One thing we all forget, every single time, is how impossible denim skirts are to actually wear. Whenever I feel tempted, I remember all the times the skirt slowly inched up and around my body, so after a few blocks it was like I was wearing more of a belt with the buttons to the side.
I’m really glad you brought up the feeling of anxiety over joy tho! I think there’s something bigger than the algorithmic feeds at work. The demise of the larger concept of “mainstream” and the proliferation of a veritable tsunami of micro-trends doesn’t mean people don’t want to fit in somewhere and in some way - especially teens. But even for adults it feels like there’s this impossible tension between “define your own style!” and a relentless stream of ads and trends and influencers and the rest. How do you engage with both? Where’s the quiet space where your brain can sort out what’s you and what’s you being convinced after constant exposure? It’s like we switched from one way of being and there’s no map! Which is why I’m so happy you’re writing about it!
All I can think about with the mesh flat is my toenails catching on them 🙈 like, gonna have to keep them REAL short because I remember those slides & the snag was real!
Your commentary has me cracking up!! I see you millennial! I believe it was Tiia from Sunday Style Thought who called out your first reaction to things is a safe voice to follow. If that means your FIRST reaction to mesh flats is “uhhhh no” then let that trend pass no matter what your exposure to it is. That being said; I got a HELL NO from Capris.
Just listened to this podcast and it seems to fit with what you wrote. We’re very susceptible to outside influences. The author mentioned first glimpses and then what happens to our brain after seeing it three plus times. Pretty crazy.
mwahaha I'm a believer in trusting your instincts on trends, sometimes an adjustment is possible but for highly specific things, I just stick to my guns. Also, once burned twice shy = valuable knowledge - I actually had a pair of woven ballet flats (think like a rattan weave, NOT designer and not Mary Jane-style) back in the day and they looked pretty but I can't forget the feeling of how much grit and dust they let in the sides. The trapped dirt/grime felt worse than with a sandal or an actually open shoe because the silhouette is a closed one so your foot is more trapped in there so it gets...sweatier. That goes double once you have the Mary Jane strap holding it in!
Capris on the other hand, I am not against. Specifically a cargo capri, I wore my old school-era pair from b.u.m. equipment last summer and loved it. I think it depends on the cut, honestly - the tight legging-style ones are not my cup of tea but I see an 80s appeal to them if worn with a big sweatshirt or something, on the other hand the slightly roomier 90s ones look great to me because they're not that different in spirit from a midi skirt and I still prefer them to a denim midi.
100% to everything you wrote! I'm still confused by the expensive mesh shoes. Since I live in the Midwest, it will probably be 2 years before I see them on any feet IRL.
Also, this line: "They've entrusted the algorithm to do the heavy lifting of critical thinking" applies to so many things in life now. Well done on this observation! It's like you're reading my mind.
I’ve been searching for some Audrey Hepburn-esque black capris and also saw the ad for the Madewell ones and they got me for .5 seconds and then I was like “WHAT am I looking at??”
The Idaho bag and the mesh ballerinas. Totally impractical trends designed exclusively for ladies who lunch and are chauffeured to their lunch venue. Your POV is spot on
So funny! You’ve done a great job articulating the often absurdity of trend following. But girl, I hope you have an affiliate link to that Milwaukee bag bc I’m buying one.
I could not bring myself to buy mesh flats but I did buy a pair of red mary jane flats that were quickly returned. Really thought I was gonna be somebody.
The long denim skirt is a no for me. Why? Aside from the bunchy uncomfortable aspect, they symbolize female repression to me thanks to my ultra-conservative childhood. Think Michelle Duggar-esque fashion vibes. Also, women weren’t allowed to wear pants so to me it’s a symbol of subjugation- it was the most “casual” we were allowed to be.
(I realize my take is subjective and most of us wouldn’t feel the same way. Anyone who wants to wear them can and should )
This had me cackling!!!! Love your insights! Figuring out what you like is meant to be fun, experimental, and within (whatever it is!) your budget! Sometimes I feel like there is so much pressure to GET IT RIGHT when the reality is we’re all going to look back and cringe at some of the things we wore today 10 years from now! Your reccs on how to discern the good from the bad are spot on!
In addition to being too trendy for my liking, my other wondering about mesh mary janes is the smell. Seems like that could take away some of the cool factor 😳 and wow, my heart skipped a beat with that dELiA’s (not sure if I capitalized that right 😉) catalogue! I got platform Velcro white sneakers from there in sixth grade and felt so cool. I also had a purple sweater that looks identical to one Robyn wore on Sister Wives, making it decidedly uncool.
“She walked so $890 mesh mary janes could run.” Omg you are a treasure!
One thing we all forget, every single time, is how impossible denim skirts are to actually wear. Whenever I feel tempted, I remember all the times the skirt slowly inched up and around my body, so after a few blocks it was like I was wearing more of a belt with the buttons to the side.
I’m really glad you brought up the feeling of anxiety over joy tho! I think there’s something bigger than the algorithmic feeds at work. The demise of the larger concept of “mainstream” and the proliferation of a veritable tsunami of micro-trends doesn’t mean people don’t want to fit in somewhere and in some way - especially teens. But even for adults it feels like there’s this impossible tension between “define your own style!” and a relentless stream of ads and trends and influencers and the rest. How do you engage with both? Where’s the quiet space where your brain can sort out what’s you and what’s you being convinced after constant exposure? It’s like we switched from one way of being and there’s no map! Which is why I’m so happy you’re writing about it!
All I can think about with the mesh flat is my toenails catching on them 🙈 like, gonna have to keep them REAL short because I remember those slides & the snag was real!
Your commentary has me cracking up!! I see you millennial! I believe it was Tiia from Sunday Style Thought who called out your first reaction to things is a safe voice to follow. If that means your FIRST reaction to mesh flats is “uhhhh no” then let that trend pass no matter what your exposure to it is. That being said; I got a HELL NO from Capris.
https://www.npr.org/2024/04/09/1243632217/amanda-montell-the-age-of-magical-overthinking
Just listened to this podcast and it seems to fit with what you wrote. We’re very susceptible to outside influences. The author mentioned first glimpses and then what happens to our brain after seeing it three plus times. Pretty crazy.
Nooo not the OG $1.99 Canal Street mesh slippers!! I am hysterical reading this - thank you for the reminder.
The mesh shower shoes photo is burned into my brain, so thank you for that 😂 laughed out loud a couple times, I eat this kind of writing UP
mwahaha I'm a believer in trusting your instincts on trends, sometimes an adjustment is possible but for highly specific things, I just stick to my guns. Also, once burned twice shy = valuable knowledge - I actually had a pair of woven ballet flats (think like a rattan weave, NOT designer and not Mary Jane-style) back in the day and they looked pretty but I can't forget the feeling of how much grit and dust they let in the sides. The trapped dirt/grime felt worse than with a sandal or an actually open shoe because the silhouette is a closed one so your foot is more trapped in there so it gets...sweatier. That goes double once you have the Mary Jane strap holding it in!
Capris on the other hand, I am not against. Specifically a cargo capri, I wore my old school-era pair from b.u.m. equipment last summer and loved it. I think it depends on the cut, honestly - the tight legging-style ones are not my cup of tea but I see an 80s appeal to them if worn with a big sweatshirt or something, on the other hand the slightly roomier 90s ones look great to me because they're not that different in spirit from a midi skirt and I still prefer them to a denim midi.
100% to everything you wrote! I'm still confused by the expensive mesh shoes. Since I live in the Midwest, it will probably be 2 years before I see them on any feet IRL.
Also, this line: "They've entrusted the algorithm to do the heavy lifting of critical thinking" applies to so many things in life now. Well done on this observation! It's like you're reading my mind.
I’ve been searching for some Audrey Hepburn-esque black capris and also saw the ad for the Madewell ones and they got me for .5 seconds and then I was like “WHAT am I looking at??”
The Idaho bag and the mesh ballerinas. Totally impractical trends designed exclusively for ladies who lunch and are chauffeured to their lunch venue. Your POV is spot on
So funny! You’ve done a great job articulating the often absurdity of trend following. But girl, I hope you have an affiliate link to that Milwaukee bag bc I’m buying one.
I could not bring myself to buy mesh flats but I did buy a pair of red mary jane flats that were quickly returned. Really thought I was gonna be somebody.
The long denim skirt is a no for me. Why? Aside from the bunchy uncomfortable aspect, they symbolize female repression to me thanks to my ultra-conservative childhood. Think Michelle Duggar-esque fashion vibes. Also, women weren’t allowed to wear pants so to me it’s a symbol of subjugation- it was the most “casual” we were allowed to be.
(I realize my take is subjective and most of us wouldn’t feel the same way. Anyone who wants to wear them can and should )
This had me cackling!!!! Love your insights! Figuring out what you like is meant to be fun, experimental, and within (whatever it is!) your budget! Sometimes I feel like there is so much pressure to GET IT RIGHT when the reality is we’re all going to look back and cringe at some of the things we wore today 10 years from now! Your reccs on how to discern the good from the bad are spot on!
In addition to being too trendy for my liking, my other wondering about mesh mary janes is the smell. Seems like that could take away some of the cool factor 😳 and wow, my heart skipped a beat with that dELiA’s (not sure if I capitalized that right 😉) catalogue! I got platform Velcro white sneakers from there in sixth grade and felt so cool. I also had a purple sweater that looks identical to one Robyn wore on Sister Wives, making it decidedly uncool.