Trends vs. Personal Style
After taking a hiatus, I am back. Happy new year everyone. Everyone seems to be reminiscing on 2016, I was 11 years old so I will not be partaking.
Let’s talk about trends. 2026 is already starting to go against a lot of things that were “cool” in 2025. In this article I will be giving my two cents on trends vs. personal style… let’s begin.
I’ll start by saying that I have deleted instagram off my phone. If you’re close to me, you know that I tend to delete social media all the time - redownloading when I cave and out of necessity (work, research, stalking, etc). A few months ago I deleted Snapchat for good and it was one of the best decisions I've ever made; that’s a stretch but I'll leave it for impact. I am a 20 year old young woman, I don’t need to be sending selfies to boys, girls I don’t like, etc. Instagram is tricky though, because as someone who loves fashion, music, and culture, it can be argued that instagram offers insight into what is happening in popular culture and in the world in general.
Recently, however, I have found myself seeing somebody on instagram - a reel or two - and falling in love with their style. But it doesn’t stop there. Then, I proceed to convince myself that I need everything they have and have to stop wearing everything that I have. Not only is this the very art of rejecting your personal style but it is highly unsustainable and just not practical. Once that happened a few times I said screw it and deleted the app. Needless to say, trends live on social media.
I am not saying that I don’t follow trends. I think almost everybody, to a certain extent, follows trends. It’s pretty hard not to when they’re all around us: social media, public eye, magazines, etc. But when did fashion become copying other people in the hopes of gaining the public acceptance of being “cool” or having “good style?” I hate this idea. I am trying to lean back into my personal style and, honestly, I don’t even know what that is right now. But in 2026, I am trying to be resistant against trends, and not be pushed over as easily.
When I think of what “personal style” will look like in 2026, however, I get a little bit worried that even that in and of itself is going to become a trend! Ah! I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I hope to see variety in runway shows, variety in designer lines, major risks in casual settings, etc. For me, this means wearing my most outrageous pieces whenever the h*ll I want. To Trader Joes, maybe. Screw it.
Trends ruin the very art that is fashion. Self-expression, independence, freedom, wearing your heart on your sleeve. Can you really achieve this if you’re constantly chasing what the next person is wearing? I don’t think so. But herein lies a blurry line: to which extent are you admiring somebody’s fashion as opposed to getting jealous and going to copy? I think that this philosophical and, some may say, outrageous fashion inquiry is unanswerable.
Wear what you want, follow trends if it makes you happy. But I urge you to get off social media and even pinterest sometimes when looking for an outfit or fashion inspiration. Look inwards. What do you like the most? Colors or neutrals? What silhouettes do you feel most confident in? Obviously answers will vary depending on the day and occasion, but when you use these basic inward-looking questions when shopping or flipping through a magazine, I think it can really help define your personal style by curating a wardrobe, attitude, and outlook particular to you. That’s the goal anyways.
Those are my scrambled thoughts on trends vs. personal style. Wear what you want, I don’t care too much.
XOXO She’s Wearing What?
