Micro-Trend Alert: Here Are The 8 Fall/Winter Items To Wear Before It’s Too Late
Micro-trends make the world go around. Just kidding, but they are really fun and add a certain je ne sais quoi to one's wardrobe. As the seasons change, there's a short-lived fashion cycle of certain clothing and accessory trends that have a sudden boom in popularity which last at least 1-2 years. Thanks to the invention of fast fashion, in most cases, these seasonal items are loved by the masses just to be thrown to the back of our closets within the next few months.
When it comes to shopping, I do prefer items I can wear for years but I also love to mix and match fast fashion apparel for a bit of versatility and fun. From chunky loafers to puffer coats, these are the risk-taking winter items I'm currently obsessed with. And from style influencers and OOTD fashion experts, here's how to wear these trending items before they're a thing of the past.
1.Cut-Out Knits
One of my favorite styles of 2021, the cut-out trend continues to stay strong through the winter season. Transitioning into knits, I love the elevated appeal when it comes to cold-weather outfits. Pair with leather pants and calf boots for a cozy, edgy, and sexy look.
2.Lace-Up Booties
The lace-up bootie is making its way back onto our radar especially when it comes to achieving an ultra-chic sporty look. With the revival of Y2K fashion, I'm loving the modern designs that 2021 has to offer this throwback style. Pair with neutral basics for an elevated athleisure courtside look.
3.Chunky Loafers
Taking a trip to 90's greatest fashion hits, loafers are seeing a major resurgence this season. Take it up a notch with a chunky platform sole paired with your favorite stockings or white socks for a "cool girl" approach. To keep it subtle, wear a chunky loafer with straight-leg denim and a button-down top.
4.Sherpa Accessories
Every season sherpa makes its rounds with the cold weather looks we love. However, this year, it's the accessories made entirely of the soft fluffy fabric for me. From handbags to totes, there's a faux fur overload this season and I'm searching for all the non-traditional ways of wearing it. For warmer climates, sherpa accessories are a subtle pop of winter.
5.Puffer Vest
This year, the micro-trend to invest in during this fall to winter transitional outfit season is puffer vests. From long-lined to cropped lengths, the flyest vests come in a variety of styles and materials with a range of pricing that fits anyone's budget. Best worn layered over a long sleeve knit top while dressed up or down, versatility is my favorite aspect of this winter necessity.
6.Leather Bomber Jackets
Bomber jackets come in a variety of styles but this year I'm loving the leather and wool combination. Also known as varsity jackets, these are a great addition to a super cool and chic casual look. Pair with denim or sweats for an effortless on-the-go look.
7.Extreme Scarves
For the person whose fashion sense knows no bounds, statement scarves are the quintessential winter accessory. Specifically, puffer scarves are my personal favorite. I love the drama of a super chic addition to a cold-weather outfit. Wear layered over a puffer coat and chunky leather boots for an effortlessly sleek ensemble.
8.Distressed Nylons
One of the worst feelings is ripping a pair of tights when you need them the most. Luckily, distressed nylon is having a major moment. In case you missed Gucci's $200 pair of ripped tights released this time last year, this is the perfect opportunity for an inexpensive DIY project.
To get your fashion fix and to stay up to date with the latest trends, check out the xoNecole Style section here.
Featured image by Edward Berthelot/Getty Images
Smile, Sis! These Five Improvements Can Upgrade Your Oral Hygiene Instantly
This article is in partnership with Sensodyne.
Our teeth are connected to so many things - our nutrition, our confidence, and our overall mood. We often take for granted how important healthy teeth are, until issues like tooth sensitivity or gum recession come to remind us. Like most things related to our bodies, prevention is the best medicine. Here are five things you can do immediately to improve your oral hygiene, prevent tooth sensitivity, and avoid dental issues down the road.
1) Go Easy On the Rough Brushing: Brushing your teeth is and always will be priority number one in the oral hygiene department. No surprises there! However, there is such a thing as applying too much pressure when brushing…and that can lead to problems over time. Use a toothbrush with soft bristles and brush in smooth, circular motions. It may seem counterintuitive, but a gentle approach to brushing is the most effective way to clean those pearly whites without wearing away enamel and exposing sensitive areas of the teeth.
2) Use A Desensitizing Toothpaste: As everyone knows, mouth pain can be highly uncomfortable; but tooth sensitivity is a whole different beast. Hot weather favorites like ice cream and popsicles have the ability to trigger tooth sensitivity, which might make you want to stay away from icy foods altogether. But as always, prevention is the best medicine here. Switching to a toothpaste like Sensodyne’s Sensitivity & Gum toothpaste specifically designed for sensitive teeth will help build a protective layer over sensitive areas of the tooth. Over time, those sharp sensations that occur with extremely cold foods will subside, and you’ll be back to treating yourself to your icy faves like this one!
3) Floss, Rinse, Brush. (And In That Order!): Have you ever heard the saying, “It’s not what you do, but how you do it”? Well, the same thing applies to taking care of your teeth. Even if you are flossing and brushing religiously, you could be missing out on some of the benefits simply because you aren’t doing so in the right order. Flossing is best to do before brushing because it removes food particles and plaque from places your toothbrush can’t reach. After a proper flossing sesh, it is important to rinse out your mouth with water after. Finally, you can whip out your toothbrush and get to brushing. Though many of us commonly rinse with water after brushing to remove excess toothpaste, it may not be the best thing for our teeth. That’s because fluoride, the active ingredient in toothpaste that protects your enamel, works best when it gets to sit on the teeth and continue working its magic. Rinsing with water after brushing doesn’t let the toothpaste go to work like it really can. Changing up your order may take some getting used to, but over time, you’ll see the difference.
4) Stay Hydrated: Upping your water supply is a no-fail way to level up your health overall, and your teeth are no exception to this rule. Drinking water not only helps maintain a healthy pH balance in your mouth, but it also washes away residue and acids that can cause enamel erosion. It also helps you steer clear of dry mouth, which is a gateway to bad breath. And who needs that?
5) Show Your Gums Some Love: When it comes to improving your smile, you may be laser-focused on getting your teeth whiter, straighter, and overall healthier. Rightfully so, as these are all attributes of a megawatt smile; but you certainly don’t want to leave gum health out of the equation. If you neglect your gums, you’ll start to notice the effects of plaque buildup, which can irritate the gums and cause gingivitis, the earliest stage of gum disease. Seeing blood while brushing and flossing is a tell-tale sign that your gums are suffering. You may also experience gum recession — a condition where the gum tissue surrounding your teeth pulls back, exposing more of your tooth. Brushing at least twice a day with a gum-protecting toothpaste like Sensodyne Sensitivity and Gum, coupled with regular dentist visits, will keep your gums shining as bright as those pearly whites.
Why Do Millennials & Gen-Zers Still Feel Like Teenagers? The Pandemic Might Be The Reason.
There’s nothing quite as humbling as navigating adulthood with no instruction manual. Since the turn of the decade, it seems like everything in our society that could go wrong has, inevitably, gone wrong. From the global pandemic, our crippling student debt problem, the loneliness crisis, layoffs, global warming, recession, and not to mention figuring out what to eat for dinner every night. This constant state of uncertainty has many of us wondering, when are the grown-ups coming to fix all of this?
But the catch is, we are the new grown-ups.
As if it happened without our permission, we became the new adults. We are the members of society who are paying taxes, having children, getting married, and keeping our communities afloat, one iced latte at a time. Still, there’s something about doing all these grown-up duties that feel unnaturally grown-up. Enter the #teenagegirlinher20s.
If there’s one hashtag to give you the state of the next cohort of adults, it’s this one. Of the videos that have garnered over 3.9M views, you’ll find a collection of users who are overwhelmed by life’s pressing existential responsibilities, clung to nostalgia, and reminiscent of the days when their mom and dad took care of their insurance plans.
@charlies444ngel no like i cant explain to her why i had to buy multiple tank air dupes from aritzia #teenagegirlinher20s #fyp
The concept of being a 20-something or 30-something teenager is linked to the sentiment of not feeling “grown up enough” to do grown-up things while feeling underprepared and even nihilistic about whether that preparation even matters.
It’s our generation’s version of when we ask our grandmothers how old they are and they simply reply with, “I still feel 45,” all while being every bit of 76 years old. In this, we share a warped concept of time while clinging to a desire for infantilization.
Granted, the pandemic did a number on our concept of time. Many of us who started the pandemic in our early or mid-20s missed out on three fundamental years of socialization, career development, and personal milestones that traditionally help to mark our growth.
Our time to figure out and plan our next steps through fumbling yet active participation was put on pause indefinitely and then resumed provisionally. This in turn has left many of us hanging in the balance of uncertainty as we try to make sense of the disconnect between our minds and bodies in this missing gap of time.
Because we’re all still figuring out what the ramifications of being locked away and frozen in time by a global pandemic will have on us as a society, there really is no “right” way of making up for lost time. Feeling unprepared for any new chapter of life is a natural rite of passage, pandemic or not. However, it’s important to not stay stuck in the last age or period of life that made sense to us because self-growth is the truest evidence of personal progress.
So whether you’re leaning on your inner child, teenager, or 20-something for guidance as you fill the gap between your real age and pandemic age, know that it’s okay to grieve the person you thought you would be and the milestones you thought you’d hit before you ever knew what a pandemic was. If there’s anything that the pandemic taught us, it’s that we have the power to reimagine a better world and life for ourselves. And if we tap into our inner teenager as a compass, we can piece together our next chapter with a fresh outlook.
Sure, we’ve lost a couple of years, but there are still some really amazing ones ahead.
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