We all know that fashion can be fickle. Various styles and trends come and go seemingly every few weeks – just keeping up with what’s new can be exhausting! Sometimes it’s easier to shun fashion completely and not even think about what we wear. But if you have a natural eye for style and find genuine joy in expressing yourself through your clothing, it is a shame to give this up! What you can do, instead, is opt for a style so far off the fashion spectrum that it doesn’t matter whether you are on trend or not. It’s more important that you feel confident and stylish – and style, after all, never goes out of fashion. Here are some classic trends you can turn your hand to if you’re feeling like being a little fancy every now and again.

Gothic elegance

Think of ‘goth’ and your mind probably conjures up images of very heavy makeup, leather, studs and a LOT of black. But did you know that there’s a way to do goth that doesn’t involve you having to channel Marilyn Manson? Something a lot of people forget about gothic style is that it can actually be quite elegant, as a lot of the female fashion draws heavily on influences from the Victorian era. Materials such as lace (black, of course) naturally go down very well with this in mind, so why not invest in a pretty dress that features some of this detail? Add a subtle smokey eye and some gothic jewelry, and you’re done, with a gothic-inspired look that isn’t too overbearing.

Hippy chic

Think back to the famous summer of love, and the hippy trend that swept across much of the western world in the 1960s and 70s. This counter-culture was all about music, activism and yes, you guessed it -fashion. The idea behind much of the hippy look was not to care too much about what you wore, meaning that many of the clothes were worn distressed or after being pulled out of a box at a vintage clothing fair. But, you will be pleased to know, there are a few ways that you can bring a modern twist to the classic hippy style. One way is to go for prints – paisley and floral are good options – and wearing a lot of layered jewelry (gemstones are a plus!). You can also don a kimono or a shawl as a cover-up, for a funky ‘music festival’ vibe.

Androgynous

The androgynous look is a hard one to get right, as it’s such an iconic style. It means blurring the line between men’s clothing and women’s clothing. A good way to rock it is to juxtapose the two. So, for example, wearing a tailored suit that is fitted to a man – but pulling the whole thing in at your waist with a belt. This shows that you aren’t afraid to work a typically ‘male’ outfit, but you’re also not compromising your femininity by keeping your figure completely hidden.