A Decade of Trends

It is a new year. And if you can believe it, a new decade! It seems like this past decade was filled with so much.... stuff! From 9-11 to the war in Iraq to the boom of social media to the election of the first black American president. It is hard to believe those things and so much more happened in just ten years!

And then you have the fashions of the 00's -- every decade has their claim to fame, and all I can think of for this past decade is leggings. They seem to have taken root mid-decade and never left. But, oh, how I hope their ridiculousness ends soon. Yes, they're comfortable, but only about 1% of the population can really pull them off. Otherwise, they just look silly -- kind of like stirrup pants.

The other trend of the '00s has to be the HUGE bags. You know what I'm talking about ladies -- the kind that could quite possibly hold a toddler in it. I never quite understood why a leggy, pin-thin lady needed a purse she could literally folder herself into. Status symbol? Or, a quick escape? Whatever the reason, unless you need to carry your entire life's necessities around with you all day long, let go of the over-sized handbags... PLEASE!

And, finally, the two trends that will probably be staying around a bit longer -- the skinny jeans and the ankle boots. Okay, I'll admit, I own a pair of both. Not a true pair of skinny jeans, but as close as I will get. Yeah, they can be sexy and cute on some women, but for most, they just don't work. Same with those silly ankle boots. Unless you have legs up to your nose and they're shaped like twigs, ankle boots do absolutely nothing for most women's legs.

We've all be victims to at least one of these trends this decade, and that's fine -- it's fun to experiment with fashion and doing so is really the only way one can find their true style. I think I've finally found my fashion style -- classic pieces with a twist of whimsy and funk. And I hope to play on more of that whimsy and funk this year; to take some risks and think outside the box. And that may mean I'll try some of those trends that won't work, and some that I can add to my collection. But either way, it will be exciting to see what's in store for this new decade.

And to neatly wrap-up this past year's fashions, I've put together a collage of some of the great deals I found in 2009. Enjoy and Happy New Year to all!

Happy Valentine's Day
(posted February 13)