In college, it was the quilted Burberry jackets. They were boxy then. Now the modern version of the Copford is cinched in.
I also remember the Vera Bradley store on campus and can conjure up the clothed carriers on the trains or buses along the Northeast during spring break.
Fast forward to 2013. The New York Times found no glaring must-have's on the holiday wish-lists. For a moment it seemed Lucky Magazine editor-in-chief Eva Chen was trending more than anything else on Instagram and individualism was gaining ground.
But the latest edition of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week has come and gone and while we all know whatever we wear next season will eventually trickle down, it's clear current street style has its copycats and followers.
Take the winter shoe world, for example. It was snowy during NYFW and the Sorel brand stood above the slush for the fashion elite putting their best boot forward. Suddenly, I clutched my checkered pair from Marshall's with my toenails.
While many are collectors of shoes, others invest in bags. In the luxury world, Louis Vuitton still strikes chords with customers year after year -- from the colorful white monogrammed look back to the basic brown. For the woman who carries everything in their purse, there's no luck with the "never full" MM bag sold out online at the price of $980.
Gilt has held its share of vintage bag sales. The smaller the Chanel ones are, the more expensive they may be. I was recently out on the Lower East Side -- every other young girl shouldered a nonchalant look and a flap bag that costs thousands. They were almost all black against the chain, not many going against the grain.
Celebrities wearing it may have something to do with the Canada Goose downs. Their logos are like Girl Scout badges and once I point it out to you, they will be annoyingly noticeable on guys and girls. The parkas go for for $500-plus. For something hardy, the price tag may be worth it -- that is, until the next viral item comes along.
My pre-college reading was Malcolm Gladwell's The Tipping Point. It taught me some things take a life of their own. Style is cyclical, so how long a shelf-life stretches is another question. Look at Uggs. They might not be super stylish, but they still sell, years after they were introduced and mocked. Consumerism is alive and well. If there's anything else you're noticing out there, just mention it -- and I won't be able to miss it even if I wanted to.