Honorable mention for disco pants. 

As Instagram and more recently, Tik Tok have quickly become the social media platforms of choice for fashion inspiration, it’s been interesting to watch trends emerge and fizzle out, often just as fast. That coveted item that was all over your feed one minute becomes old news the next. So what’s driving this constant clothing conveyor belt? Beyond being deeply flawed in a multitude of ways, fast fashion companies are adding fuel to the fire of over consumption and shortening the life cycles of trends that they create. The ones that show up on your news feed again and again and again and again. Just bought that new graphic mini dress? That’s so five minutes ago. Here’s an ad for this one instead. 

So what’s my point here you ask? Apart from being pissed at fast fashion companies that can’t pay their workers a fair wage, I guess this is just a little nudge to look beyond the trends. OK, believe me as someone who is v. partial to a trend or two, I know how tricky this can be, but once you start finding inspiration from sources other than the explore page, it can become a heck of a lot easier. Depop/Ebay/Vinted are a great place to start. Plus without the pressure of keeping up with the literal Kardashians, you begin to find a freedom in putting what you actually want to wear on your body. And after all, what could be better than that? 

Anyway, talking of putting what you want to wear on your body, I’ve included some of my recent ~summery~ looks below - which is your fave?

Shirt - Depop, originally River Island

Skirt - Depop, originally Motel Rocks

Shoes - Asos

Bag - Ebay

Shirt - Depop, originally Vogue

Bralet - Depop, originally Boohoo

Jeans - Primark

Shoes - Lilley’s 

Bag - Xmas gift

Blazer - Depop

Top - Depop, originally Boohoo

Jeans - Depop, originally Primark

Shoes - Asos

Bag  - Ebay

Top - Depop, originally Zara

Trousers - Depop, originally Topshop

Shoes - Asos

Bag - Ebay

Shirt - Depop, originally Boohoo

Bodysuit - Depop, originally Missguided

Jeans - Primark

Shoes - Lilley’s

Bag - Xmas gift

Shirt - Ebay, originally H&M

Bralet - Depop, originally Boohoo

Trousers - Depop, originally Pretty Little Thing

Shoes - Asos

Bag - Ebay

Blazer - Depop, originally Topshop

Shorts - Depop, originally Asos

Shoes - Asos

Bag - Ebay

Blazer - H&M

Jeans - Depop, originally Primark

Shoes - Asos

Bag - Ebay

Shirt - Depop, originally Boohoo

Jeans - Depop, originally Primark

Shoes - Asos

Bag - Xmas gift