When I was a child in Orlando, I have vivid memories of watching my mother getting ready for work. She had multiple corporate roles in the 1990s and early 2000s, so she often wore suits in varying tones. However, there were moments when she wore shift dresses in hues like teal and black. My sister and I would regularly accompany my mother to vintage stores, thrift stores, and mall department stores, where she would spend hours shopping, not strictly for professional garbs. She would also enter into a lane where she would confidently wear jeans and T-shirts for more laidback appearances or work functions. In addition to her corporate roles, my mother also led workshops for underprivileged Black teen girls through her non-profit organization. Her versatility and choice of officewear made a lasting impression on me, and her enjoyment of getting dressed was a great source of inspiration throughout my childhood and adolescence. Reflecting on her style has allotted me the headspace to pick up on how officewear in recent years has shifted, but so has personal style. The pandemic has impacted personal style, and the influence of social media cannot be ignored.
The connection between trends and social media is hard to ignore these days. The algorithms on multiple platforms, including TikTok and Instagram, force trends on us. Examples like the “office siren,” “tennis core” and “office core” are common. Sometimes, I wonder if our “Explore” pages synthesize data based on what it assumes we engaged with in the past. That could mean that if something is on the “Explore” page, it may not be trending–but instead, it’s just being schlepped into a feed where it’s predicted it will be liked or commented on. According to Instagram, the “Explore” page is a “full search experience.”
“Explore is a discovery surface where Instagram sources content from across the platform based on a variety of factors such as accounts you follow, photos and videos you like on Instagram, and who you’re connected to,” Instagram shares. Either way, for months this year, I’ve watched as influencers and fashionable people I follow on Instagram leaned into the previously mentioned aesthetics. To be frank, “office siren,” which is oversized blazers, well-tailored or menswear-inspired trousers and oversized button-ups is still trending right now. This begs the question: are we being told what to like rather than exploring what design codes, patterns, and brands we could resonate with outside of a feed if we didn’t scroll through social media platforms every day for hours? I think so, and I also believe that social media has made fashion appear to be an easy-to-copy means of self-expression.
The pandemic is also to blame for the lack of originality we’re seeing right now with personal style. It was an unprecedented block of months overall, and some inhabitants of fashionable cities disappeared to take a break from the hustle of city living (myself included–I went to Florida for eight months). The fashion hub of New York City was largely impacted, and offices were shut down completely. Officewear was something that was the heartbeat of the city–so with this taken away, it appeared as though life had been snuffed out of this destination. Sweatpants, hoodies, and T-shirts, plus whatever was deemed clean enough to wear over Zoom calls, became the norm.
Sadly, I found myself in this situation. Zoom and video-appropriate attire was uninspiring, and it led me to feel as though I was in a style rut for months throughout the pandemic. But once things opened back up, it felt like a bit of a rebirth. This era, though preceded by one that felt like a standstill, is up to you to decide how you’d like to show up in the world. Are you keen to follow trends or forge your path style-wise? I choose the latter.
There is also hope with the forthcoming generation: Gen Z loves vintage pieces. Depop refers to it as circular shopping, and they’ve noted that 40% of college students will be shopping secondhand for their back-to-school clothing. I’ve seen it firsthand, too. My little sister, who is now in college in Washington, D.C., is a regular at Goodwill and other vintage stores, even some that are 30 minutes away from her school. I find this invigorating, especially since it was a pastime of mine with my mother. But I love it because thrifting allows you to explore and pin down what styles work for you without regard for trend cycles.
Lastly, I have also given in to social media for inspiration for my daily wear and office attire at times. Kitten heels were something I began embracing because I saw countless influencers embracing them–and barrel jeans are a denim style I’ve wanted to try out due to stylish feeds via fashion enthusiasts including Vivian Li and Sophie Cohen which I regularly see, too. But my inner compass usually reminds me that trends come and go. This notion, in addition to me picking up on the fact that I feel most confident in pieces I buy when not relying on social media or what I see people wearing in the wild. It harkens to the belief that my mother’s experimentation and lack of conformity is something that I can also embrace as I grow older and explore more style-wise. Might I suggest that rather than giving up on personal style, you get off of your phone and get out into the real world and find what you love and what you hate? I promise you’ll figure out your essentials and what you feel like your best self in.
