How to Keep Up on the Latest Trends

Find Role Models

Check people out on the street, in movies, and your favorite TV shows. But it doesn’t just have to be celebrities! Take notes from people who are finding ways to step outside what’s considered normal or acceptable and are making it work. Are there similarities between the people whose style you love? Figure out what it is about them, whether is be the cute barista who styles her hair in fresh, funky ways, or the guy who finds a way to incorporate flashes of bright colors with ordinary business suits, and push yourself in similar ways.

Blogs

The blogosphere is burning up with fashionistas spotting trends and writing about them, so you can know instantly about fashion’s latest and greatest. Find a few good blogs that you can check daily or weekly. Some suggestions to start: “Garance Doré” straight from Paris, Bill Cunningham’s “On the Street” photo collections in New York, and sartorial sensation Leandra Medine’s “The Man Repeller.”

Magazines

Subscribe to popular magazines like Lucky and People’s Stylewatch. They’re easy and relatively cheap ways to stay ahead of mainstream trend watching. For higher-end designer trends, check out haute couture staples such as InStyle, Bazaar, and of course, Vogue.

Set Your Own Trends

Good fashion, just like art, is about knowing the basics well enough that you can mess with them, and that’s where the trends are found. Wear a simple black or white dress and see it as a blank canvas. Become your own artist and find a new way to wear your grandmother’s old scarf, or tie a couple belts around your waist instead of buckling them. Take risks and have fun!