Fashion trends come and go every minute of every day. One day, everyone is obsessing over a pair of jeans or a bag, and the next, people are saying it is outdated. Social media has made it easier than ever to discover new styles, find inspiration, and more, but it has also made keeping up with trends feel like a day job.
The good news is that not every trend needs to be followed. Some trends are worth keeping because they are comfortable and easy to make your own. Others are fun for a second but definitely don’t need a permanent spot in our closets.
Today, we’re making the call. Here are five fashion trends worth keeping and five that are ready to stay behind.
KEEP IT: Wide-Leg Jeans
After years of skinny jeans taking over the fashion industry, wide-leg jeans have entered a world of change.
They are comfortable, easy to style, and can make a basic outfit look even more put together. Wide-leg jeans can be thrown on with a tank top and sneakers for a casual outfit, or you can dress them up with a belt and heels for dinner. They work with so many different styles that they don’t feel like a trend you have to change your closet for.
Wide-leg denim has lasted long enough that it is starting to feel more like a closet staple. Vogue highlighted wide-leg jeans as a silhouette that can be styled in many different ways, which is why people keep reaching for them.
Denim trends are always changing, but let’s be honest: no one is ready to squeeze themselves into uncomfortable jeans anytime soon, so for now, wide-leg jeans are here to stay.
KEEP IT: Vintage and Thrifting Fashion
If there is one fashion trend we hope never goes away, it is thrifting.
Thrifting makes getting ready so much more interesting because you are not buying the same piece as what you saw online. Old leather jackets, vintage tees, unique bags, and more are all items that you can find while thrifting, and most people won’t have these items. It allows you to build a closet that represents you.
It also proves that fashion really does repeat itself over the years. Pieces that people got rid of years ago instantly become cool again when the older style comes back. Some items that have made a comeback are lace-trimmed camis, babydoll tops, low-rise jeans, and capris.
There is also something satisfying about being asked where your outfit is from and being able to say you thrifted it. Trends will keep changing, but finding unique pieces is something we can always get behind.
KEEP IT: Sneakers With Dressier Outfits
Props to whoever decided sneakers can be worn with basically anything.
There was a time when wearing a nicer outfit meant wearing nicer shoes. Thankfully, those days of uncomfortable shoes are behind us. Sneakers are now paired with dresses, skirts, trousers, and outfits that are traditionally worn with heels.
The best part is that you do not have to choose between being comfortable and looking cute. Sneakers have the ability to make a dressier outfit look more effortless. There are also many variations of sneakers that sometimes can be the main part of an outfit.
Any fashion trend that saves our feet while looking put together deserves to stay.
KEEP IT: Elevated Basics
Elevated basics are proof that sometimes the simplest outfit can be the best kind of outfit. A good black top, dark denim, and a good pair of sandals or sneakers can create an outfit that looks stylish without looking like you tried too hard.
The thing about basics is that there are so many different ways you can wear them. Instead of buying a specific top, you can buy something simple that works with over half of your closet. One basic tank top can easily make 10-12 outfits. A tank top can be worn with jeans, skirts, under a jacket, and under a cardigan.
Basics also make getting dressed so much easier. Everyone stood in their closet and said, “I have nothing to wear.” Having basic items that work together makes that happen less often.
While trendy pieces are fun and definitely worth having in your closet, basics are even better because they can be worn over and over again. Elevators are not going away anytime soon.
KEEP IT: Statement and Personalized Accessories
Accessories are the easiest way to make a basic outfit more interesting.
Belts, fun bags, jewelry, sunglasses, and even socks can completely change an outfit without requiring you to buy an entire new closet. You can wear the traditional black top and jeans but make the outfit feel completely different depending on what accessories you add.
Personalization has become a new trend that we are here for. Bag charms, necklace layering monograms, statement belts, and more make an outfit feel more individual instead of looking like it came directly from a Pinterest board.
Fashion should show some personality, so anything that encourages people to make an outfit their own is definitely here to stay.
KICK IT: Barrel Jeans
This one may be seen as controversial, but it is time for barrel jeans to go.
Barrel jeans curve outward through the leg before narrowing again near the ankle. This gives them their signature “barrel” shape. Vogue described barrel jeans as more structured denim, and while we can appreciate the idea behind them, we are not convinced they deserve a place in our closet.
There are already so many options when it comes to buying denim. You have wide-leg, straight-leg, baggy, bootcut, boyfriend jeans, and mom jeans; the list continues to go on. So do we really need jeans that are shaped like a barrel too?
Barrel jeans work incredibly well on some people, and we’ll give them credit for that. But the defined shape makes them harder to style than a classic pair of jeans, so for now we’re sticking with wide-leg jeans, and we’re kicking Barrel jeans out.
KICK IT: Micro Handbags
A purse should be able to hold your stuff, and to be honest, I don’t think that’s asking for too much.
Micro handbags can look so cute in pictures, but that’s all they’re good for. If a purse can’t hold your wallet, lip gloss, keys, phone, and more all at the same time, why are we even bothering with it?
Fashion is not always about practicality, but sometimes something is worn simply because it looks good, but there has to be a limit. When your purse is the size of your phone, we have crossed a line.
Give us a cute tote bag, a shoulder bag, a barrel purse, or anything that can hold the necessities. Tiny bags had their moment, and it’s time to bring back actual purses.
KICK IT: Underwear as Outerwear
Fashion that has been inspired by lingerie has been around for a number of years, but recently the line between an actual outfit and underwear has become a little bit blurred.
Bralettes, slips, and other lingerie-inspired pieces have become very visible parts of outfits instead of something worn underneath them. This is a trend that can definitely work: a bralette under a blazer or a slip-style dress can look really cute, but when the underwear becomes the entire outfit, we’ve lost the plot.
When it comes to runway trends, they are meant to be dramatic and experimental. That doesn’t always mean that these need to translate into everyday life. Most people aren’t heading to lunch, work, class, or even the grocery store wearing only a bra as their top.
Lingerie-inspired pieces don’t need to disappear completely; we just think that underwear can go back to being underwear.
KICK IT: Overly Distressed Jeans
Denim is clearly a big topic when it comes to the fashion industry.
Distressed denim is not always a problem. A few rips, a raw hem, or even a few faded areas tend to make jeans look more relaxed and give them some personality. The issue arises when the distress starts to take over the entire pair.
Somehow, distressed denim always works its way back into fashion. Vogue’s denim trend coverage has pointed to faded washes, raw details, and distressed finishes appearing in designer collections.
However, there’s still a difference between a little distressing and having giant holes from your thighs down to your ankles. It almost feels like we’re paying full price for half a pair of denim.
We can keep the raw hems, occasional ribs, and even the faded washes, but jeans with less denim and more holes can go.
KICK IT: Constant Microtrends
This is by far the largest trend that needs to stay behind.
TikTok and Instagram have made fashion more accessible than ever. You can open your app and find outfit inspiration, new brands, and even styling ideas. That’s one of the perks of social media. However, it also means that fashion trends move ridiculously fast.
A specific color, pattern, accessory aesthetic, or even bag can take over everyone’s feed. Everyone is rushing to buy it, and before they’ve even gotten enough uses out of it, there’s already another video announcing that it’s out of style.
Keeping up with all of these constant microtrends tends to be expensive and even exhausting for the consumer. Fashion should be fun, and you shouldn’t feel like you need to stop wearing something just because someone online said it wasn’t trendy anymore. Microtrends can also make learning your own style even harder because you’re constantly chasing the next aesthetic instead of deciding what you actually like.
TikTok and Instagram can still give us outfit inspiration, but we don’t need to rebuild our closets every time a new trend hits our feed.
So, What’s Worth Keeping?
At the end of the day, fashion is personal. In a few years, wide-leg jeans might be replaced by barrel jeans; skinny jeans might even make a comeback. This is all what makes fashion interesting.
Trends that are worth keeping tend to be the ones that make getting dressed in the morning fun and personal. Wear the sneakers with your favorite dress, add the charms to your bag if you want, and if you have some obsession with Barrel jeans, we’re not here to stop you.
The best fashion trend is about caring a little less about what is considered good and wearing what you feel good in.
