How you can use microtrends to discover your aesthetic

Exploring microtrends is a great way to learn more about yourself. Unfortunately, they pass too quickly for you to embrace a specific aesthetic for long. Understanding what fashion microtrends are can help you spot these fads and decide if you’d like to give them a permanent place in your wardrobe.

What’s a microtrend?

Microtrends are consumer preferences with short life cycles. Companies highlight microtrends so that consumers continue spending more quickly than they would otherwise. Consider all the aesthetics people chase, like witchcore wardrobes or cottagecore clothes. Microtrends focus on singular products within an aesthetic that you’ll need to replace sooner rather than later.

Which clothes and accessories do microtrends affect?

The smallest fashion trends can apply to any clothing or accessory. You might see everyone debuting low-rise jeans to recreate the 90s, but a few weeks later, everyone’s wearing cargo pants because they saw a celebrity wearing them. If you participate in these trends, you need to constantly buy new products. Fashion companies benefit while consumers try to keep up.

Microtrends can also form around everyday accessories that provide consumer benefits beyond a style upgrade. For instance, people are purchasing low-bridge, Bayonetta-style glasses because they complement multiple face shapes and also place less pressure across your face.

While other people may move onto other styles, you may find that some microtrend accessories are worth keeping around long-term. If you’re participating in the no-spend challenge to manage your impulse purchases, consider if a current microtrend could last for you. Everyone else might move on to the next big thing, but if you love low-bridge glasses or cargo pants, you don’t have to replace them any time soon. Your purchase would be an investment that wouldn’t go against your impulse-buying limits or require your full participation in fleeting trends.

Current Fashion Microtrends Taking Over Social Media

Social media can easily reveal what the latest microtrends are. Once you know how to spot microtrends via social media, you’ll understand what’s popular and if those trends match your style. Here are a few of the microtrends on the rise on social media:

Pant Leg Trinkets

Wide-legged and bootcut jeans are trendy right now, so people are adding trinkets to their pants to take them to the next level. They add long bracelets around their pant legs to accentuate their ankles and give their outfits more flair. If you like wearing a stack of rings, you might want to try pant trinkets instead to help your outfit shine.

Headbands

People have started comparing American comfort clothes with what Europeans wear casually, and this trend brought headbands back “in.” Headbands lend a laid-back vibe to vests and long coats and also keep your hair away for your face. You could match a headband with a popular nail polish shade to combine trends and define your overall aesthetic.

Denim on Denim

Jeans aren’t the only trendy denim options these days. People are also loving denim jackets, blazers, and shirts and pairing them with their favorite jeans. Layering different denim pieces gives off a casual vibe that’s simultaneously fashion-forward. If combining denim clothes feels empowering, maybe it should become part of your long-term aesthetic.

Fashion microtrends can introduce you to new accessories or clothes that you may not have considered otherwise. Whether you move on to the next popular product or keep a microtrend style as a long-term wardrobe addition, understanding microtrends will help you more confidently navigate the fast-paced fashion world.