Spring is here and it's time to bust out your inner "fashionista". Do you live and breathe fashion? Is your face is always buried in the latest issue of vogue or other fashion magazines? Are you thirsty for a life-time supply of "red-bottoms"? Do you have your pulse on every single trend before the season even hits?
If you've answered yes to any of these questions, then this article is for you. Put down the pastels, the colored jeans, the printed pants, and celebrate Anti-Trend Day. Anti-Trend Day is a holiday I made up for all the people who are, or are tired of, being trapped in a constant whirlwind of fashion obedience. Fashion magazines dictate to the public the items that are "in." They tell you what to wear and even use celebrity reps to subtly tell what fashion labels to buy. These trends, styles, and designers then trickle down to the more affordable stores such as H&M, Forever 21, and Steve Madden. The worst part is that most people accept it and keep the wheels turning on the money-making fashion machine.
As a person who is into fashion myself, I understand that buying clothes that look cute for the season, or buying expensive and beautifully made items makes you feel good. But many times people start to feel valuable when they own valuable items. The Anti-Trend Day helps us to remember that we are valuable, not our clothes. Developing our own personal style enables self-expression through our clothes, rather then the clothes making a statement for who we are. To kick off Anti-Trend Day, pick any day you feel and follow these simple guidelines:
1. Avoid Everything Fashion Related
In order to have a proper Anti-Trend Day, you must start by stopping. Put down the fashion magazines and don't visit any fashion sites or blogs. Avoid any fashion related shows or even fashion related conversations. The goal of anti-trend day is to start with your own original ideas for how you style yourself.
2. Raid your own closet
If you're a fashion lover, you probably have way too many clothes in your closet. When's the last time you reached back in the old bin and wore something that was hot two years ago, but never thought to wear again? Now's the time to be bold and wear items from your own closet, mixing and matching with your newer pieces to make your own and creative look.
3. Raid Someone Else's Closet
My favorite thing to do when being anti-trendy is to raid my mother's closet. This is because I can find retro items that she actually purchased in the '70's and '80's instead of buying brand new clothes that are "inspired" by these periods. You don't even have to raid your mom's closet either, it can be your dad's, cousin's, sister's, brother's, or friend's instead. Finding items in the closets of people you care about the most will help to enhance the personal meaning of your outer garments.
4. Accessorize with Random Items
Everyone knows (In my Phaedra Parks voice) that rings, necklaces, bracelets and earrings are classified as "accessories." However, for Anti-Trend Day it's time to be creative. For example, replace bangles with hair scrunchies or make your own necklace out of a bottle cap and some string. These ideas may seem crazy to you, but that's the point. Think out of the box in order to accentuate your anti-trend look.
5. Vintage, Vintage, Vintage
As a person who tries to practice anti-trending very often, I liiiive for vintage and consignment stores. Shopping consignment or vintage is the perfect way to enhance your own personal style while still getting your fix of trendy looks. This is because vintage stores are rife with singular items that you don't see repeats of, and many times you will find original, major label items at a low price. When shopping vintage, you have no choice but to shop based on what's cute in the store rather than what was cute in a fashion magazine and purchasing the same exact item. If you are a New Yorker, Beacon's Closet, Buffalo Exchange, or Seven Wonders Vintage are great places to find interesting vintage items.
All in all, these 5 examples are just guidelines to help you embark on Anti-Trend day if you're having trouble breaking out of your super trendy ways. Hopefully, after you partake in your Anti-Trend festivities, you can enjoy the feeling of embracing your own personal style.
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