Reviewing pieces that won’t make it into my wardrobe

It’s really easy to get drawn into trends, particularly when it comes to clothes. The rise of social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram has seen an acceleration in trend cycles, especially over the pandemic. It can be hard to resist a sense of FOMO (‘fear of missing out’) when you see so many other people wearing pieces, and making them look so good! But a key part of building a sustainable wardrobe is looking at trends, and being deeply honest with ourselves about whether they’re for us. I’m sure I’m not alone in falling for a kind of Stockholm Syndrome when it comes to trendier pieces: on first glance I don’t like them, but they gradually wear me down and months later I find my wardrobe is full of them.

Denim Maxi Skirts

The most recent trend I’ve been weighing up is the denim maxi skirt. They have emerged in recent months as a new fashion staple – dressed down with a simple t-shirt, they exude a kind of cool-girl minimalist elegance which is hard to say no to. Many people, of many different shapes and sizes, look fabulous in them.

So why am I resistant? For me, it comes down to acknowledging what it is I value most in clothes: fit and comfort. I know that I love pieces that sit high on my true waist, both to emphasise it and because it feels most natural to me. Most of the skirts I’ve seen sit lower, and the straight shape doesn’t lend itself to the nipped in waist I so appreciate.

Secondly, I know that I’m a fidget. I love things I can cross my legs in, run upstairs, and just generally feel flexible in. The combination of length and fabric in a denim maxi skirt doesn’t fit with my way of moving and living. I have midi and maxi skirts that I love, but they’re all in softer, more flexible fabrics, and looser fits. This makes them a lot easier to wear. The weighty stiffness of denim, combined with the relatively straight cut and long length of the current maxi skirt trend, makes me think it will be heavy and difficult to move in.

Finally, it’s a return to the waist area. The waist/butt area is infamously the hardest to fit to in jeans. Without a defined gusset holding it in place, I can just imagine these maxi skirts riding up in all sorts of uncomfortable ways, and giving me more of that low-level discomfort I’m trying so hard to avoid in my clothing.

In conclusion, more power to you if this trend works for you, but I’m choosing to follow my gut and opt-out of this one.

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Do you think I’m being too sartorially timid, and should venture out of my comfort zone? Or do you share my concerns about this trend? I’d love to hear how you approach trends – how do you know which ones to embrace and which to pass up? Please do share in a comment!