I'm Not A Trendwhore!
I came across an article that talked about internet fashion and it was such an interesting and fun read because the author was able to voice out some of my sentiments.
It generally talked about how the internet, instead of spreading individuality in style, has become a large homogenous group of people who wear the same things.
I swear, sometimes I look at photos of a group of fashion bloggers and they look really weird to me. Like they're all wearing a uniform but they're not.
And you know, these days its really hard not to find yourself dressed up like everyone else because all the clothing shops sell the same clothes.
There was a time though that fashion blogging wasn't such a hype in my country. That was about 2008-2009 and maybe early 2010. So while the rest of the population were still dressing up in tight t-shirts, highlighter jeans and havaianas, or those checkered tops, my friends and I were already dressing up differently.
Not so much because we wanted to but because we couldn't afford new clothes. We were college dormers on a tight monthly budget so we found ourselves going from thrift shop to thrift shop and exploring our sense of style with what we could get for cheap.
Before the cropped tops, daisy duke shorts, or the polos and shorts and weaved belts became a hit, we were already dressing up like the "trendy" girls of today.
I'm not saying that my friends and I were the only people who dressed like that, actually there were a lot of laid back college students in our surrounding area but you could tell they dressed up effortlessly without the intention of being trendy.
Then all of a sudden, boom! You notice everyone had your "sense of style". That was really weird. And all of a sudden the things you unearthed from the thrift shop were now displayed on the department stores. My little sister once commented on an acquaintance of mine who used to be one of those highlighter and havaianas girl, "she dresses like you now. Is she imitating you?".
I'd love to flatter myself and say yes but truth be told, suddenly the majority of teenagers in our little city were wearing the same things as she was so I couldn't attribute it to myself anymore.
It was probably one of those girls who dressed differently, posting on lookbook and boom. It became the trend today. But you do notice the difference, at least I think I can. With people I know who've had that sense of style way before the trends hit, I can see how effortless they look with their clothes and accessories. With the others, you can actually feel if it's too contrived.
It's kind of sad when your sense of style becomes a trend. I feel like a trendwhore even if I'm not.
Sometimes I wish the trends would move quickly so I can feel at home with wearing the styles I want without being labeled such.
But hey, at least I can say I'm really not a trendwhore. You've never seen me in a tight shirt, highlighter jeans and havaianas. No offense, I just meant, if I've moved on from that (and the typical checkered polos) then that means I did succumb to the trend of the year.
BTW, here's the link for that article.
It generally talked about how the internet, instead of spreading individuality in style, has become a large homogenous group of people who wear the same things.
I swear, sometimes I look at photos of a group of fashion bloggers and they look really weird to me. Like they're all wearing a uniform but they're not.
And you know, these days its really hard not to find yourself dressed up like everyone else because all the clothing shops sell the same clothes.
There was a time though that fashion blogging wasn't such a hype in my country. That was about 2008-2009 and maybe early 2010. So while the rest of the population were still dressing up in tight t-shirts, highlighter jeans and havaianas, or those checkered tops, my friends and I were already dressing up differently.
Not so much because we wanted to but because we couldn't afford new clothes. We were college dormers on a tight monthly budget so we found ourselves going from thrift shop to thrift shop and exploring our sense of style with what we could get for cheap.
Before the cropped tops, daisy duke shorts, or the polos and shorts and weaved belts became a hit, we were already dressing up like the "trendy" girls of today.
I'm not saying that my friends and I were the only people who dressed like that, actually there were a lot of laid back college students in our surrounding area but you could tell they dressed up effortlessly without the intention of being trendy.
Then all of a sudden, boom! You notice everyone had your "sense of style". That was really weird. And all of a sudden the things you unearthed from the thrift shop were now displayed on the department stores. My little sister once commented on an acquaintance of mine who used to be one of those highlighter and havaianas girl, "she dresses like you now. Is she imitating you?".
I'd love to flatter myself and say yes but truth be told, suddenly the majority of teenagers in our little city were wearing the same things as she was so I couldn't attribute it to myself anymore.
It was probably one of those girls who dressed differently, posting on lookbook and boom. It became the trend today. But you do notice the difference, at least I think I can. With people I know who've had that sense of style way before the trends hit, I can see how effortless they look with their clothes and accessories. With the others, you can actually feel if it's too contrived.
It's kind of sad when your sense of style becomes a trend. I feel like a trendwhore even if I'm not.
Sometimes I wish the trends would move quickly so I can feel at home with wearing the styles I want without being labeled such.
But hey, at least I can say I'm really not a trendwhore. You've never seen me in a tight shirt, highlighter jeans and havaianas. No offense, I just meant, if I've moved on from that (and the typical checkered polos) then that means I did succumb to the trend of the year.
BTW, here's the link for that article.
haha. me, too! i've never owned a pair of highlighter pants and havaianas slippers my whole life. like i never really understood the fascination. haha.
ReplyDeleteand hurrah for thrifters like us. we usually find the good stuff WAY before the department stores sells them. and guess what? we buy them much(like as much as 80%)cheaper.
as for trends, there are some that i really like to try (color-blocking,dress+boots, everything floral and lace to name a few) but i don't throw them out once the hype mellows down. while everyone else is moving on to fresher fads, you'll see me stuck with the has-beens. haha.
bravo for the write-up, ning. :)
"It's kind of sad when your sense of style becomes a trend. I feel like a trendwhore even if I'm not."
ReplyDelete- My sentiments, exactly.
Thanks girls! Yup, I think what defines a trendwhore is when they chuck out their old clothes for the latest in thing (Calling the checkered tops that got discarder after 2009). People who really like a style won't so quickly change with the trend.
ReplyDeleteHay, but I won't ponder on this anymore. I'll just focus my energies on my own style and hopefully nobody accuses us of being trendwhores ever again!