One of the things you can count on in life is that there will be new fashion trends every season. Now you might be thinking, “I have my own sense of style. I don’t need trends.” But what if you could update your wardrobe by learning how to turn fashion trends into season-less items?
By adding this talent to your skill-set, you can save time, money and boredom from any fashion ‘ruts’. Plus it allows you to really hone in on your style without wasting resources for trends that sit untouched in your closet.
Sounds pretty great, right?
Keep reading to learn how to build the wardrobe that effortlessly suits your style no matter the season!
Why Turn Fashion Trends into Season-less Items?
SUSTAINABLE FASHION
Over the past 10-15 years, the fashion industry has made huge strides in becoming more sustainable. If you can believe it, ONE t-shirt could take 2700L of water to make (source).
SAY WHAT!?
But through the years, Better Cotton Initiative and other sustainability organizations, have been helping the industry reduce water, waste, and other harmful practices. These organizations give farmers and mills the proper tools and knowledge they need to succeed in creating an efficient business that also benefits the planet.
So how does this relate to turning trends into classics? Well, as you know, trends can be wasteful because they meant to only be worn for a season or two. This is where the sustainability part comes in. Since more and more brands are becoming sustainable, they have been working this into their design model as well.
Brands are Going Season-less
Not only have fashion brands been faced with the sustainability challenges, they have also faced natural disasters and pandemics–just to name a few. With that said, they have had to learn how to adapt, and one of their adaptions is to go season-less.
If you are not familiar with the fashion calendar, most brands have 2 main collections (spring/summer & fall/winter). These main collections are broken out into monthly store drops, so that there is new merchandise to shop every month. Therefore, most brands (minus fast fashion) blindly plan inventory a year in advance. This means you have very little wiggle room to cancel orders or change design if a natural disaster happens.
But by going season-less, designers and merchandisers can plan for items that live through the whole year! In other words, turning trendy pieces into classics. According to Forbes, this is a great way for the company to mitigate risk, but also relieve immense pressure from the supply chain.
How to Turn Fashion Trends into Season-less Items
Okay, so now you know what brands are doing to go season-less, but what does this mean for you? Although brands will try to be streamlined, you should still follow these general rules of thumb while shopping. These 5 steps will help you decipher which trends will last, and which you should pass.
Step 1: Style Over Color
This is a good place to start when learning how to turn fashion trends into season-less items. ‘Style over color’ essentially means that you should chose a ‘trendy’ style that has lasting potential vs. a seasonal color. For example, a strapless dress with a feminine, back cut-out detail is a new, trendy detail. However, it is simplistic enough to last for several seasons. If you were to buy this dress, buy it in a color that could also last (i.e. black, blush pink, neutrals) instead of a bold color. If the style only comes in a seasonal color then it should be a pass unless it’s really beautiful. 😉
Step 2: Look for Trend Patterns
Step 3: Mixing with current wardrobe
This step elaborates on the above point. You should pick pieces that have the most potential to mix with your current wardrobe. A new trend that styles nicely with your current clothes will have the greatest chance of turning into a classic. An example of this could be nap dresses. This trend has been growing in popularity especially after the fame of the victorian-inspired, Bridgerton series. If you find a nap dress that is the right color and quality, it will have a great impact on the longevity of your wardrobe.
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