Managing Trends 101: The "Shacket"

Have you already incorporated the "Shacket" shirt/jacket trend into your wardrobe? Do you already own too many? Or want to try it but feel clueless when it comes to how to wear it?

The Shacket is probably one of the biggest trends (other than tie dye) to emerge from 2020 and continue it's way into 2021. Time will tell if this trend will have staying power however knowing when to put the brakes on a trend or how to incoporate one are important skills to have when building a wardrobe with intention. Without this, you either end up with the overwhelm of too much stuff or an outdated wardrobe. In both cases, you're wasting time, money and energy on clothes and decisions around clothes when you could be using it toward other goals! One of the main barriers to creating a functional wardrobe and owning your style that I help my over 40 mamas solve is the difficulty managing trends. By this time in our lives, we are taking ownership of who we are and our confidence in both our mindset and body image are growing! A closet full of trends is no longer an acceptable option as it once was in our 20's and 30's. Let's take the shacket as an example.

I’m well aware that I’m late to the party on this trend, yet purposely so. I wasn’t sure I would participate in this trend and here's why. I am very conscious of how I manage trends in my wardrobe and until recently, haven't found one that deserved a place in it. So I opted out until I saw one I loved. I fell in love with this one from H&M as it reflected my authentic style personality with the feminine pearl collar bead detail which I haven't seen on this trend before.

Choosing which trends to participate in is always an option. Once you decide to particpate, one strategy that I teach to help my clients manage trends, is to identify the 𝙧𝙤𝙡𝙚 it will have in your wardrobe. By asking the following:

1️⃣Do I have something that functions like this in my wardrobe?

2️⃣ Do I need to update an existing function in my wardrobe?

3️⃣Will it be versatile?

4️⃣Does it work for my style personality?

Let me walk you through this exercise with this shacket so you can see it in action. In my wardrobe this “shacket” updates the role of my blazers, reflects my style personality and can be worn in a so many ways. Here I show you how I style this for: Winter, Spring and Fall.

Since it is an off white, it works well over a cream turtleneck to add layers of warmth in the winter. Add a warm winter bootie and you have a functional and relevant outfit.

For Spring, swap out the turtleneck for a cream cami like this one I'm wearing from Nordstrom and replace the booties and purse with a lighter taupe palette for spring. All these pieces are strong basics, or what I refer to as wardrobe winnners.

These refer to the pieces in your wardrobe that, based on your body shape, are the foundation of your wardrobe. The trend piece, in this case the shacket, is incorporated into your exsiting wardrobe to update your wardrobe winners so you don't end up with stand alone trend pieces that you can only wear with one outfit or one way.

This formula is seen again here for Fall. Swap out the cream cami and lighter accessories for darker tones, in this case I swapped the cream cami for the black one. The goal is to be able to wear the trend piece with at least 3 things you already own and in a variety of ways to update your wardrobe so when the trend goes out of style, your wardrobe doesn't.

Managing trends can be difficult. Especially since by the time we are in our 40's we have spent years experimenting with trends. In your 40s and beyond, you are coming into your own in a new and powerful way and want your style to express that. Remember, a closet full of clothes does not a wardrobe make. Each piece in your wardrobe should earn it's place and support the person you are becoming and want to be andf make you feel amazing!

Asssesing the role the trend will have in your wardrobe is key in creating a wardrobe with intention. It takes just as long to put on clothes that work for you as it does to put on clothes that work against you. Knowing what works to bring out the most confident version of yourself is the difference between just getting dressed versus getting dressed in A Styled State of Mind.

Now that you know the difference, can you see this trend playing a role in your wardrobe? #astyledstateofmind