Forget Fashion

This sounds like a ridiculous thing to say, coming from someone who cares quite a bit about how she presents to the world, but I have a point to explain, and short titles that make use of alliteration are always a bonus.

I think that nearly all of the connections I've made through instagram have started off courtesy of a shared interest in an aesthetic; Instagram is, after all, a visual platform and we are drawn to images that capture something we would like to have in our own world, or that we would like to think of as representing us and our values in some way. We are often drawn to the same things, things that help us to fit in, and that's OK. Herd mentality is a survival instinct which has stuck around, so when we see the suggestion of a new thing offered, take Uggs or Crocs as distinct examples, when they're first shown in a magazine, even if we're incredulous initially, over time, as we see more and more examples of people wearing them in the media and out and about in the real world, we begin to feel acclimatised until eventually, as it's normalised, we're likely to join in and buy some.

Whilst Uggs and Crocs may remain a style-step too far for some, the way that we are homogenised by fashion is incredible and so fast moving. We're encouraged by massive brands, with huge budgets, to constantly change what we wear in order to stay relevant and to nestle safely within the peloton. Being an outsider who ignores what's trending can be risky because it causes the attention to be focused your way; keeping up with what's generally fashionable is actually a way of making sure that you're not looked at, not the odd one out. It takes a certain courage to be different.

Even if you're not particularly brave (me), when you realise that there's nothing more fundamentally 'true' behind the style directive of the day, than the decisions of a very small number of marketing professionals who've seen a way to push a new trend and create billions of global profitable opportunities, then you might start to become a bit tired of being dragged into the game over and over again.

How to find a balance then? What if you love fashion, you love clothes and you get a great deal of satisfaction from dressing with consideration - but you also know that the entire industry is playing you and you've had enough of trying to keep up? Can you keep your foot in, and back out at the same time?

YES!

You just need to re-frame your relationship. You need to swap fashion for style.

Forget about being fashionable. It's so temporary, and so quick to dart off just when you think you've trapped it with your latest purchase. You need to imagine yourself as stylish instead.

Style is perennial. It's not linked with flash fads, it doesn't leap onto the whim of the moment and manifest in flappy collars, barrel trousers, swollen trainers, or chunky gold - it is less than that and yet more. Style is about you far more than about the current buzz. It is a way of dressing that feels right for you, the clothes that fit well, the things that last and that have a little bit of you tangled into the very fibres so that even if they're discarded over a chair, someone would look and know that you were near.

I advocate for creating a really decent bank of stylish staples and having these as your foundations for years and years. Spend if you need to, but hunt in the charity shops if you can. It's what I have done. Once you have collected your staples, you will have the ingredients for a thousand and more outfits, for every place you need to go. You can then play with accessories in order to nod to the fleeting fashion of the moment, but you will have the backdrops to pull off any outfit.

It doesn't matter what the press is saying about the 'must have' shape of the season, your 'must have' shape is the one that you like, the one that feels good on your body and makes you happy. Trust yourself. If you feel confident, your posture changes and that in itself is one of the most powerfully attractive things that a human can ever wear.

The timeless foundations might include:

• a LBD (iconic - there's a reason it has its own acronym)

• Jeans

• White shirt

• Black / navy t shirt

• Trainers

• A suit jacket and trousers

• A floaty summer dress

• A plain warm jumper

• Going out shoes

• A trench

If you had all of those things, the accessories that you could play about with include:

• Scarves - summer cotton, silk and winter warm ones.

• Earrings and bangles

• Hats and headbands

• Bags

• Belts

• Tights

• Waistcoats

Add to the basic staples with preloved accessories on rotation.

As someone who is trying to become more aware of not taking more than I need, I'm increasingly drawn to the same basic wardrobe which I keep fresh by looking out for great preloved accessories in the charity shops that I visit. I have had a long time thrifting, I have some great staples and an increasing awareness that I'm not missing out on anything important by not having the latest cut at the very moment it hits the shops.

Keeping the foundations for as long as you can and allowing yourself a rotation of extras - wear them and take them back for their next life - that's a wonderful way to still feel happy and confident with your sartorial options without stressing the environment or your finances, and without entirely giving up on the adapting aesthetic that you love. You may be letting go of faster fashion fads, but you won't lose style.

Style over fashion.

Style wins.