Fashion’s Night In, Personal Style and too Trendy Fashion:

Sitting here drinking our favorite wine, 7 Moons Red Blend (often on sale for $11.99 at your friendly neighborhood Kroger, by the way) and watching “Fashion’s Night In” on QVC and furiously pressing the add to cart button for basically every piece being presented. The “feeling of Fall” in our living room is almost palpable - the flame from the fall scented candle flickers as the cool breeze blows in from the open window.  Our hearts beat wildly at the thought of all the   possibilities that the changing season brings. 
It’s so easy to fall victim to fashion's latest trends, and fall fashion being our favorite season makes us especially weak in the knees over Koolaburra loungewear, LOGO dresses and Isaac Mizrahi jackets.  But cooler heads prevail and it's always best to assess your current wardrobe with the changing of the seasons BEFORE you add to cart.  Let us not forget the intoxicating season of the pea coat, the over the knee boot and of course who could forget the return of the legging. There have been many fall fashion trends that come and go and we are here to chat with you about that!
The “Fall Fashion Preview” on QVC got us thinking of our own trend choices, as well as, all of our clients and friends, and the question of: 
“How do you add ‘on trend’ pieces to your wardrobe that will last a few seasons and not be “too trendy” and go out of style too quickly?”  
Furthermore, how do you have the confidence to not only press the add to cart button, but also wear the trendy pieces and not feel like an imposter?  Well that is where the ladies of STITCHed come in… 
1.) Be Yourself.  What you are drawn to is not a mistake or a coincidence.  Oftentimes, what we wear on the outside, reflects a part of who we are on the inside.  So, be brave, be bold and be you - remaining true to yourself and your own personal style will never go out of style. 
 2.) A rule of thumb for trendy pieces is usually, quality over quantity.  Buying multiple of a trendy piece usually tends to be a mistake, because these pieces are meant to “zhuzh up” your current staple wardrobe. The staple pieces of your wardrobe are the ones that you continually go to for your day-to-day outfits and the trendy pieces are going to add a little something extra to what you already own. The goal is to add enough trendy pieces to mix into your wardrobe for each season.  We calculate this out to about ⅔ staple pieces and ⅓ trendy pieces for each season - granted a few items can be transitional pieces used for the changing seasons.  Usually, trendy designer or luxury pieces will be more of an investment piece, and lower priced, more affordable pieces are a “one and done season” kind of piece.  Each has a specific use but you have to decide what works best for you, your budget and your wardrobe.  Look for clothes that suit your life, the changing seasons and most of all yourself. 
3.) Want over need?  Ahh yes!  The eternal question we all ask ourselves, multiple times, as we wander through the aisles of our favorite store sipping a vanilla americano.  It is true though… is this trendy item a want or a need? Is there a piece in your existing wardrobe that could work instead?  Do you already have multiple of this item?  Do you plan to purge/donate in order to make room for this new item? And yes, as Marie Kondo says, does it bring you joy? (this is the loophole many of us tend to abuse, but hey, we are working on it). 
 Ultimately it is up to YOU, the shopper, but hopefully these tips will help you in your fall wardrobe shopping!  Which will be the topic of our next post!
In the meantime, pour another glass of wine, turn on QVC and window shop until your heart's content, we will join you! 

Cheers! 
Andrea and Samantha Bartlett
Co-Founders of STITCHed Fashion Consulting