Today's style seems like a competition to see who can be the most bizarre, extreme, ridiculous, crazy, and put together outfits (if you can call them that) that years ago people would have thought you needed psychiatric help for. Case in point, Justin Beiber’s gigantic suit + Croc at the Grammys. I guess it has to keep getting more and more bizarre until finally the pendulum swings back the
other way. Who knows?
One of the latest style trends is loose and baggy fits – and Justin took it to the extreme. Men and women alike are bringing out baggy tee-shirts & hoodies along with slouchy jackets because oversized clothing is trending. Sure, oversized clothes if worn and styled correctly can also look just as chic and smart as tailored ones. But Justin certainly brutalized the trend, even adding insult to injury by pairing Crocs to this oversized monstrosity.
Trendy refers to styles that will come and go. These items are in style one minute and out of style the next. Trends are drastic or extremes of particular items. A super pointy toe was a trend as were shoes with big wide squares. You'll see shoes with flipped up noses that are really exaggerated as a trend. But timeless shoes are shaped pretty normal. They are not too elongated or ornate or
have busy crazy colors, straps, and buckles.
The timeless shoe is something that was popular and in style ten years ago and will be in style ten years from now. The item is not necessarily fashion forward, but that is okay. These timeless and classic items stand the test of time. But, have you ever stopped to actually think about what is timeless and what does classic actually mean?
Throwing those two words around like a Frisbee is something everyone does. “Wow, your jacket is so timeless!” and “Wow, your shoes are so classic!” If somebody was referring to an item as classic or timeless, the meaning is that it is the opposite of trendy.
When talking about sport coats or suits, lapels are a great example. A trendy style used to be super thin lapels and super thin ties. Now, we're seeing lapels getting wider. The classic and timeless jacket is standard in shape and cut. The standard lapel width is two and a half to 3 inches. Anything wider is a trend. Anything thinner or more narrow is a trend.
So, if you stick to the standard 2 and 1/2 to 3 in lapel with a two button fasten for a suit that fits you properly (not too tight and not too big), the suit is considered a classic cut. You can see Cary Grant wearing it in the past or perhaps Tom Holland wearing it a decade from now. Anything that is extreme is not considered timeless or classic. It would be considered a trend.
When you're buying clothing, make sure that you're buying clothes that are going to be popular and stylish now. In addition, you also want to make sure that they'll be stylish 5 years from now. Stick to colors that are not crazy. If your entire wardrobe was acquired during the neon trend, you had to replace that wardrobe.
The moral to the story is to stick to primary basic colors with nothing funky in regard to designs or patterns. Can you imagine the fool who went out and spent thousands of dollars on Ed Hardy jeans in the 2000s? He’s like damn, “I have all this Ed Hardy stuff.” Exactly. Stick to timeless and classy items.
A gray v-neck sweater is pretty much going to be considered a timeless item because a gray v-neck sweater was a gray v-neck sweater last year. It's going to be a great v-neck sweater 2 years from now. It will still be appropriate and stand the test of time. Before you buy something super trendy, think about how long that item is going to be in style. Is it timeless?
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