R.I.P Style

Style: A distinctive appearance, typically determined by the principles according to which something is designed.

Style is dead... don't get me wrong, we all have it in some ways and it still exists but it isn't actually alive. The recent passing of true style was one of a shame, as our everyday outfits seem pointless and empty without it. Style shouldn't just be about hanging a piece of satin across your shoulders, style has meaning and without meaning it becomes a trend. Like YOLO or LOL, each is here for a moment with no clue as to why they appeared in the first place. I see the newest fads walking around town in their Nike trainers, green parkers with fur rimmed hoods and leggings that grate dangerously near camel toes, but within a week they'll be wearing a whole new outfit, making the streets look as if they've been taken over by clones. This isn't real style though is it, what meaning is there behind this trend? Think back to the days of punk where customising your own clothes wasn't just to look good, but to rebel against consumerism; or skinheads that exaggerated their working class look to challenge the capitalist system! In today’s world there is a thin line between new styles and mini trends, they often get mixed up. Style is the way garments are worn, whereas trends can be the garments themselves or how you wear them. Style is personal and trends are universal. What’s even more complicated nowadays is that it is a trend to have an individual style, something no one else has or wears; but surely this is controversial to the origins of style its self as in some ways, to be stylish and individual just meant you had impeccable style. Not be part of a trend. Style pushes boundaries, trends outline them; the two do not go hand in hand. In these new times, style is not defined it is limitless, and perhaps that is why it is so difficult to define and seek meaning to.