Best Fashion Trends of 2020

This may be a weird pastime, but I enjoy spotting fashion trends since I was a kid. It is fascinating to see what retailers try to market vs. what actually inspires a large amount of people, and what personally resonates with me. 

Since my end-goal has always been to have less clutter, I try to not jump on every trend that comes out, but for some reason the year 2020 has come out with lots of clothing and accessory styles that I absolutely adore!

So these are my top 5 trends that I am loving this year:

1. Slip Dress (or satiny skirt): layer with cropped tee for more casual outings, and then under oversized sweater for the coming fall weather...

My Inspiration: Monroe Steele's instagram, she rocks slip dresses as no other!

2. Twist Top Headband: Anything that comes from Jennifer Behr becomes the next big thing when advertised on celebrities. I like this wider, softer band look, which is easier to wear than the puffy headband that seems so last-year or from the 90's (which I did try to bring back for my wedding in 2018 as a statement piece but too fancy to wear on a normal basis). This twist style is more wearable!

My Inspiration: Sabrina Carpenter

3. Paperbag High-Waist Shorts: I am surprised the paperbag shorts is still going strong since I was first introduced to it in 2012. For some reason, retailers have been pushing out more paperbag shorts and pants this year than any other year I can remember, and I'm loving it because it hides a bloated tummy, the high waist gives the illusion of better proportions for my body-type, and the bagginess is super comfortable. 

My Inspiration: Abercrombie and Fitch model

4. Tie-Dye: I suppose by now most people own at least one piece of something in tie-dye. It can be retro, geeky, attention-grabbing, but for me, I mostly reserve it for loungewear or beach attire. I own one T-shirt in tie-dye that I bought as a souvenir at the Myrtle Beach Boardwalk a couple of years ago and finally took it out from the back of my closet since tie-dye is having a moment. 

My Inspiration: Lilliana Vazquez's DIY tie-dye outfit during quarantine life

 

5. Chin-length Blunt Bob haircut: Hair is fashion to me, so I'm including this here. I personally love any bobs. This blunt textured one seems refreshing and playful and I have been seeing it everywhere on celebrities and models. I'll be asking for this cut at my next visit to the hair salon...

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My Inspiration: Kaia Gerber definitely started it all! And doesn't this Victoria's Secret model look almost like her?

Now on to the trendy items that did NOT make it on my wardrobe, but may reconsider another day:

Bike shorts: because I have not been inspired by anyone who looks amazing or picturesque in bike shorts.

Shoulder Pad Muscle Tee: I use to get a lot of hand-me-down clothes from my aunts as a kid that had shoulder pads, and it made me cringe how they get warped in the washer/dryer machine. No thanks to shoulder pads, but maybe a plain muscle tee is okay. 

Oversize Graphic Tee: I think the oversize tee is super cute on kids and teenagers, but not for me, I'm getting old.

Puffy Sleeves Top/Sweater: It just reminds me of clown-clothes, something I've been trying to avoid. I think I would feel too self-conscious in puffy sleeves, probably traumatized by the puffy sleeve dresses we wore as children in the 80's as our parents thought it made us cute as dolls, which is a bit creepy.

The Best Summer Inspirations from Forever 21

This styling at Forever 21 is just perfection!

Love the blue and white strips and dolman cut of the shirt, but I do not recommend buying these items from Forever 21 though since the description says made with 100% rayon. My advice is to avoid 100% rayon fabric because it will most likely be wrinkly and will become dingy or shrink horribly after one cycle of machine-washing. But I just adore the timeless look with the white shorts and summery accessories. I applaud the stylists at Forever 21 for putting together such great looks lately!  

For chillier summer days, this outfit is another favorite look....slouchy sweater, high-waisted wide-leg pants, and interesting stripe sandals...and those seashells earrings! Love!  

Some plaids are better than others?

When I realized that certain stripes (ie. Breton stripes) are more pleasing than others, I started to think...are some plaids better than others?  This retail season exploded with plaid flannel shirts everywhere. So many choices! But what makes a plaid pattern more "classy chic" and less "cowgirl on a farm"?

Which one do you prefer? :)

Blush skirt goals

I know my 2014 resolution is not to buy any fancy stuff, but I gave myself a few exceptions...

1. Must be a most-wanted item from my personal fashion scrapbook:

ie. Nude/Blush colored skirt

2. Must fit decently.

3. Must be something I can see in an Anthropologie catalog.

4. Must be compatible with other items in my wardrobe. 

Well....I've been wanting to try a blush colored skirt for the longest time...and this was the first time I saw something close to what I had in mind (resembling skirt from The Fashion Pledge), so I had to try it out! 

Forever 21 Enchanting Eyelet Skater Skirt

$19.80

Show me the Manet!

I love these paintings from French painter Edouard Manet...

I actually do not enjoy eating oysters, but they are interesting to look at, and people who eat them are also interesting to look at, haha. They always remind me of the funny scene from one of my favorite movies, Mr. Bean's Holiday, lol!

Who in the world is George Moore? He had style!

Aren't the best things to capture in photos (or paintings) are fashion and food?

What to wear to a golf resort?

Per advice from TBSmen.com, "take inspiration from Mother Nature and mimic her seasonal palette."  In other words, dress to match your environment, even man-made ones.

When I think of golf, I think of vivid green grass and sunny blue skies. 

Here's some color palette ideas from Ralph Lauren ads I saved in my scrapbook from 2001....seems like such a long time ago.

Polka dots, gingham, and stripes....still in-style today!