Retail Buying Trend Journals

Trend Journal Frances Pace

Tiny Sunglasses

Over the past couple months, the trend of small sunglasses has been popping up everywhere. I started to notice it in the spring when Milly Bobby Brown (in yellow) wore them to a red carpet. They started popping up more and more at places like Urban Outfitters and the like. There’s definitely been a slow transition to this trend over the past couple years but they really took full force when Kanye emailed Kim Kardashian telling her that she can’t wear big sunglasses anymore. That she has to wear small sunglasses (And as we know, whatever the Kardashians do is automatically a trend). Whether its just glasses that are on the smaller side, or glasses that are so small they don’t even cover your eyes, there’s no denying that it’s a trend. It fits really well within the 20-year cycle of trends so it makes sense. Just a few years ago, the bigger the sunglasses were, the better (as well as the more bedazzled). But now we’re looking at super small, super simple glasses. I think it goes back to the idea that people want products that will last, rather than strictly be a trend. And these tiny simple glasses for the most part go with every outfit which makes them easy to pick up and go, and know you’ll look good.

Staud clear purse

Clear plastic purses have been an obvious trend to me over the past couple months, but recently I’ve been seeing this one specific one. It’s by the brand Staud and it has been filling my Instagram feed as of recent.

I feel like for me, it’s been one of those things that once I see it, I see it everywhere. I first noticed it on this account called @double3xposure.

She’s always up to date with trends so once I saw her with it, I knew I’d see it many other places. And she’s been just about living in this purse.

Seeing as the inside crocodile part is removable, she’s been using just that as a clutch, just the clear outer bag, or the clutch inside the bag (as it’s shown on the model on the right). Then, I started to see the bag on Man Repeller, other blogs and Instagram accounts, and then saw it in store at Need Supply. I think the combo of both clear plastic and crocodile is really what makes this purse a big trend, as both are already trends as is. It combines two great trends which gives it a lot more marketability. It being such a neutral color as well makes it easy to be paired with any outfit, giving it a lot of versatility. It’s eye-catching, but not too in your face.

Cool, but not like you’re trying too hard.

cowboy boots

I’ve recently been seeing cowboy boots literally everywhere recently. I feel like within the span of a few days, it flooded my Instagram. I think it first started with Dior’s show last season, which was heavily western inspired. People kind of warmed up to the idea of western being cool again, and this season its really taken over. Especially for the winter in climates that are colder but don’t require full on snow boots, cowboy boots are the perfect alternative. People are phasing out the suede over the knee boots or typical riding boots and bringing cowboy boots back.

I’ve seen it on both guys and girls, a few of my guy friends have been living in these boots recently. As shown by Timothee Chalamet (in all white), they’re pretty versatile for boys because they can both tuck their pants into the boots or not. For women, there’s both of those options as well as wearing them with dresses and skirts. As shown by both Isabel Marant (black dress, beige boot) and Devon Carlson (white dress, black boot), they just help to make any dress look like that much more of a styled outfit rather than having just thrown it on. As well, they can be transitioned nicely from winter to summer.

teddy bear coats

To start, teddy bear coats are probably the comfiest trend this year, so I’m very happy they’re a thing and I hope that they stick around for longer than a few seasons. What I love about this trend is that these jackets can either be paired with a really simple outfit like jeans and a white shirt, like the top two images, Hannah Meloche and Tess Christine (right to left). Or you can style it with something a little more bold, like the image on the left which is shown on Urban Outfitters website. I personally have a jacket very similar to these pictured and I find myself reaching for it so much more than I ever thought I would because I feel like it instantly elevates an outfit. While all of the jackets that I have pictured are in a more neutral beige tone, I’ve also seen darker browns, blacks, and even red. So that in itself makes it a more versatile trend as well. I think the trend popped up and really took off in correlation to the brand I AM GIA. The jacket on the left as well as top left and bottom right are all the I AM GIA jacket, and I’ve seen it all over Instagram and in real life. I feel like everyone either has this jacket, wants this jacket, or buys a knockoff (which is what the other two are, it’s from Forever 21). But overall, this trend is both durable as well as fashionable, which makes it unique.

colored tights I’ve started seeing this trend all over Instagram and Facebook, but starting on

websites like Man Repeller and blogs like Doubl3xposure. Trends recently have been getting so much more colorful and maximalist, and this is a great example of that.

I think it’s such an easy way for people to incorporate color into their wardrobe especially in the winter when you’re so used to wearing dark colors. Whether you have an all black outfit and then throw on colored tights or make your whole outfit one color, as the model in all red has done. It’s an easy and cheap way to update your winter wardrobe, and can be brought into the spring as well. As far as companies and brands that would go for this trend, I see it being really popular at places like Urban Outfitters, H & M, Forever 21 and the like. Since tights are usually like $5-10, it’s right within the price range of this customer. Allowing them to hop on the bandwagon without feeling like they’re burning a huge hole in their wallet.

And at stores like this, they’ll most likely be buying more than one item, finding other cheap things as they’re shopping. But as well, I’ve been seeing colored tights on the runway and in more high fashion campaigns. Rather than just being a low budget trend, it’s reaching that higher price range as well. In that way, I could see this trend being sold at stores like Club Monaco, Banana Republic, places where that customer has to look professional but still wants to be trendy at the same time.

fanny packs

I think it’s pretty obvious at this point that fanny packs are a trend, and are only getting bigger. They’re an easy way to carry all the things you need, while still having a hand free. Function AND fashion! We’re seeing them on celebrities, street style, on the runways. They’re sold in so many different styles (like the whole fanny pack vs belt bag argument, I personally think they’re the same thing), shapes, patterns and prints, anything you can think of. They started off as a more high fashion thing, mocking low end fashion, similar to the ‘dad shoe’ trend. Brands like Balenciaga were one of the first brands to reinvent the fanny pack. Brands like Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Coach soon followed suit. For buyers in the high fashion category, they’re obviously not going to buy as much inventory in these fashions.

People don’t often buy luxury bags, so they always have a lower inventory than a mass market brand would anyways. On top of that, since it is such a trendy item, I think the amount of people that will be willing to buy these is even smaller. But if we look at it from a mass market point of view, companies like Forever 21. They’re going to buy into this trend in a big way as that’s what their store is known for.

They’re going to be made at a cheap cost and it’s more something people are likely to buy for some fun occasion like a party or whatnot.

claw clips We already knew that the 90’s were circling back into fashion, as we knew they

would via the 20 year trend cycle. We’ve seen it through previously mentioned fanny packs, colored tights, tiny sunglasses, overalls are coming back into trend, scrunchies, the list goes on. But the newest addition to that list is claw clips. Think Rachel Green, or really anyone on Friends for that matter. Often seen wearing claw clips, they’re a cute and stylish yet functional way to get your hair out of your face. They won’t crease your hair like hairbands might, so it’s perfect for someone that wants their hair to look perfect all the time. Also, there’s only so much you can really do to switch up your hairstyle from day to day, and this is perfect for the person that is looking for something new to accessorize. They were popularized this year by the Alexander Wang show (shown in the top left and bottom right). But other than being seen on the runway, I’ve seen them in more mass market places as well. Free People is currently buying big on this trend. In stores, about a quarter of their accessories section is taken up by hair accessories, of which the only two are claw clips and scrunchies. They’ve got even more on their website as well, as does Urban Outfitters. I don’t think it’s really going to hit that cheap market of Forever 21 or H & M though. A good clip can be upwards of $20, which I don’t think their market will be willing to spend.

FI sherman caps

The trend of fisherman caps is becoming really big, especially during the winter.

It instantly makes any outfit look like you tried that little bit harder, it adds a trendy and fashionable element to boring, cold-weather outfits. Usually coming in basic colors, but still having that interesting silhouette, it makes them easy to go with any outfit. You could be wearing just jeans and a tee, and a hat will instantly make your outfit look super chic. And on the other hand, it’ll look just as good with a dress and heels. It makes it a versatile trend, and easy to throw on. They usually either come in felt, tweed, leather, or a mixture of those fabrics. So they give texture to your outfit as well. It definitely takes a certain type of person to want to buy into this trend though, as most people I know don’t like wearing hats from day to day. With this in mind, I think companies known for being extra on top of trends should buy this trend. Examples being Urban Outfitters, ASOS, MissGuided, and other large online retailers. The people that go onto these sites are going to be looking to be one step ahead of all their friends in the fashion realm, and this trend will help them to do so. Usually being at a price range of $20-50, it’s not a cheap trend, but also won’t break the bank. It’s not something people are going to buy multiple of though either, so I think they’ll be more likely to spend that money.