Recently I was asked to imagine the future of American fashion. One of my classmates told me she thought the future was bound to be lazier. She believed the American populace was obsessed with comfort to the point that we would discard beauty. I find this a gruesome future. The prospect of the death of high fashion in the American fashion sphere appears a bone-chilling possibility. Where then, will the art come from? Should we be confined to sweatpants and hoodies where will we find individuality?

There’s no point in lying and saying no one knows what the future of fashion will be. After all, these things can be predicted years in advance (I called slingbacks btw). That being said, I care less about what the trends will be and more about what they mean. Should we grow an obsession with neon again or continue cutting holes in our clothes (no one does this better than LaQuan Smith), I should remain relatively unfazed. However, what these preferences mean carries a special place in my psyche. What does it say about us that we strive for an effortless look? What is it about those big red MSCHF boots that we’re so enamored by? If the future of American fashion is in fact a visible lack of effort, then we can only rely on the most superficial parts of ourselves. The parts that seek the convenient above the creative.

Fashion is as versatile as it is gorgeous. But I dream of the elegance of fashion, drawing on the romanticized allure of high fashion. I wasn’t fortunate enough to witness the genuine beauty of 90s couture runways but I do have the luxury of witnessing what could possibly be one of the most visually diverse eras of fashion in history. At its core fashion is art. It values creative expression above all else, cultivates interest in the bizarre, and reserves respect for the romantic. We celebrate the individual and relish in found commonality.

So while I entertain the outlandish trends, and cult classics, and throw seasonal dressing to the wind (I stand by wearing mini skirts without tights in winter), I cling to the romantic nature I’ve assigned the realm of fashion. I clutch the unrealistically romanticized past and use it to guide my present, hoping it will lead to a future that features the truth of beauty in all its forms.

If you don’t fall in love with yourself when you get dressed every morning, you’re doing it wrong.