I remember so clearly a couple years ago texting my friend Mariah a picture of someone’s legs while I was at Disneyland. They were wearing longer socks with their leggings — just like we used to do in the 80s. I said something like “Really? We’re doing this again?” Previous to that everyone had been doing everything they could to NOT show their socks. My brain told me those socks were so unappealing. Why on earth would we start covering our ankles again?
But then I just kept seeing them, and seeing them, and seeing them.
I’m not a big leggings gal, but sure enough, I have jumped on the longer socks trend. I even texted Mariah a picture of my fully socked and shoed ankle recently saying, “Remember how I said I would never do this? Well, here we are.” She responded by saying “I also do it with pants. Never shorts. That’s too far.”
We are funny, us humans.
It’s not just clothes, either — obviously! Our homes, our haircuts, our playlists, everything seems to move in and out of fashion like a tide we don’t really control. Something we thought was ugly a year or 5 years or 20 years ago now can suddenly become “cool” again. We fall in love with white kitchens and paint all of our wood cabinets in Benjamin Moore’s White Dove only to realize a few years later that wood is back ‘in.’
Bethany Justice says that “every trend can be dissected into five stages.”
Stage 1: The Introduction: A new trend enters the space and can only be found in small quantities.
Stage 2: The Rise: A trend starts to gain momentum and continues to be diffused across several different avenues, making it accessible to anyone who wants it.
Stage 3: The Peak: It has reached the top level of saturation in the public and most mainstream retailers carry the trend — rendering it accessible to all consumer types. As a result, most luxury brands will no longer carry the trend. This is the most unpredictable stage because there is no way of knowing just how long trends will remain at the peak.
Stage 4: The Decline: Consumers become tired of seeing the trend, and it starts to feel too ‘mainstream’ and oversaturated in the market.
Stage 5: Obsolescence: The trend goes from being coined ‘trendy’ to being labeled as ‘out of fashion.’ Most likely, new trends have emerged and have begun to rise to popularity, shifting people’s focus.
Sociologists have long noted that trends are born from two competing instincts — the desire to belong and the desire to stand out. We follow what’s trendy because it signals connection, then grow restless when everything starts to look the same.
It’s why our socks get longer again, our kitchens get darker, our vests get ‘weightier’ — we crave both belonging and distinction.
The same push-and-pull dynamic shows up in the choices we make about our lives, our work, even our relationships.
We’re always trying to find that balance between inclusion and originality — between blending in and feeling like ourselves.
How can we make sure we’re not just at the whim of someone else’s judgment, preferences, or taste?
- Notice what we’ve been painting over.
We can think about the parts of us that used to feel natural — the way we dress, create, rest, or speak up — that we’ve muted or changed. We can ask ourselves if those edits were really needed, or if we just got used to hiding what others (or even ourselves) didn’t notice or value.
- Notice what we’ve been chasing.
When we feel that pull to join in, buy in, or keep up, we can pause and check who we’ve been listening to. Is it someone we actually trust, or just the loudest voice around? Paying attention to what drives us can help us decide if the chase is worth it.
- Notice our own pace.
Everything around us moves faster now, but that doesn’t mean we have to. Some things — our confidence, our relationships, our sense of what’s right for us — need more time than trends allow. We can give them space to unfold at a human speed.
I can’t wait to hear what’s trending for you — in your life, your relationships, your work, or even your wardrobe. And if you need assistance with any of it, I’d love to help.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
PS If you liked this post – or any others, I’d love you to pass me and my work on to a friend. They can find out much more about me here if they’re interested!
