Maggie Rants [and Raves]

Like You Know

by Maggie Franklin | January 21, 2011 | Bookmark +

Two years ago I entered some cupcakes into our local county fair and I got Best in Show. Yes, I’m bragging a little. But also just some background so it makes sense to you that the BF would save a recent article for me; it was all about the cupcake trend and how it's dead now.

Apparently, according to the food magazines, cupcakes are now out. They'd like to see the “new thing" be pie.

Which made me think that the food critics can say whatever they want — people like cupcakes. And they're going to continue to like cupcakes. I don't know if the trend for cupcake boutiques is going to last forever, but I can assure you that the cupcake boutiques are neither going to close their doors, nor are they suddenly going to unveil their new pie line just because some magazine says that cupcakes are over.

It reminded me of our own industry and how every season we get told what's going to be in for the coming year. Every season, we are inundated by the people from all the various fashion industry facets telling us what will be popular for the coming season.

As if.

Go ahead and knock yourself out, but trust me, when CND tried to convince us all that oval nails were all the rage several years ago, my clients kept getting square nails. And when Susie and Essie give us their list of polish colors that will be in demand, I don't run out to stock up.

It doesn't matter if it's the latest "hot" designer declaring that we will be wearing purple skinny jeans and carrying giant sequined gold shoulder bags, or if it's an interior designer insisting that we don't "do" accent walls anymore, or if it's OPI trying to convince us which nail color will be "it" this season — they're all guessing. And their accuracy so far has proven to be about as good as the local weather forecast.

While it's true that I don't exactly live and work in the fashion headquarters of the world, we do get TV here. And my clients don't put much stock into what someone else tells them to wear. So every time I see someone come out with a what's-going-to-be-hot-this-year list, I find myself laughing.

Trust me, trends are decided by the consumers who follow them, not the industries that supply them. My clients are going to keep eating cupcakes from the Frosted Muffin across the street, and they're going to keep telling me how they want their nails — not the other way around.

 

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