FashBlog.com

By Christina VanGinkel

Clothing styles for back to school and everyday wear for younger women seem to be following very simple trends this year, with one simple common goal, that being comfort. No matter what catalog I pick up, or magazine I browse through, or even whichever store I pass by, the fashions appear at first glance to be of various styles, that is until you take a closer look and realize that the fabrics and cuts all seem to have one common goal, that being comfortable.

Sweaters are loose, made of fabrics that both breathe and move when worn. Jeans seem to cover a wide range of fashionable styles, but again with the same goal, comfort. I have also noticed a lot of skirts this year, some loose, free flowing, some short, some mid length, even some ankle length, but if you take a closer look at them, the fabric selection and the cut of each length is again following the same code, comfort.

Even accessories have jumped on the bandwagon, with backpacks and totes that are big enough to carry whatever your needs may be, but with padded straps and wide enough handles that you can easily grip them without feeling as if they are going to cut through your hands.

Finally, designers are realizing that girls today lead very busy lives, from classroom to jobs, to activities that are what the name implies, i.e., active. To keep up with these busy lifestyles, they need to be able to dress in styles that make them feel good about what they are wearing, and also be able to participate in whatever goings-on they need to.

In recent times, fashions have covered a wide range of styles too, but often, these styles only looked pleasing to the eye, but were anything but comfortable. Jeans looked slimming, but they were hard to breathe in, let alone move. Sweaters would look loose and flowing, but constructed from such heavy yarns that even in cold temperatures, the wearer was often soon sweating and feeling as if they were toting along an extra person simply from the weight. Skirts were often made of fabrics that itched, rode up exposing more than the person wearing them ever intended, and may be loose and flowing but with a waistband that just did not fit right.

In addition, accessories were not even given consideration to comfort. If a tote bag had a stylish design, then who could complain. Thankfully, someone who designs all of these things realized that people actually use them, and if a bag's straps are cut so thin, they cut into the owner the first time they toss one book inside, what good is it when it is laying at the bottom of some closet or kicked beneath a bed.

So rejoice and shop, because you can finally buy clothing and accessories this year that look good on the rack, make you look good when you wear them, and are comfortable enough that you will want to keep wearing them!