A Sensible Guide to Buying Hot Fashion Trends

Posted by Bengtsson on October 16th, 2015

THE DEBUT COLLECTION this fall from Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele in Milan was populated with many major hits: quirky-cool floral dresses, fur coats seemingly plucked from an estate sale, an array of covetable berets. But it was a pair of stylish, if rather impractical, backless leather loafers lined in plush brown fur that made the biggest impact when the merchandise first hit stores in late summer. The slipper-like shoes sold like proverbial hot-cakes in the U.S.; there is currently a wait list.

This sort of cultish frenzy for a single piece of fashion is what defines an “It” item. If you’re susceptible to It-ness, once something like these shoes gets under your skin, it matters less and less that you’ve seen them coming and going on Instagram or that you could be spending near ,000 on outré slippers you may only wear for a few months. Ultimately, you must confront the question: Do you or don’t you?

The answer isn’t entirely black and white. If you’re not content to be a trend ascetic who shuns all things of-the-moment (where’s the fun in that?), there are a few approaches you can take.

The most prudent one may be that of London-based magazine editor Caroline Issa: anti-impulse buying. Ms. Issa, who can only be described as sensible but also relishes fashion, counsels weighing each decision carefully and making sure the purchase aligns with your taste. “I would make a parallel to buying art,” she explained. “You have to buy things that you love and that fit your personality.” Buying into trends in the heat of the moment, she pointed out, often leads to expensive regret. If you’re lucky, a well-considered trendy piece will have the longevity of a classic. Ms. Issa has held on to once-hot pieces like a checked tulip-shaped skirt and doctor bag from Stefano Pilati’s mid-aughts tenure at Yves Saint Laurent. “I will pull that skirt out again and wear it with a classic white blouse,” she said.

Making smart decisions is easier said than done, however. Great fashion can strike deep in the heart, and when it does, the head is vetoed. “Any time a designer hits the right balance and makes a piece that’s coveted by women globally, there’s a real emotional response,” said Roopal Patel, fashion director at Saks Fifth Avenue.

The buy-and-hold strategy is one many chic women employ. Shoe designer and stylistTabitha Simmons never gets rid of once-trendy pieces. “I’m a bit of a hoarder,” she admitted. “But things come back around.” She’s considering reviving a blouse and dress in Prada’s ethereal fairy-print collection from spring 2008. The corollary to this advice, some argue, is that you don’t ever need to stop wearing something just because its heat has dissipated. “Those rules no longer exist,” said Saks Fifth Avenue’s Ms. Patel. “I think women decide when they want a trend to expire.”

When you are wearing an item at the height of its popularity, how you wear it is also important. It helps to play it casual, to avoid letting a trendy piece speak too loudly. “Wearing a trend cannot feel like a costume,” said Laure Heriard Dubreuil, co-founder and CEO of Miami boutique the Webster. “You have to wear it like it’s always been part of your wardrobe.” To achieve that, she mixes current and past-season goods. For instance, earlier this fall, she was sporting her Louis Vuitton jeans—a trendy spring item that’s still smoldering—with a decade-old striped top from A.P.C. and a ’70s vintage jacket. “The important thing,” she noted, “is to make a look your own.”

Another way to deploy on-trend items in their prime is to use a single hot accessory to spike a timeless ensemble. Stylist Micaela Erlanger, who dresses actresses like Lupita Nyong’o and Meryl Streep, chooses pieces that work with one of her rotating uniforms, say, a button-up shirt, leather leggings and flats. “With that, I can easily carry something like a fringe bag,” she said. Ms. Issa, too, looks to accessories—such as Prada’s candy-hued plastic brooches for fall—as an easy (and somewhat more affordable) way to sample trends. “I can use them on a pea coat now or jean jacket later,” she explained. This season, she also invested in Christian Dior’s bright stretch patent leather boots with plexiglass heels to function as “the one crazy element in an otherwise classic outfit.”

Then there are the advanced sailors of the trend seas like Moscow-based designerNatasha Goldenberg. She recently purchased a tweed dress from Miu Miu’s much-coveted fall collection, but rather than wear it as intended, she had it cut into a skirt and bralette top. “I was sure I would see many others in the same dress. I thought, ‘I want to wear it in my own way,’ ” she explained. An easier way of standing out is to track down a hot piece in a rare color, a strategy Ms. Goldenberg also advocates. An e-commerce site like Farfetch, which allows you to search small boutiques worldwide can be helpful here. Ms. Goldenberg also likes to hunt online for formerly trendy pieces she may have missed out on. She recently bought a pantsuit from Prada’s fairy collection, proving that the best “It” pieces never really die.

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