As the sun sets on my time as a temporary editor here, I needed to get in one last question to my fellow Sewcialists. I feel like my style has evolved and changed ever so slightly. When I initially came on board with the Sewcialists, I had JUST broken up with buying all synthetic blend fabrics. These fabrics seemed to be the ones that were the most trendy in both print and fabric type (looking at you, chenille & crushed velvet!). So it got me really thinking about classic vs. trendy: What does it mean to be trendy or sew trendy clothes?
In a lot of ways I feel like the styles that I’m currently drawn to are classic pieces, but if I’m seeing them everywhere, then surely they must be trendy. Some of my favorite pattern designers right now seem to be making similar things—boxy tops, elastic waist pants, A-line skirts. At face value, these items all seem fairly classic to me, but I have also seen similar items at Madewell, Anthropologie, etc., which I consider to be trendy stores. Is it the cyclical nature of fashion that makes these items trendy? Is it the colors and fabrics used? Is there some formula to being trendy? Am I just getting older and my tastes are fading with the times?
With textiles I feel like the lines are more obvious as to what is or isn’t trendy. It is fairly easy to notice the same colors and types of fabrics popping up than it is styles or different iterations of the same style, in my opinion. When it comes to textiles I think I tend to gravitate towards more of the classics these days. I do think some of that comes from my currently fairly barren closet (I have no time to sew with all these people in my house!!) When I started sewing my closet was bursting at the seams, so buying wild prints that didn’t go with much else in my wardrobe did not feel like such a mistake.
I suppose this leads me to my next question: If I’m sewing trendy silhouettes in classic fabrics, am I “sewing trendy”? Is trendiness subjective or objective? Largely I think trendiness is dependent on your sphere of reference; what seems trendy to me may not seem trendy to you. I don’t find it super important to try and follow trends, but I do think they influence my sewing and knitting choices even when I don’t realize it. As a small fat woman, it also is nice to be able to sometimes find patterns that emulate the trendy RTW pieces that I cannot find in my size—another nice benefit of sewing my own clothes.
So now to you my Sewcialist friends: What does trendiness mean to you? Do you mainly try to make trendy clothing or do you stick to classics? Let me know in the comments below!
Amanda is a mom of two, crafting away in North Carolina. She can be found on Instagram @mandabe4r where she posts about everyday life (and she finally finished a sewing project!). She LOVED her time as an editor with the Sewcialists and will not be a stranger.
Trends don’t matter to me. Probably because I’m old enough to know what works for me and to ignore trends. I like classics, they last and work for me. I do, however, love seeing younger people wear trends.
Classics are always a good choice!
I totally agree! I’m 59 and I know what works for me so I make those clothes in the best, most luscious fabric I can afford. I have seen trends come and go and sometimes I make them, sometimes not. I do feel that if I wore a style as a teenager, then it probably won’t suit my current body. I’m looking at you halter necks and mini skirts! 😀 But I will never stop loving the art that is fashion. PS. Check out Advanced style
Unpopular opinion but I don’t think halter tops look great on anyone 😉
I tend to sew classics. I like working with quality materials and messing around with fitting and finishes. After taking my time, I want to have a piece I can wear for years. I like wearing trends and often buy trendy RTW pieces. That was before the pandemic anyway. Now it’s all lounge clothes, all the time.
Things like an a drawstring a-line skirt are trendy right now, and I think they’re items that could be worn for years.
I’ve been sewing all of my own clothes for close to eight years now, haven’t bought a single item from a shop. So I was walking around thinking that I was being pretty true to my own style & avoiding trends, but then it occurred to me that that’s ridiculous. Fashion trends trickle down through the entire ecosystem of apparel manufacturing (whether store-bought or sewn from home), including sewing pattern releases & fabric colorways. You may not be intentionally picking up a new pattern with the intention of following a trend, but there are still trend influences at play.
As far as what separates a trend from a classic…Some of it is subjective. I’m in fashion school & one of my 20-year-old classmates described her cropped turtleneck as “a classic–who doesn’t own a cropped turtleneck?!” Uh…this 41-year-old right here? That may have been youtful hubris at work, but to her, she was just stating facts.
But I also think the limitations of manufacturing & merchandising may play into what we perceive of as “classic” pieces. For example, A-line skirts. I love them, you love them, who doesn’t love a good A-line skirt. But from a practical industry perspective, they’re a smart bet because they’re forgiving to fit on to an enormous variety of bodies, & the A-line shape is fairly cost-effective to produce. So is it a classic because we all love it? Or because the industry pushes it on us because it’s a profit margin winner?
Sorry if I’m being kind of inarticulate, haven’t finished my coffee yet.
And here I was thinking you were being quite articulate. I agree 100% with your take on this.
I think classics are highly overrated. The things that last over time are special, and often a bit quirky. It’s not always easy to tell what will remain a go to piece for years and years. Classics look okay all the time. Fashion that really lasts looks amazing and interesting for years when mixed with an otherwise changing wardrobe. Clothes that really suit an individual person are the things that matter and that last, and choosing our clothes helps us to become that individual. Classics suit some people perfectly and on other people just look boring and safe — the point is to pay attention to what you wear, pay attention to what clothes are available to try, take some risks and hold onto those things that work!
One of the benefits of taking photographs of myself wearing my me-mades is that I can tell by the expression on my face if it works for me. Trend or classic doesn’t matter!
I think the perception of what is a classic is always going to be coloured by the time and circumstances of the beholder. I have owned a number of style guides from the 80s which had examples of “classic” pieces. Looking back, they were more “80s” than I think the writer realised (yes, a basic coat/sweater/skirt in neutral colours, but the cut was very 80s). I wonder when the term emerged.
My style (ha!) was forged in the 90s, when I was a teenager. My wardrobe basics, and what I’d consider “classic” are therefore influenced by this (a narrower cut than the 80s classics described above). I don’t aim to look at trends (I sew so slowly that trends come and go during the production process) but I’m sure I’m affected by them all the same.
I try to avoid trends and make clothes that last the test of time. Meaning I mostly sew clothes that go with my style. But there are exceptions to this. From time to time, a trend comes along that speaks to me, so heck yeah I’m going to sew it. For example shackets, that are currently apparently on trend and oversized quilted coats (waiting for my fabric to arrive)
I feel like anyone who knows one’s self will know what is classic on them, those items that always work for them, those cuts that always work for them, those colors that always work for them, those are classics. And when you do know yourself, and your classic silhouette, you can more easily add new bits, which may very well be on trend, that will fit with your classic wardrobe.
The most common so-called classic I can think of is the black turtleneck. And here’s the thing, I look ridiculous in a black turtleneck. On the other hand, a slim fitting black boat neck is always a winner. That’s part of my classic silhouette. Whether I’m pairing it with skinny jeans, a short frilly skirt, or a classic trouser, that may be more about trend. But of course, I lie, because I can’t wear trousers. They don’t work for me. So when trousers are in, I’m going to wear the skinny jeans. And I’m going to look amazing in my skinny jeans.
Years ago I had the experience of having a younger woman compliment me by telling me I was looking more and more trendy all the time. And she really thought that that was a compliment. And I thought that that was hysterical. Because in fact I was wearing the same thing that I always wore, it was just coming back into fashion.
I’m in my 40s now and I still like to wear what’s classic for me and what works for me. And I am still frequently complimented on my varied outfits. People like the way I put things together and don’t seem to realize that it’s kind of formulaic. I mean, I’m an artist, I’m good with color, I’m good with proportion, so my formula is more akin to meal ideas than baking recipes. My formula is more art than science.
When one knows what works for them, and is confident in their style and comfortable in their skin, who cares what’s on trend? When it comes to fashion, style, trends, that’s always my advice, find out what works for you, find out what you feel good in, build a wardrobe from there. And when you’re only purchasing an item here or there out of the myriad bits that they’re putting out, you can more easily afford to buy higher quality materials, more sustainable ones, and ones that are more ethically produced, whether that’s to purchase ready to wear or to make yourself.
Anyway, that’s my two cents.