Where The Women of Style Go When Fashion Gets Boring
It’s like everything is accelerating, but nothing feels new. We’re going faster, but circling the same loop over and over again.
Trends are turning so quickly, which is nothing new in fashion; however, this time, by the time you’ve admired a certain look, it’s already become a template and rinsed to death.
Suddenly, everyone is wearing the same shoulder-padded neutrals from the same ‘quiet luxury’ moodboard, and sooner than later, it looks like an unclassified uniform.
You know who I feel sorry for? The women who have loved ‘quiet luxury’ for decades, who were probably told they were boring and plain, suddenly have their look hijacked, while those who struggle to find their identity through style emulate Sophia Richie.
And don’t get me wrong, I love a little ‘heritage’.
Jasmine Tookes is featured way too many times on my Pinterest board, Ralph Lauren has been one of my favourite designers for years, and quite frankly, I think it’s a smart way of investing in style. It’s timeless.
However, those of us who remember when fashion was fun - we are bored. Not offended or confused by the shift. Just bored.
We are one more pair of Loro Piana loafers away from completely losing it.
The women who are leaders in style are ready to move on.
When fashion becomes predictable, they go looking for culture, craft, provenance, and perspective. They go looking for themselves.
The Fatigue of Endless ‘Aesthetic’
Admittedly, when I’m curating my boards on Pinterest, throwing the word aesthetic onto the end instantly improves the search ‘black woman luxury - aesthetic’ ‘brass bowls - aesthetic’ ‘salmon linguine - aesthetic’
The fashion world is quite literally based upon the idea of ‘aesthetics’ - entire identities boil down to runway shows, fashion creators, film, music, moodboards and various other formulas that anyone can replicate with the right Zara haul.
It’s efficient? Yes. Is it excessive? Yes.
Doing this means that dressing becomes a way of fitting in. You’re not expressing taste; you’re executing an algorithm and what will gain you a few ‘likes’.
The women of style are stepping away because outfits are starting to feel like content rather than clothing.
They’re not chasing an image, they’re curating a life. The clothes are just part of the evidence.
What they do instead:
They stop dressing for Instagram and start dressing for real environments: travel, work, dinners, date nights, pink furs to the girly brunches to match the mimosas.
They refine their wardrobes through tailoring, instead of overconsumption. Hemlines are adjusted, silhouettes are altered, and old pieces are made to feel new.
They rotate archived designer pieces from Tom Ford with simple current staples from COS.
They avoid trend-wearing and focus on what feels like them, even if it’s not on the runway this season.
They look for texture, weight, and craftsmanship over logos or hype.
These women have no interest in trying to keep up with the turnover. They’d rather slow down and invest in the story, the provenance.
The Return of Personal Codes
Most people turn to those they idolise when looking for new inspiration - Beyoncé, Hailey Bieber, Bella Hadid. But when fashion gets predictable, the women of style pivot to identity.
These codes don’t come from algorithms, they come from lifestyle, travel, art, literature and memory.
They can’t be copied because they weren’t built to impress, they were built to belong to the wearer.
Common codes among the women of style look like:
A signature cut of a blazer, always tailored to perfection.
One metal they stick to - gold, silver, or mixed intentionally, think Heaven Mayhem.
Jewellery bought on adventures abroad: chunky brass earrings from Ghana, colourful tapestry from Mexico City, enamel rings from the flea market in Paris
Leather shoes from small Moroccan makers; a bag picked up in Florence from a family-run atelier.
A preference for boutique, independent stores where everything feels curated rather than manufactured.
How Women of Style Signal Intellect Through Their Wardrobe
The best-dressed women aren’t just stylish. It looks second nature, but believe me, they’re strategic. Their clothes communicate something deeper than the way the closure of the button on their asymmetric shirt falls
No. Through their style lies a sense of discernment, awareness, exposure, and a certain cultural literacy.
They’re not just wearing outfits, they’re wearing the stories they’ve collected over the years.
Ask about the cool, light-washed, unbuttoned to the chest denim shirt they wear so effortlessly, and congratulations, you’ve just unlocked a thirty-minute story on how the vintage Levi’s used to belong to their mother in the 90’s.
Hell, they may even rummage around to show you the image of their mother wearing the exact pair in the 90s.
The intellectual element comes from the fact that every piece has a reason. Nothing is random. Nothing is worn because a popular influencer online wore it first.
How they communicate intelligence without saying a word:
Pieces with provenance: vintage Hermès scarves, archival YSL, 1990s Donna Karan, 80s Gianfranco Ferré.
Garments sourced from designers with a point of view, not just commercial popularity.
Subtle references to art, architecture, and culture in their silhouettes and accessories.
Mixing high and low in a way that shows understanding, not budget.
Styling choices that reject uniform trends in favour of lived-in sophistication.
What Sophistication Really Looks Like
There’s no doubt in my mind that we’re in the era of people dressing for attention, for virality, for shock value. And I’m not surprised, I’m not even sure I blame them. Fitting in means survival.
But if you’re bored and are seeking true sophistication, it doesn’t come from performance. It comes from references. From memory. From years of collection. From years of building.
The women of style shift from acquisition to evolution. They’re not buying for the moment; they’re investing for the decade.
And because they’re drawn to provenance, their wardrobes feel deeper, richer, more textured, not necessarily in a maximalist way, but in an intentional, layered way.
Where their wardrobes actually come from:
They edit their wardrobe as aggressively as they add to it. A stylish woman will donate, sell, or archive ten pieces before buying one.
They invest in longevity, not novelty. If something can’t coexist with the rest of their wardrobe for the next five years, it doesn’t come home.
They build wardrobes around their lifestyle, not aesthetics. Travel, work, climate, movement. These dictate choices, not trends.
They pay attention to proportion. Waistlines, sleeves, lengths, volume, their eye for balance is sharper than any trend forecast.
They blend global influences with personal relevance. A Seoul-inspired coat, a Scandinavian silhouette, a Lagos-level bold accessory, all integrated naturally.
They dress with conviction. Their choices look deliberate because they are. No explaining. No disclaimers. No trend-chasing.
This version of sophistication can’t be copied quickly, and that’s exactly why it stands out in a world obsessed with shortcuts.
If you want to build this level of discernment into your own wardrobe, the Living in Luxury Handbook walks you through the exact principles.
Finally
Fashion is louder than ever, yet style has never been more diluted. The women who stand out today aren’t wearing the trends, the uniforms, or the muted billionaire cosplay. They’re wearing a signature built from experimentation and years of self-understanding.
The well-dressed go where fashion can’t: into their identity, their passport stamps, their experiences, their craftsmanship, their family archives, their memories.
When fashion becomes boring, which it often does, the stylish doesn't wait for the industry to spark again.
They move ahead of it.
