Top Fashion Trends

What are the top fashion trends?

Well, that is certainly a difficult question to answer.  Do you mean the top fashion trends this year, this season, decade, century, or of all time.  The ever changing style of clothes & the fact that the world of fashion is international, makes it challenging to stay ahead of trends.  Some trends last for years, but others may pass by as quickly as the changing seasons.

When we are paying close attention we can see trends incubate and slowly emerge.  First we may spot them on the runway and then possibly in a fashion magazine.  In time, we see the clothing worn by a few people in our neighbor hood.  If a truly popular trend, we then see it grow and become mainstream.  In time the fashion trend may become so popular, it starts to become "un-popular" with the people that are so trendy they are ready for something new.

Some trends are easier to sport than others.  In the past, some fashion designers figured out which trends are hot as they were coming to the end of their cycle or after they have already past.  Fortunately, the fashion industry has learned to become very good at spotting trends and reacting to them with fast fashion.  As top trends begin, manufacturers react quickly to ride the wave.

When we consider the "top trends" we are thinking about styles that create a huge amount of buzz & move markets.  They inspire a large group of people or even a generation of people.

Here are a few styles in fashion that we believe have truly effected top fashion trends of the past century.

• Bell Bottom Jeans - In the 1960s, bell-bottoms became fashionable for both men and women in Europe and North America. Often made of denim, they flared out from the bottom of the calf, and had slightly curved hems and a circumference of 18 inches (46 cm) at the bottom of each leg opening. They were usually worn with Cuban-heeled shoes, clogs, or Chelsea boots.

• Tie Dye Shirts - Tie-dye is a modern term invented in the mid-1960s in the United States (but recorded in writing in an earlier form in 1941 as "tied-and-dyed", and 1909 as "tied and dyed" by Luis C. Changsut.  Tie-dye clothing was an integral part of the 1960's hippie fashion scene.  Although shibori and batik techniques were used occasionally in Western fashion before the 1960s, modern psychedelic tie-dying did not become a fad until the late 1960s following the example set by rock stars such as Janis Joplin. Tie-dye was often worn by fans of The Grateful Dead as well.

• Parachute Pants - Do you remember break dancing?   In the original tight-fitting style of the early 1980s, "parachute" referred to the pants' nylon material, similar to a parachute's. Parachute pants became a fad in US culture in the 1980s as part of the increased popularity of breakdancing. Parachute pants are a style of trousers characterized by the use of nylon, especially ripstop nylon.

• Hammer Pants - are customized/modified baggy pants tapered at the ankle with a sagging rise made suitable for hip-hop dancing & other activities. They were popularized in the 1980s and 1990s by rapper MC Hammer.  They were inspired by harem pants which originated in the Arabian Peninsula and introduced to Western fashion by Paul Poiret around 1910. They should NOT be confused with parachute pants or sagging.

• Baggy Jeans & Sagging - some people obviously love the sagging jeans look.  However, others found it annoying.  Sagging is a manner of wearing trousers or jeans that sag so that the top of the trousers or jeans are significantly below the waist, sometimes revealing much of the underwear.  The style was popularized by skaters and hip-hop artists in the 1990s. Sagging is predominantly a male fashion. Women's wearing of low-rise jeans to reveal their G-string underwear (the "whale tail") is not generally described as sagging.  During the 2000s, many North American local governments, school systems, transit agencies, and even airlines passed laws and regulations against the practice of wearing sagging pants, although no state or federal laws have been enacted banning the practice.

• Hoodies - the youth has staples such as jeans, t-shirts, and sneakers.  Hoodies are one of those top styles from time to time.

• Yoga Pants - fitness obviously comes in and out of style depending on our mood, energy & aspirations.  However, if you were alive in the late 1990's & 2000's you understand how yoga pants & leggings become the rage.  No longer worn simply to the gym.  These pants were worn "every where".

• The Little Black Dress- top trend that may not actually be a trend.  Trends come & go, but the black dress is always a leading option.  Simply a girls best friend.

Other top fashion trends that the world has witness would include Power Suits, Western Wear, Voluminous Silhouettes, Broad Shoulder Suits, etc.

Where can we learn more about top fashion trends?  The magazines and fashion blogs are constantly reporting on the latest styles.  Charting the latest fashion and style trends directly from the runways, boutiques, and street style can become an obsession. 

• Fashion Trend News

Keep in mind, it is important to wear clothing or footwear that "you" enjoy.  Be yourself, and you will always be trendy.

• Do you consider yourself to be trendy?