Are you susceptible to trends? You might say you are not; you make your own decisions.
A few years ago, I was convinced that trends didn’t affect me.
Until I wanted the ugly rug. And ended up buying it. And living with it in my home.
And liking it.
Never Say Never
There comes a point in our lives when we are faced with the undeniable truth of ‘never say never’. That saying that eludes us in our twenties, when we are explicitly exclusive about pretty much everything, in our thirties finally becomes clear. We don’t get to say never and stick to it.
In fact, now I believe that saying never inevitably jinxes me, and soon I find myself doing that exact thing I said I would never do.
Or eat.
Or drink.
Or read.
Some of my greatest discoveries in life came when I said I would never. Like reading The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. I would never, I said, because everyone else was reading it. But I have, and it was life-changing. Six years later and I am the most organized person I know (a blog post to follow on my love for Konmari).
I also said (repeatedly) that I would never go hiking or nature walking because I couldn’t imagine anything more boring. (the extent of my walking used to be city center strolls). Now I hike for pleasure whenever I have a chance.
You are Going to Be Doing It in Five Years
Recently I found and saved this quote by designer Paula Scher:
“If you look through design history and you see something that looks really radical, that’s what you’re going to be doing now. If you think that’s nice, that’s what you’ve already been doing. If you think it’s tired, that’s what you were doing five years ago. But if you think it’s ugly, that’s what you’re going to be doing in five years.”
The quote resonated with me.
It reminded me of my ugly-turned-pretty rug.
Namely, 14 years ago, I got my first iPhone, and I stumbled across an app (this was when there weren’t so many apps around) called Houzz. I spent hours looking at pretty pictures of beautifully designed interiors while getting my (then newborn firstborn) to fall asleep.
And that is where I first saw this rug. I distinctly remember thinking how ugly it was. I remember saying to myself, “who would ever buy this?”
I know, you are probably looking at this rug and thinking that it is quite a pretty rug. Maybe you own a similar one yourself.
I sometimes don’t remember how I start liking something, but I remember this rug.
I am not a fan of black and white design; there is something so un-elegant and cold about it. Then also, these little diamond-shaped patterns are … ugh.
But I kept seeing this rug. And seeing it.
It was everywhere. Several years later, I couldn’t open a home magazine without seeing the rug in different designs, shaggy and flat, wool and synthetic, outdoor and indoor.
Exactly as Paula Scher said, 5 years down the track, I had a similar rug in my home. Yikes!
Skinny Jeans and Whatnots
The same happened with the skinny jeans trend.
I am not a fashion queen or anything, but skinny jeans don’t really flatter (almost) anyone, especially when paired with those ballet flats, and unless your shoe size is 37, your feet will look like little boats attached to sticks. If you are not skinny enough, then they will look … even worse.
I own a pair of skinny jeans now. I don’t pair them with flats, only sandals, and my bulky Sketchers because my shoe size is 42 (11!) after all. But who knows, someday I might and think it is ok.
I could probably share many different examples of my susceptibility to trends. It scares me sometimes.
But sometimes, I wish I were visionary enough to jump on some trends sooner rather than (always) too late. Or even better, sometimes I wish I was a trendsetter.
But such is life.
Some of us end up just catching up five years later.
How about you? What are some of your examples of ugly turned pretty by trendsetting?
Skinny jeans I relate to for sure. Wide leg or flare forever, I thought. Now I can't figure out what shoes to wear with anything not skinny jean because I end up walking on all the hems. How did that ever work ?! High rise is a trend in, that I have NOT caught on to, loathe his rise everything in fact. Maybe "never" will catch on to this one, but like you say in your article, I probably will, only it will be after it's on its way out. This was a fun read. Thanks for writing it.
I didn’t think I was going to do a middle part!! I loved the side part. But I’ve been experiment with it and it might be here to stay! 😄
P.S. we owned that rug 😆
P.P.S I remember skinny jeans in primary school (stone wash with zips of course). Then they can back for “mentalers” in black.
P.P.P.S People might not remember them, but I had “nomads” and they are ugly!! Speaking of shoes, how did crocs become a thing!