Personal style VS following trends

Should you "find" your personal style, only follow trends or do a little bit of both? Let's talk about this right now.

I do not know about you, but after watching a few videos on YouTube about fashion, I was flooded with videos on personal style. "How to find your personal style". "How to dress in a timeless fashion". "Why you should not follow trends". Ironically enough, this was content created by people that were telling viewers a few weeks back about "the things they absolutely need in 2026", "the new trend taking over" or the "shoes you must buy right now".

Neophytes are confused by this, and rightfully so. Is personal style the opposite of trends? How do you find your personal style? Is it something to be chased? Should we completely forego trends and consider them as mere distractions from our ultimate goal, the holy grail of holy grails being personal style? 

As you must have noticed by then, black and white answers are not my thing. If life has taught me anything so far, it is that in most cases (there are exceptions in certain domains), the answer is the middle way.

What is personal style anyway?

First of all, let's define personal style. You must have gathered from my introduction that I am a bit skeptical regarding the idea of a personal style you should try to "find". Do not overthink it and overcomplicate things. You already know what your style is.

Personal style is who you are... maybe inspired by someone else. Or something else. It is the sum of all your experiences. If you overdo it, it becomes forced. Unauthentic. Deceptive. Personal style has to feel natural. If you are only copying someone else or mechanically following a trend to a t, it will show.

Every day, you get inspired by magazines, Instagram, maybe TikTok, Pinterest, your favourite singer, people on the streets. You take elements here and there and MAKE THEM YOUR OWN. Personal style is a mixture of everything you like. But of course, it has to be tastefully put together, and most of all, adapted to the weather and setting.

I will take myself as an example as a starting point. When I was a teenager in the 90's, I used to listen to a lot of punk rock, hip-hop, skateboard and play basket-ball. I still play ball every now and again. So streetwear has always been part of my DNA. At the same time, I was really into semi-formal menswear during part of my 20's and my 30's, so that is something that still plays a role in the way I dress nowadays. On top of all that, I have always been a huge fan of technical fashion, a passion that started when I got into snowboarding in the 90's and continued as I got into other outdoor activities like backpacking, hiking, cycling and trail running. 

Nowadays, I do a lot of work from home as a translator in the digital field and work as a DJ on weekends. I mainly stay in informal environments. I still listen to old school hip hop, as well as latin and afro-caribbean music.

And I am a huge fan of the Japanese "City Boy" aesthetic.

As a result, every time I dress, whether I am briefly going out to run an errand or going to the office for the day, my outfit will systematically look clean, put together but with a relaxed, cozy feel; and there will always be a functional dimension to it. 

I am not saying you should be the exact same. Your personal style does not have to be as diverse. I am just demonstrating how all your experiences and the things that you love carry over into your personal style. It is your identity, made of different flavours and circumstances.

Should you follow trends?

Now, does your style have to remain immune to trends? Should it stay unadulterated, as time passes by?

OF COURSE NOT!

It can evolve, it can slightly change, it can broaden. It is still you. But you adjust your personal style as you go, incorporating certain elements, leaving others out, and that is where trends come in. Personal style and trends are not mutually exclusive. Personal style feeds off trends.

First of all, trends are interesting because they show us where fashion stands at a given time. But they are also fascinating from a sociological perspective because it is a way to take the pulse of society. When the whole outdoor trend was at its peak right after COVID, it conveyed the population's desire to go out there and experience the great outdoors after several months of lockdown.

Whenever a new trend comes along, take the time to analyse it. Are there elements that you like in this trend?

This is the crucial part. You have to LIKE a trend to partake in it. Blindly following a trend to be part of the herd is a very common mistake which can be an expensive one; when you realise it is not you, you had better be able to sell the pieces. Do not worry, it has happened to the best of us.

Every trend you adopt needs to be in line with what you already like and wear. Otherwise you are just not going to wear it that often and it is going to look off. It must integrate into your personal style. That is why before buying any new garment or pair of shoes, you should try and visualise the rest of the outfit(s).

Important note: whenever adopting a trend, you should make it your OWN. Do not literally copy what you see. E.g.: a certain brand is fashionable? Do not buy the same piece as everyone else. A certain model is trending? Buy it in a different colour! Or buy from a different brand with a similar ethos (especially if it is cheaper!). This is going to sound cliché, but your goal is obviously not to look exactly like everyone else (even when buying into the same trends). 

Quick rule of thumb: whenever there is a new trend, ask yourself these 3 questions:

• Do I like this look?

• Is it wearable/useful? Does it make sense?

• Does it fit into my lifestyle?

If the answer to these three questions is "yes", then by all means. This will guarantee you to keep wearing pieces from a given trend long after the trend has died down.

Quick personal example: When the New Balance 550 became ubiquitous, I was looking for a white sneaker with a pop of colour for the summer and thought it would be a nice addition to my rotation. When this particular model fell out of favour with the masses (which surprisingly almost happened overnight) I was left with a white sneaker which I would still be able to wear the following year. Why? Because white sneakers are useful. They are a classic that goes with everything. Mind you, I was even pleased the trend was over, as it suddenly became not as ubiquitous and I was "original" again. That being said, after wearing them for 3 summer straight, I might sell them, not because I am tired of them, but because they are among the most uncomfortable shoes I have ever worn!

Another example is when the "Gorpcore" trend was in full effect: this trend that was mainly about wearing outdoor apparel and shoes in the city really spoke to my soul, because I have always been a fan of technical clothing. I was already wearing this type of gear but this trend made me want to dig deeper, and instead of buying the same Arc'teryx jacket as everyone else, I went on Vinted and bought vintage snowboard jackets from the golden era of the brand Burton Analog: the 2000's. It was a tribute to my childhood and if it had not been for technical jackets appearing everywhere, maybe I would never have thought of doing that.

Side note: "Gorpcore" is a term which sounds a bit silly to those of us who are really into technical fashion. This new, quirky word makes it sound as if this were a new phenomenon and only a passing trend; but incorporating outdoor pieces into streetwear has existed since the 90's and always will. The trend only updated this subgenre with new brands and new technologies; and this "trend" did not disappear after a bit. It just quietly became part of the whole fashion zeitgeist.

Here is an example of a snowboarding jacket embodying the "Gorpcore" ethos (brand: Dimito Vertex). This is taken from a Manchester-based shop called This thing of ours.

Do not forget that trends are not always about buying new stuff. They can give you the impulse to wear again stuff that has been sleeping in your closet for some time, or to wear it in different ways. Although the whole "old money/quiet luxury" fad sounded a bit ridiculous, it gave me a newfound appetite for that Ivy League look: straight chinos, polos and v-neck sweaters. Since I was already a fan of Japanese fashion which borrows a lot from this style, it was another reason for me to reach again for these items which are ideal for office wear.

4 types of trends

There are many different types of trends, but the 4 kinds I have seen most often are the following: 

• Old models of shoes, types of pants, tops, etc., or even whole aesthetics that make a comeback and get in the spotlight. The 3 examples I just gave are good examples. These are the trends you should hop on if they are to your liking. Only after making sure you will keep committing to them once the trend is dead (worst case scenario, you can always sell the piece(s)).

The case of Timberland 6-inch boots can also be mentioned. They make a come-back every 5 to 10 years and suddenly appear on everyone's feet and pop up on every feed.

Brands, social media and the media in general will do everything they can to advertise those and make them seem as if they were a brand new phenomenon. Do not fall for it. Learn about the history of the garment / shoes and if they fit into your style, go for it.

Something has to be said about anything advertised as new, whether it actually be the case or not. Let's discuss "new".

• I have just finished reading a whole book about the concept of novelty: Le désir de nouveautés ("The desire for novelty") by Jeanne Guien, which I absolutely recommend. Do not worry though, I will not be going into detail about this -but it did partly inspire me when I was writing this article. I will just say this: trends are always described as something that has just been invented and did not exist before. But you should ALWAYS be wary of anything being pushed as new. Always. Not just with clothes: the latest iPhone that costs a fortune and only includes a couple of new features, the latest car which will cost twice as much as a gently used car, etc. "Latest" can rarely be trusted.

New clothing, shoes or brands that cause mass hysteria are definitely a trend. And this is possibly the most suspicious of all. We see it all the time. Something becomes all the rage overnight and starts popping up everywhere. That is when you wonder: "should I be a part of this? There must be a reason why everyone follows this new trend."

First of all, let's get this straight: there is nothing actually new. Just new science and advanced technology. But when it comes to a given style of clothes or shoes, there is only so much you can do with adornment for the human body. Philosophers from Ancient Greece used to say that every thought has already been thought before. And that was before Christ!

Let that sink in.

When the whole Arc'teryx craze was in full spring, a photo suddenly resurfaced of skater Harold Hunter wearing a jacket from the brand in the 90's. Yeah, Arc'teryx was not the new brand everyone thought it was. The trending jacket was a new iteration though. A lot of times, new stuff is just "remixed" old stuff.

But sometimes, the new thing is actually new. Take the Adidas Yeezy for instance. New brand (even though it was backed up by Adidas which is everything but new), new silhouette. Everyone was ready to sell their souls to the devil for a piece of the action. The price was very high for a minimalistic piece of synthetic footwear. Nobody cared. Even I have fallen victim.

Well, as you know, this ended badly. Yeezys ended up at the outlet for 70% off. The bigger they are, the harder they fall. 

The whole "hypebeast era" from 10 years ago (with brands including Off-white, Supreme, etc.) is a great testament to this movement.

Your goal should always be to go for something that can be re-worn when the trend dies off because it objectively serves a purpose. Especially if the item is not too loud. In the case of an Arc'teryx jacket, it is still useful as a rain jacket, so no harm done (apart from the price).

If you are really going to buy into a new brand or a new model just for the looks, make sure you sell the item when it is at its peak, unless you do not care about wearing it when everyone thinks it is lame (after all, who cares what everyone thinks?) But maybe you should avoid these things altogether. This "you're hot, you're not" ethos will only get you so far. And hype hardly has to do with style. But that is for another article.

• Now let's discuss another type of trend also sold as "new": hybrids of 2 already existing pieces. It is hard to generalise in the realm of fashion, but this is the main trend you may want to stay away from (I am sure there are a couple of exceptions though). 

Take capri pants for example. The youngest among you may not remember, but those were all the rage back in the 2000's. OK, maybe not "all the rage", but they were definitely worn by everyone and their mother. Hard to imagine today huh? Why do they get so much hate today? Well there is a case to be made about aesthetics but I do not want to start criticising the tastes of others. I believe there is room for every taste in fashion and if you like something, you should go for it as long as you style it tastefully.

However, you know how much function is dear to me. And I think that after jumping on the bandwagon back in the day, everyone has come to the conclusion that capri pants were NOT functional. When it is hot you want to wear shorts. When it is cold or shorts are not appropriate, you wear pants. Capri pants are neither shorts nor pants: you are actually getting the very informal look of shorts, without the benefits! What is the point of having 20 cm of leg showing?

Yeah these had to go, and hopefully will never come back, but you know how fashion is. They will probably be back at some point (maybe they already have). When they do, you know the answer to the three questions I asked above will be a clear "NO" for me. But maybe you do like the look of them and find them very useful. If that is the case, please enlighten me, I would be glad to hear your arguments and see if you can change my mind. I try to always keep an open mind when it comes to fashion. And I think everyone should. 

Have you ever seen those loafer/sneaker hybrids? They are the latest trend right now (I am pretty sure they are not even new) and every brand is having a go at them. I think that just like with capri pants, people, down the line will think to themselves: "what was I thinking when I bought these?". Mark my words! Once again, I am not discussing aesthetics, but pure function: I like loafers, which I wear to certain occasions, and I have sneakers for informal occasions. I have no idea when or why I would be wearing a hybrid of the two. If you disagree, please let me know!

• The last type of trend I wanted to touch on is fit: the degree of width of pants or tops. You know what it is, late 2000's were all about slim/skinny fits. Straight/baggy silhouettes started taking over during the second half of the 2010's, until today. And this has been alternating since the 60's. Yeah, once again, nothing really new here.

I honestly think this is down to personal preference. While I think skinny pants or overly baggy pants are not very flattering, I would rather go with too baggy rather than too skinny. But my thing is straight, sometimes loose fits.

 However, this is a personal choice. This is part of my personal style. If slim/skinny is your thing, you do you. All I am saying is: do not completely go from baggy to skinny when the tide turns and vice versa. Because personal style is all about commitment. Not only consistency and coherence are key when it comes to personal style, but changing wardrobes every 5 years or so is definitely not sustainable. Stick to the type of fit you like, no matter what is "hot" at a given time.

In conclusion, I just want to keep things simple: just make sure your personal style is a reflection of who you are and do not fall for hype. Trends can be useful, but they can also dilute your swagger. Choose wisely those you want to partake in. 

It is important to make your outfits aesthetically pleasing and to take into consideration the season and the place; but getting dressed is also about self-expression. As a matter of fact, you do not have to follow any trend if you like, as long as you are pleased with the way you already dress. 

It is actually way worse to hop on every single new trend, leaving the previous one behind; and buying from ultra-fast fashion brands whenever a new trend comes round is the worst thing you can do.

Instead, try to focus on building a coherent and durable wardrobe that is not timeless for everybody but timeless for you.