This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Nottingham chapter.
What is ‘timeless fashion’?
The concept of ‘timeless fashion’ is the idea that your wardrobe is built of clothing that is not limited to being a momentary trend and should last years without being ‘out of style’, distinguished by clothes made of high-quality materials, classic designs and have versatile wear. By definition, this includes designer brands, such as Ralph Lauren and Gucci, and excludes fast fashion, for example, Shein and Urban outfitters.
However, this too simplistic, as these days there is a blur between the ideas and characteristics of timeless fashion and fast fashion/micro trends because of social media.
Does it still exist?
The impact of social media has had a great influence on fashion, arguably to the point that everything is seen as a trend, even clothing that is, by definition, timeless.
For example, designer brands that have stood the test of time are not easily attainable by the average person. ‘High quality’ and designer brands are given their superior reputation by media and celebrities, and this is where they carry their value the most. Now, brands do not make their clothes as well as they used to, with their manufacturing quality decreasing more and more. However, people still buy from these brands and advertise these purchases in an attempt to associate themselves with a certain image of wealth and high fashion. In a sense, this means that what was once seen as ‘timeless’ has now been a way for people to adopt themselves into a trend.
Furthermore, fashion styles from the 70s, 80s, 90s and early 2000s have been coming back this decade, with the re-surfacing of the popularity of items of clothing such as bootcut jeans, double camis and leopard print. But the internet presents the resurfacing of these items as trends that are once again popular- when in reality these are examples of timeless fashion. All these items were once popular, but modern-day social media gives the illusion that they are simply trends that people are following.
Social media has therefore changed the way we generally view fashion. There is no doubt that people follow trends because they look good, but is this because they think it looks good or because they know it is seen as appealing by others at that moment? Unfortunately, once something ‘goes out of trend’ and is criticised on social media, it is apparently no longer okay to wear them – a prime example being skinny jeans.
This raises the question on whether any clothing can really be seen as ‘timeless’ anymore, as social media has been able to dictate and removed many people’s ability to have personal style as they often follow what the current trends are at the time.