"The difference between style and fashion (trend) is quality." - Giorgio Armani

Tailored Vest Trend

Which was easy enough for him to say being Giorgio ARMANI and all, but I want to look at style vs. trend for the common man (ahem Woman). From where I stand there is truly a vast difference between style and trend. Style does include elements of trend, though it does have the ability to stand on its own. Style, in a metaphor, is the slightly older more mature woman of the fashion world. She is independent and settled. Trend, however, in my metaphor would be the hippie baby sister to style. But enough riddles and metaphors, I will try to break this down.

Trends are fads or popular crazes in fashion, like the bell-bottom pants and platform shoes of the 60's and 70's or big hair, shoulder pads and spandex of the 80's. Being considered a trendy person usually means you are known to always wear a lot, if not all, of the latest trends. This usually goes hand in hand with being one in a rather large crowd. The major custom in trendiness is to wear clothing as seen in stores, so that they remain immediately recognizable. The result is numerous people in the same exact items, colour usually being the main and only difference. One way for a person to stand out, while still being trendy is to purchase only top brands and labels. The truth is most popular trends are started by these labels and eventually trickle down into cheaper mass produced labels or "knock-offs". So, by spending the large amounts of money it costs to have the label of choice the amount of people seen wearing the identical item of clothing will be narrowed.

Personal Style Tailored Vest

Another option for the more creative trendy dresser is to accessorize the current fad. This can be done to the point where the fad itself will be almost unrecognizable. Now in this case, by deciding to accessorize to this point, this individual can better be described as a person with style. This is the point at which style overlaps trend. In my opinion, style is the clothing chosen by one's personal preference only. As I said before, a person with style may see a trend they like and may even add it to their wardrobe. This decision is not made because of popularity; in fact, in many cases popularity may be a strong reason for a person with style to totally avoid it. Persons with style are held in high esteem in the fashion world. These people are always thought of as in-fashion because of their individuality and confidence. Their wardrobe's strongest character is a reflection of the wearer's personality and lifestyle. People with style can never be considered posers and if their wallets cannot affords the best labels that is perfectly fine because personal style dictates that a statement can be made with whatever they can afford.

Though it is tremendously more common for people, especially young people, to want to be trendy; I will always prefer and strive to be a person with style.