Fashion Forecast
A Trend Compass, acid-dream florals, sequins, crochet & so much more
Hi, how are you, happy April! Even as weeks fly by, I love coming back to Confidants- it’s like an anchor tethering me to creativity and community. Thanks for being here!
Inspired by recent group texts, we’re chatting closet clean-outs and how to revive personal style. The overall vibe is refresh and elevate. It feels soooo good to make space, but then what’s next? How do you start to transform your personal style?
This post is longish and I appreciate you all indulging me :)
Personal style is a daily practice of self expression. Like all art forms, it’s as fun as you make it. It took me years to realize my love for curating is not superficial, but a form of storytelling.
We’ve been collecting, innovating, shaping, and crafting objects for millennia, all as a way to say something about who we are. Style is a cornerstone of culture and as such, it’s a familiar way to connect with others.
Right now I’m thinking about what kind of conversation I want to have with the world through my daily practice of self-expression.
Sometimes the simplest way to be creative is to reframe getting dressed as playing with wearable art - from your socks on your feet to the red lipstick on your face- we have so many tools for expression.
Tomorrow morning, maybe add a pop of something unexpected and let me know how it feels. Did it change your day or impact your mood? I’d love to swap notes.
CLOSET CLEANOUT
The Why
Thanks to covid and WFH, my closet is a wasteland of conflicting styles, wrong sizes, faded/ stained items, and a bunch of clothes that no longer express who I am. I often wear clothes that don’t feel good, which impacts my everyday life. When I start the day feeling blahhh, it’s an uphill battle from the jump.
What to do
Piles are your friend.
Try stuff on, take it off, throw it in a pile. Create a few piles like “LOVE/ Meh / Pass”. This may take a few hours, I swear it feels really good to get all the old, dumpy stuff out of your everyday world.
Play.
Before tossing everything, consider if there are pieces to retry- see if they fit, then mix and match with other favorites in your closet to play with new ways to style that item. I found a lot of new outfits, especially by adding a different shoe, hat, or accessory.
For all the other sh*t lurking in the shadows, gather it up and resell or recycle.
I cleared out BAGS of clothes. I cannot physically bring myself to throw clothes in the garbage, so here are super easy options for recycling clothes, offered nationwide:
FASHION FORECAST
Before Buying, Get Inspired
Clearing space makes room for creativity and curiosity, allowing personal style to expand into new shapes, colors, silhouettes, textures, and more. Plus it’s SPRING.
Before I curate specific items and budget, I get inspired. Because I let go of so many pieces, I kinda get to start over.
It’s exciting to let your imagination wander a bit and consider how you want to express yourself. Are you feeling more flirty, confident, empowered, embodied, dynamic, playful? Even if you aren’t, how could personal style help you channel your mood or be a magnet for the mood you want to attract/ embody?
Let’s Create a Trend Compass
Sometimes I opt-in to trends, often I don’t. Either way, I always take note and curate based on trends even if that means excluding trendy stuff on purpose.
That said, trends can be supppper fun. If you’re craving JOY in your wardrobe, you’ll often find it on polar ends of the spectrum: classic vintage gem or super trend. There’s no wrong way to do this, you do you!
Four main elements I look for in trend scouting, think of these as the cardinal directions for style. I did not go to school for this, it’s just my process:
Color or Patterns/ Prints
Textures & Materials
Silhouettes
Cuts & Proportions
Soon I’ll talk more about how to use this trend compass, but first, the forecast.
2023 Spring/ Summer Forecast
FUN is in the forecast.
What were they calling it last year, “dopamine dressing”? It’s still in full force. Expect to find the entire color wheel from fully saturated to muted, amplified by sequins, sheer mesh, embellished everything, along with puff sleeves, crochet tops/ dresses, horseshoe shaped denim fits, fisherman style shoes to platforms, and so much more.
Truly, feel free to channel toddler energy and pick some things to mash together - it will definitely work this year. Or follow this compass for a little direction on how to navigate this kaleidoscope of trends.
1 | Colors or Patterns/ Prints
COLORS
SO many fun colors trending this year, reminds me of a box of Freezie-pops:
Magenta, Barbie Pink- Pantone 2023 color
Poppy Orange- Vivid, energizing, red-orange color
Deep Purple to Lavender- twist on last year’s “Veri Peri”
Saturated greens to sage- Deep greens, bright greens, limes, sage
Saturated blues to turquoise to baby blue
PATTERNS/ PRINTS
Often prints are more specific to brands- you’ll get to know which labels really nail it for you. Some of my favorites are Sea NYC, Veronica Beard, Christy Dawn.
That said, beyond the always-in-style staples like florals and stripes (you can find anywhere), there are a few loose trends on my radar.
Dreamy, opal-y marble pattern:
A twist on the classic floral, blown up and revisited as acid-dream florals:
Plus elevated tie-dye, aka not your DIY tie-dye:
2 | Textures & Materials
Besides the standard denim, linen, cashmere, etc a few specific textures or materials feel like they’re everywhere. The top trends I’m seeing and loving are:
Crochet knits in summery silhouettes, i.e. short sleeve polos, dresses, skirts
Sheer mesh or organza, the younger sister to Crochet
Satin/ Silk aesthetic (synthetic) and even some Lame styles (glam)
Embellishments! Embroidery, sequins, feathers, ruffles, bedazzling abound
(1) Major trend I’m loving is crochet.
This one is no secret, which is why you’ll find it in every market from Old Navy to luxury designers. Crochet is like the older sister to the sheer mesh trend also in-play this season.
(2) Sheer has a similar effect, but uses more synthetic fabrics and is *slightly* more comfortable/ soft. There are a ton of options in market, these are two of my favs:
(3) Satin/ Silk trend has been going strong for a while, but this season you’ll find it in wide leg pants plus maxi dresses or slip skirts like this:
(4) Embellishments! The time to go wild with *extra* decorative touches is now:
3 & 4| Silhouettes & Cuts
This one is always hard because it can be so vast. How I think about this:
Silhouettes are trending styles (i.e. polos, trousers, tube tops)
Cuts are the proportions (oversized, cropped, barrel leg)
Together they create a specific signature for the season. Combined with other parts of the trend compass (color and textures) they create a spectrum of Super Trendy versus Classic with a Twist.
Here are the some noticeable trends I’m paying attention to:
Suiting, especially wide leg trousers + menswear blazers
Exaggerated sleeves on tops and dresses (2+ years into this trend)
Vests & relaxed-prep polo cuts (no buttons)
Horseshoe jeans & barrel leg cuts (I love this one)
Midi slip skirts and denim skirts
Cropped Trench Coats
I’ll stop there :)
And that’s a wrap on the Fashion Forecast! Drop a line in the comments with questions and/or any trends you’re loving that I didn’t mention.
Here’s full permission to channel personal style as your own story to tell. Start a conversation. Express yourself. Have fun with it, no matter your age or budget.
Skipping Discovery this week, we’ll let you wade through the links above.
Thanks for being here! If you have friends who would love this, please send it on- we’re excited to expand this community. xoxo - Your Confidants, Fenny & Katie
I loved everything about this!