A stylist’s guide to fashion: how to learn to understand trends and be fashionable

The fashion industry is constantly evolving and updating. If you want to learn how to understand it, you have to keep your finger on the pulse. There are a few simple ways to do it, which Marina German told us – a personal stylist for choosing a “wardrobe for life”, an expert on fashion trends and fashion history. We pull out (no, not double sheets of paper) phones, open “notes” and write it down, girls!

Before beginners jump into the world of fashion, they should clarify the meaning of some words for themselves. They are often found in the posts of bloggers, popular magazines, but rarely does someone “uninitiated” into the secrets of the industry understand their true meaning.

It is about “trend” and “tendency”. A trend is a kind of novelty, a finding that is relevant to the season. For example, it can be round cutouts at the waist and sides in a summer dress or an abundance of sequins or heavy shoes. Trends tend to disappear quickly, but they can turn into a trend, a trend that is seen by different designers for many seasons.

Do you want to be “trendy”? Then you need to “go for it” right at the beginning. Over time, this can turn into an anti-trend or a general direction where everyone wears the same things. But to look stylish, it is not necessary to focus on the latest fashion. Just follow the trends and add a few relevant things to your wardrobe that match your image.

Trends and tendencies are usually born in the collections of famous designers. Previously, they set the tone for haute couture (“high fashion”) clothing, which is made to order in one copy.

Today, however, it is better to follow trends in pret-a-porter (or ready-to-wear) collections. Such clothing is produced in large quantities for boutiques or multi-brand stores. When looking at the shows, pay attention to what accents the designers put. If, for example, oversized jackets are often used, there is a good chance that they will be current in the near future.

You can draw conclusions about some trends in advance if you carefully study pre-collections – they are created and sold long before the start of the season. So pre-fall can be bought already in June. But you probably won’t see them on stage. To follow the trends, it is better to look at the catalogs of individual brands or look at the reviews in your favorite magazine – the task is easier that way.

Fashion magazines regularly inform about what will be relevant in the upcoming season. Check them out at least 2-3 times a month to keep up with trends and update your wardrobe in time. Turn to authoritative publications, choose sources that are closest to you in spirit, mood, writing style, illustrations. If your vision of beauty matches the opinion of the editors, then consider that you have found your fashion oasis.

Streetstyles of specific heroes are also useful as a generator of ideas. Choose exactly those celebrities who have been recognized as the most stylish and you personally like, for example, Hailey Bieber or Kylie Jenner, and read materials about them, view photos.

If you want to look attractive, it is not enough to just wear a beautiful and relevant thing. It should be combined with your figure, image and other elements of the wardrobe. How to do it – remains a mystery to many fashionistas. But a sense of style can be developed even if you just watch quality feature films and documentaries.

Pay attention to actresses who were once considered style icons. So for Audrey Hepburn in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” clothes were created by Hubert Givenchy; Catherine Deneuve dressed Yves Saint Laurent in Beauty of the Day. Of course, these films will not tell about modern trends, but they develop taste well. There are also many fashion documentaries that show how famous collections were created. From here you can learn a lot of interesting and informative – and just imbued with aesthetics.

These are the people who are the first to try on different trends. Find several accounts of stylists, designers, models that interest your visual, subscribe and regularly view photos, posts. Communicate with subscribers, read comments. The comments of people who understand a lot about fashion are also interesting. Study their profiles: it’s another way to get to know the latest trends and find your style.

Even if you’ve learned to accurately identify trends, that doesn’t mean you have to follow them blindly. Focus on your style, figure, don’t forget about the functionality of the clothes. If you spend most of the day in the office, take a close look at the fashion trends in the business area.

And be sure to wear what suits you! Massive accessories are in trend, but they don’t suit you? So why wear them? Are fashion magazines screaming that cargo pants will be relevant this season? Come to the store, try this style on and see if it’s really your thing.

Trends are great, but they don’t negate taste and sense of style. Study photos from fashion shows, watch how stylists, celebrities, actors dress, develop visual awareness. And then, among the various things in the boutiques, you will unerringly choose the ones that will decorate you and help you keep up with fashion.