Image via Complex Original
Look—first and foremost, your sense of style should not depend on moving from one trend to the next. Yes, it's definitely fun and exciting to try new things, but if you're always shifting gears, you're going to be constantly stuck with a closetful of gear that you probably only wear once or twice before it becomes passé and lame. There are definitely ways to become stylish besides trend-riding, but in case you do truly like what's currently popping, here's how to recognize that something on the cutting-edge is about to be lamer than Andrew Bynum.
Trends come and go, and with the immediate dissemination of information and imagery online, they're now more fickle than ever. If you really want to temporarily commit to a trend, then learn when is the right time to bail so you don't get caught looking like a lethargic lamestain. To do so, make sure you pay attention to the 10 Signs a Trend Is Over.
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Diffusion lines potentially ruin a cool brand's street cred.
High-end brands can lead the conversation and define the conceptual landscape, but doing awesome shit does not necessarily translate into piles of scrilla. If money's the goal, then a brand can do some sort of diffusion project to get their wares to the masses at a cheaper price point. Just be ready to watch the trendy label head down the drain, along with its artistic integrity and popularity with those who tend to make trends happen. It's not that we don't advocate making great clothing more accessible; This is just the equivalent of LeBron heading to the Heat instead of sticking with his hometown Cavs.
A celeb's weed carrier starts rocking hand-me-downs.
No disrespect to Turtle or anything, but when a star's weed carrier is the recipient of a trend's trickle-down effect, it's time to move onto the next one. If the lowly weed carrier is rocking the gear that the celeb was stunting in a few weeks earlier, this is a definite sign that the trend-setting star is onto the next and has blessed the lowest ranking members of his crew with his hand-me-downs.
A-Alike brands swaggerjack successful business practices.
Exclusivity and trendiness are deeply entwined, and one can easily beget the other. If you're familiar with some Economics 101, you'll know that a limited supply of wares will increase demand and what people are willing to pay for the limited goods. Streetwear brands learned this a while back, but new ways of drumming up demand via social media and online channels means super-small runs are selling out even quicker than before.
Some of these methods include seeding your gear to the right cool kids and celebs, getting some dope lifestyle shots on Instagram and Tumblr, and keeping a veil of mystery around the new goods so that savvy customers have to do a little digging. Then it's time to kick back and watch consumers pay top dollar to try and catch up with the purported reality they believe these pricey goods have made them a member of. Unfortunately, without model looks and professional production, most of their selfies end up on forums mocking their hypebeast tendencies. When these threads are flooded with selfies of repetitive logos, it's time to bail.
Fast-fashion outlets produce eerily similar, ridiculously cheap versions.
With the advent of fast-fashion, trends come and go quicker than ever. This business model replicates the gear that's popping with lightning-quick speed and super-low costs, resulting in goods that lean towards the trendy without fully replicating the quality and dopeness. It used to be that retail giants would only take cues from the runway, but places like Zara, H&M, and Topman are looking to streetwear for what's trending in addition to the catwalks. One thing's for sure though—once something hits these stores at a fraction of the cost but kinda resembles the real thing, you'll soon be dressed like various mallrats who spend their days contributing to their backne with Auntie Anne's, before getting picked up from the mall by their moms.
Non-stylish celebs with a #latepass hop on a trend.
It's one thing if Kanye, A$AP Rocky, or 2 Chainz rocks something that makes people go, "Whoa, what's that?" These guys have slowly yet surely built up a reputation of taking the right style risks and positioning themselves at the forefront of what's next. On the other hand, when was the last time you heard someone go, "Dang, what's Wale wearing? Need to cop." Some celebrities just aren't known for their style as much as others. And when they all of a sudden have on the latest trendy clothes, you know their stylist/assistant was just given their Black Card and told to "go cop what that other guy was wearing." This trend is now widely disseminated, there for any non-style peon to cop, and about to jump the shark. Bail!
Women actively express they are "over it."
Now, we're not saying that guys only dress up to attract potential partners. Staying stylish is as much about personal expression and doing what you want as it is attempting to be attractive. But let's be honest: relative to the fairer sex, men are brutish lumps who are closer to troglodytes than to the refined creatures that women represent. As the smarter, more stylish, and better-looking authorities, if they say that something's gotta go, then it's probably got to go. We're probably too caught up in our own world of men's style to realize it soon enough, but as outsiders looking in, stylish women can offer great advice and insight into what's played out and needs to be changed up. Dudes, listen to them.
People take the trend to an extreme, unwearable degree.
Above is why the skirt trend will not happen...yet. In an era where street style and forums allow fans of style to showcase what they're doing, it seems like dudes are always willing to competitively up the ante and push boundaries. Theoretically, this is awesome, because there now exists a platform to learn, get inspired, and show off.
But in practice, this means guys are taking something that's reasonable and taking it to the most extreme degree possible, immediately ruining the fun for everyone else. They're like the kid in the playground who, in order to show off their arm, will "roof" a ball by throwing it as high as they can up onto a building. Sure, they flex on everyone else, but now everyone else's day is ruined. Asshole.
Collaborations are more of a money-grab than actually good idea.
A lot of the time, a collaboration can bring two related-yet-separate worlds together to fuse similar mentalities into a fresh creation that's one-of-a-kind. But, like the earlier diffusion concept, sometimes collaborations are only about cashing in on a name or a trend that's popular at the moment, and creating access to a new and untapped market. If you're the focus demographic, it's time to ditch this space for something new. Your trending tastes have become a quantified target, and contained within a set of parameters. In other words, big businesses are looking to try and profit off of this trend by collaborating with its representitive, and thus it blows ass.
Your crew looks like a flock of sheep.
Crews that bring a cohesive aesthetic can be dope, but if you find yourselves resisting the urge to bleat like a sheep, it's time for everyone to re-discover their individual style. Succumbing to a mob mentality can be deceptively easy, and is probably the reasoning behind why most trends proliferate.
In a small group, everyone doing what everyone else is doing is only intensified from being in close quarters, and before you know it you and your homies resemble the blind leading the blind. Don't become a flock that looks like it "Baahs." Maintain your sense of personal style by breaking away from the trends that can slow down or trap you and your crew like quicksand.
The NY Times runs a trend piece on it.
The Grey Lady is a good source for worldly news, liberal-leaning opions, and other high-brow stories that make for good cocktail party chatter (we assume). However, when they run one of their trend stories on something in men's style: Trend. Over. After the said piece runs, old white men around the country will think they understand the newest "hip" thing kids are doing these days, and will be really "jazzed" when they spot that trend in the real world. When somebody has to break down what's cool and why it's cool for uncool people, any lingering semblance of cool goes right into the trash, alongside the Times' sports coverage.
