Fashion is a funny thing. From the makeup on our faces to the fabric of our favorite outfit, the deciding factors for why a certain style and color scheme is “in” and others are out has been a focus of debate for fashionistas for centuries.
While we can often trace a singular sweeping fashion change to its source – such as leg warmers taking hold thanks to Jennifer Beals in Flashdance – it’s much harder to pin down the developing and future fashion trends with accuracy. We look to magazines, blogs, runway analysts and makeup enthusiasts’ tweet, and what celebrities wear.
Yet often times the assessments we consume are part of an echo chamber, and it’s anyone’s guess where the first murmurs of fashion change were uttered. With this in mind, it’s easy to see why getting a firm grip on unfolding fashion is a highly skilled trade. So how is it done?
There is no magic recipe to getting up on the most fashion-forward trends with complete certainty, but there are ways to hone in on what is actually taking hold across cosmetics, accessories, clothing, and footwear preferences today and for the foreseeable future. Here they are:
Study researches, surveys, and sales trends
Most folks fascinated with style are not exactly experts in the data-driven side of marketing. The expertise is in how shades, colors, fabrics, cuts, and fit form together, not what consumers are thinking and wishing. Fair enough.
But this is one of the keys to unlocking the future of fashion, and thus ought to be investigated by anyone in pursuit of tomorrow’s looks. Research firms, such as The Benchmarking Company, make it their mission to understand the habits, preferences, and expectations of cosmetics consumers in multiple markets. The knowledge acquired provides key insight into what’s fading, trending, and being explored in the fashion world.
Similar firms focused on apparel, accessories, and even furniture exist, so don’t hesitate to get the inside scoop on consumer data across all fashion brands.
People watch in a busy public place
“People watching” is frankly a little creepy to be honest, but sometimes it serves an actual purpose besides killing time and making us feel better about ourselves. This is the case if one is trying to get an edge on the fashion of tomorrow.
These days, the toughest part about observing people in public to get a sense for rising trends is finding a place people actually go to en masse, especially young adults. The days of mall rats are mostly gone, so what’s left? Commercial districts. Every city or town has one or several sections where there are a several shops, eateries, etc. Pretty much what malls were before malls; it’s come full circle due in part to the return in popularity of urban living and lifestyle.
Find the commercials districts nearby and casually observe men and women in their late-teens and early 20s (the creep potential is great here so please, keep it low key). Keep track of what is definitely in, but look for variations. These variations are the fashion mutations which will lead to the next stage of evolution for makeup, shoes, clothes, etc.
Look back on fashion of the past
The web has no dearth of content about where fashion is headed for the given year. In virtually every instance, the predictions involve the return of styles from past decades. For example, the latest and upcoming fashion trends for men in 2017 would see the revival of bandanas and the punk look. With this in mind, fashion-forward thinking calls for looking backwards, to the makeup styles, preferred apparel, and hot footwear of times long gone.
The smoky eyes of the 80s and mom jeans of the 90s are recent examples. It’s not an entirely accurate assessment – for instance, shoulder pads haven’t come back yet – but, that’s not to say they won’t.
How fashion forms is ultimately a mystery no one can really solve with certainty. However, there are ways to see where fashion is headed. Nonetheless, it’s possible to presuppose tomorrow’s trends with near accuracy, if not downright perfection.
Article Submitted By Community Writer
