"Judy Garland is trendy?" ... "She's neo-addict retro chic!"

I don’t like to think of myself as trendy; if I see something that I like and that looks good on me or in my house, then I buy it (budget withstanding). I try not to buy things I know I’ll be throwing/giving away at the end of the season but rather go for something classic. I also remain aware of things that may be trendy but won’t look good on me. I also won’t hold back from buying things that may be trendy now but that I will love forever. For example, when the whole “skulls” thing was very Hollywood trendy after the final pirates movie came out, I totally took advantage. I love skull stuff and I loved it before it was cool, when it was actually sort of shunned; skull-wear was for only for the hard-core punk and the antisocial misfits.

The few purchases I’ve made just because they were trendy, I’ve regretted. So I started my new philosophy – buy what you like, not what everyone else likes - but if you love the trend, go with it!

That being said, I’m so lucky to be redecorating my house while blogs like decor8, decorno, and design sponge are around to help me out and find cool things I wouldn’t have found that vary widely in design and aesthetic. They also show that cookie-cutter trendy “stylish” isn’t really a desirable goal in decorating. I had never really found a pre-set design style that I clicked with – hence our house full of dark stained wood and beige without much variety or sense of cohesiveness (other than the fact that it’s cohesively boring). Now, I’ve slowly been adding modern and vintage touches and a lot more color while keeping most of our existing furniture (at least the large pieces), especially the tables my grandfather made. The vintage/modern mix lends itself to my eclectic interests and style and I’m having much more fun redecorating than I thought I could. I’m trying to keep myself from falling back into the trap of “let’s just buy this chair because it’s functional and convenient” and patiently trying to buy things that are beautiful and that we will enjoy looking at for years to come.

When it comes to wardrobe, I’m trying to pick things that will last and be classically stylish and comfortable. The fact that I basically need 2 wardrobes – 1 casual, 1 work – makes it easy to overspend on clothes. I’m also trying to buy more things that do double duty without feeling like I’m playing dress-up on the weekends. I’m thinking for fall I’ll go with some great sweaters with basic dress pants/skirts for work and the same sweaters with jeans (not skinny jeans – I am perfectly aware that my body type is NOT compatible with that trend) or over layering dresses with tights and boots for my casual look. I would just like to feel better in my clothes overall. My goal is to think “would I be totally embarrassed to post a picture of me in this outfit to wardrobe remix?” each day.

Anyone else out there have thoughts on trendiness or personal style they’d like to share?