4 Ways to Stay Ahead of Fashion Trends

A well-balanced closet should include a collection of classic staple pieces, special occasion items and a few fun, trendy pieces that match your personal style. While basics like jeans, layering pieces and cute everyday jewelry are relatively easy to find in stores and online, tracking down and keeping up with the latest fashion trends can seem like a full-time job. Fortunately, there are ways to simplify the trend cycle, stay ahead of the game and foresee new trends before they become extremely popular. Here are the best ways to stay ahead of fashion trends. 

1. Curate Your Feed: 

Social media is a huge part of the fashion industry. From ad campaigns to celebrity streetwear, red carpet looks in real time and more, most of fashion’s breaking news is released on platforms like Twitter and Instagram. One easy way to keep up with and stay ahead of new fashion trends is to follow your favorite clothing brands and fashion houses on social media. It’s also important to follow influential fashion bloggers, stylists and fashion news accounts to keep up with the latest and greatest from the fashion industry. 

Adding fashion-related accounts to your feed helps integrate trends into your daily life. Each time you open Instagram, you’ll be able to see new looks, styles and trends without even thinking about it. You’ll also be able to get a firsthand look at new designs and collections as soon as they’re posted, making it easier for you to study current trends and spot the new ones, too.

2. Read Up: 

Similar to fashion social media accounts, fashion magazines are a great way to keep up with new trends before they become widely popular. Fashion magazines cover everything from cute accessories for each season to runway recaps and more. Plus, they’re a great source of creative outfit inspiration when you’re not sure how to style certain trends. 

There’s nothing better than sitting down with a cup of coffee or glass of wine and flipping through your favorite fashion magazine. Many big-name magazines offer or have fully switched over to eco-friendly digital versions of each issue, making it super easy to read up on emerging trends and stay ahead of the game. Be sure to follow your favorites on social media for real-time updates and trend alerts. 

3. Study the Runway: 

When it comes to fashion, part of getting ahead is staying in the know. The best way to stay up to date is to see designs and collections as they are debuted to the world via important fashion events like Fashion Week in New York, Paris, London and Milan. These four ultra-exclusive events make up what is known to be the pinnacle of fashion presentation. 

Thankfully, you can still secure a seat and stream most of the shows live, replay them later or view photo galleries that showcase each look that went down the runway. Since these shows typically unveil clothing that’s at least a season ahead, you’ll be able to study the looks and see trends emerge before they show up everywhere in stores and on social media. 

4. Focus on Street Style: 

There’s a good chance that you can stay ahead of the trend curve just by paying close attention to your surroundings. Whenever you’re out and about, make sure to look at what other people are wearing. Whether you’re out at brunch with the girls on a Saturday afternoon, shopping in a trendy neighborhood or just running your weekly errands, you can find style inspiration and evidence of trend emergence right under your nose. 

Next time you’re out in public, take note of what people are wearing and how those styles might lead to future trends. If you happen to be traveling in a big city, this is even more telling of which trends are bound to become popular. If the fashion-forward crowds in Los Angeles and New York City are wearing stylish women’s playsuits, you can bet this trend will soon filter down into smaller markets and communities in no time. 

While trend forecasting is mainly about studying previous patterns, analyzing trend curves and staying on top of new styles, it’s also about what sparks the interest of other people. Trends are a fun way to get creative with your outfits and join a community of others who share a love for fashion. Once you find the perfect mix of cool, trendy pieces and your tried and true favorites, you can define your personal style and add a bit of flair for date night, vacation or anywhere!