Trends are defined by connections. A trend is not just an interesting data point. It’s not a graph in a media article or a whitepaper on some specific social movement. While we often get caught up in the statistics that explain trends, all that complicated info-wrangling doesn’t mean much without the connections we make to them in our own lives.

When it comes down to it, trends are personal.

Right now we seek comfort and utility in the clothes we’re wearing. This isn’t defined by a secret formula. It’s a deeply personal response to a time of uncertainty.

The Only Constant is Change

Today’s trends are familiar if you’ve been following this blog for the last few months. #workleisure and #stayathomestyle define our lives. This is what we’re wearing and what we see others wearing on our screens. It’s practical and it gives us much-needed comfort. All that info-wrangling we mentioned will show you we’ve actually been practicing for this look for the last few years.

But change is on the way. As the effects of the pandemic become more manageable, we’re looking forward to the time when comfort isn’t our only concern. We’re starting to explore the idea of what we can wear when we’re not home all the time. We want to look good and that could mean clothes that make us feel tidy, organized and fashionable – we’re just starting to explore what “fashionable” means to us now. The possibilities are exciting and excitement is just one of the ways we connect with our clothing.

Everyday Decadence

So, let’s invite that excitement in and incorporate some joy into our wardrobes. #everydaydecadence encourages you to feel fancy and special with softly-tailored, smart and sophisticated apparel. Trends on Pinterest have developed a new term related to this look: Athflow. They define it as “…professional enough for the ‘office’, stretchy enough for the yoga mat and comfy enough for the sofa.”

We may not be there yet with everything in our closets, but I bet many of us have started to curate a collection of items that look a lot like this. Port Authority^® has added a couple of styles lately that point in the Athflow direction, while being especially strong in the “professional enough for the ‘office’” category; check out the Ladies Luxe Knit Jewel Neck Top and Tunic for examples of this emerging style.

The Simple Beauty of Restraint

While we’ve spent the last year looking forward, we’ve also been learning and what we’ve learned is defining the trends of the new year. The limitarian movement sets smart limits on design and choices with an eye toward sustainability. This doesn’t necessarily mean recycled materials (though that is always a win) so much as it questions what having “enough” should look like, cautions against single-use apparel and advises purchasing less but buying better. As SanMar’s sustainability manager Emily Gigot puts it: “Your most sustainable piece of clothing is the one already in your closet.”

With this is mind, concepts like circular fashion, minimalism and seasonless style are spoken of regularly and are becoming a permanent part of our fashion terminology. These ideas take shape in core pieces with timeless silhouettes crafted from fabrics that are reliably comfortable to wear. The Code Stretch Long Sleeve Button-Up from OGIO^® and the Ladies City Stretch Top from Port Authority^® combine both performance and professionalism in this way.

These aren’t separate concepts – they’re the building blocks for this new way we’re dressing. They are the “now” trends and the “future” trends because we love how we feel in these clothes.

In the next twelve months, many of us (if not all of us) will be vaccinated against COVID-19, but some will likely still be wearing masks. While many will eventually go back to the office when they can, some will choose to work remotely more often, now that we’ve proven it can be done. That “new normal” we’ve been talking about means that some things won’t be going back to “normal” ever again and we may even surprise ourselves by finding a ray of optimism in that fact.

Think about the last year and the trends that have meant something to you. What was it about those things that you connected with? Why did they matter? And what are you excited about in the year to come? As you connect with those ideas, you probably also connect with other people who feel the same way. That, in a nutshell, is how trends happen.

Earth Day is on the horizon, so next month we’ll mark the occasion by taking a deeper dive into conscious consumerism and the ultimate in sustainability: hipsteading. See you then!