Fashion Vs Style: What's The Difference?

Over the past few months, we've seen a war ensue between two parties who were for and against the comeback of low-rise jeans. As an essential in the wardrobes of pop culture icons in the 2000s, the sexy pants aren't necessarily embraced by everyone two decades later. Thanks to Gen Z's idealization of the era of glamorous heiresses and peak Lindsay Lohan, glittery Y2K outfits, baguette bags, and cutesy jewelry have already been trending, so it makes sense that low-rise jeans were the next step. However, according to Vox, the enthusiasm was clearly not shared by millennials, who weren't ready to bring back the skinny-shaming that came with the pants.

Regardless, the low-rise jeans renaissance is everywhere, per Vogue — from runways to storefronts — and the people (and celebrities!) who want to wear them have done so. And the ones who don't have opted for pants that either rest comfortably at their waist or the high-rise that have also been immensely popular.

This trend clearly demonstrates the difference between what's fashionable and whether that works for your own individual style. You may love fashion; you may love analyzing Met Gala outfits, red carpet moments, and streetwear inspiration. But that doesn't mean you'd want those looks in your wardrobe. In fact, there are several nuances and differences between style and fashion.

Many look to designer Coco Chanel for the difference between fashion and style: "Fashion changes, but style endures," she famously said, according to Harper's Bazaar. Fashion becomes what the designers and the cultural context of the world want it to be. It's informed by popular movie quotes, design and fabric decisions on a runway, TikTok influencers and giant fashion houses. Essentially, fashion is the ever-changing way we dress in a certain time period, per MasterClass.

However, our style is personal. It's definitely influenced by the collective fashion of our time but we ultimately make the decisions on what to buy and what to wear. It's the way you would express yourself in the context of fashion. You may choose to wear the low-rise jeans or you may opt to wear high-waisted skirts. You could participate in popular trends — which can be easy since they're more accessible – but you may also wear something you won't find in any store. Most of us blend both and it's a journey of self-discovery and creativity that makes merging fashion with style fun.