One of the golden rules when buying a trendy fashion garment is to exercise caution because trends are short-lived. You should beware of micro trends in particular because they are usually only around for a season, sometimes less. Ideally, you should buy a trendy item early on in the fashion cycle before it hits the mainstream before it is considered, in fashion circles, to be on the way out. The time to buy into a fashion trend is when the celebrities and models are seen wearing it. The problem is that new up-and-coming trends are hard to get hold of before they hit the mainstream. If you do manage to find a garment demonstrating the latest cutting-edge trend in a fashion-forward boutique then you are likely to pay an arm and a leg for it.

The time to wear a fashion trend is when it first hits the mainstream, in other words, when you first start to see it featured in the fashion editorials of magazines and in middle range clothing stores. A middle range clothing store is one that is not a department store or a high-end boutique but one that specialises in fashion garments and accessories. Large department stores selling items other than clothing such as home wares and foodstuffs should not be discounted out of hand, however, as they sometimes carry a fashion-forward line or two which is of good quality but at a reasonable price. Before going out and buying a trendy fashion garment or accessory you should take a look at the trend predictions for the upcoming season in the fashion mags. Fashion magazines will give you a good idea of what to look out for when you are shopping.

The other time you might want to buy into a fashion trend is when the particular trend suits your body shape. If a trend suits you, you can go wild unless the trend is an outlandish one. Bubble-skirt minis are a case in point. Even though this trend periodically rears its ugly head, it is not, nor will it ever become a classic and most people look mildly silly wearing them, regardless of how model-esque they may be!

It’s fun to follow fashion trends sometimes, particularly those that suit your body type. Trendy clothes spice up otherwise basic, and sometimes boring, outfits. The addition of a trendy garment to your closet can broaden your choices and help you get a fresh take on combining the various clothes you already own in new and exciting ways. Deciding to follow a fashion trend can be a positive thing but there is something regarding fashion trends that you need to be wary of. Within the broad group of trends, there is a type of trend known as the ‘micro trend’ and this is the sort of trend that you need to be wary of adopting.

A micro trend is a ‘mini’ trend or a trend within a trend. It is usually short-lived, often no more than a season at the most and so is not worth investing in. In fact, you should try to spend as little cash as you can on this type of trend because of its brief lifespan in the fashion cycle. They can sometimes be confused with major trends because popular women’s magazines may include them alongside major trends in their fashion editorials. So how do you spot a mini trend given that the fashion editorials don’t always identify them as such?

Micro trends are quirky and strange. If you think wearing a particular trend might make you look a) like you have a job in the circus, b) you raided your little sister’s closet or c) just plain idiotic; chances are you are looking at a mini trend. A micro trend is when a basic jacket is covered in sequins, or a handbag is shaped like a plush toy dinosaur. Fluorescent lime green nail gloss and bubblegum-hued lipstick are mini trends. Wearing socks with killer heels is also a micro trend as is dying your hair grey when you’re not old.

Celebrities and fashion models tend to try micro trends on for size and might lead you to believe they are wearing the next ‘big thing’ because they are often trend-setters but don’t try to emulate them just yet. Look in the middle range fashion stores, you know, the ones that aren’t high-end boutiques but that aren’t the cheapest either. You probably won’t find any weird looks here as these stores can’t afford to stock one-trick ponies, and then there’s the taste factor, of course. Micro trends don’t usually clock in at a high level of taste, and if these stores aren’t stocking what your favourite celebrity is wearing, then it’s probably a micro trend. Looking quirky and eccentric is one thing but when it’s over the top while the rest of the outfit isn’t, or screams “Look at me”, then it is leaning towards micro trend territory.

If you do decide to wear a micro trend then make sure it carries a really cheap price tag because you’ll probably only be able to wear this kind of stuff at parties or to go trick-or-treating in.