We are living in the era of “but what about me.” Someone shares a recipe on TikTok and the comments are full of people who can’t eat onions, don’t have that pan, live at altitude. A trend hits and immediately the discourse is about who it doesn’t work for, who wasn’t considered, who got left out. And I get it, representation matters, and so does practicality. 1000%. But somewhere along the way we confused “this isn’t for me” with “this is wrong.” They are not the same thing. Not every sneaker trend is YOUR sneaker trend. Not every footwear trend is MY sneaker trend? Do my friends look amazing in Tabis? Absolutely. Do I love them on me? Absolutely not. Not every silhouette was designed with your proportions in mind, with your energy in mind! That is not a failure of the trend. That is just how taste works.
Take the dad sneaker. Or the hybrid trail shoe. Or “the sneakerina”. These are real trends with real women who love them and look incredible in them. They are also not universally flattering, universally practical, or universally worth your money. And that’s fine. The most stylish women I know are not the ones who wear everything, they’re the ones who have figured out what to leave alone. Discernment is a skill. Knowing that wide-toe box chunky runners make your legs look like you’re wearing novelty shoes? Useful information. Knowing that a slim retro trainer in a neutral instantly makes every outfit you own look more intentional? Even more useful. Neither conclusion is right or wrong. Both are yours.
This is what Common Ace is actually about. Not telling you what’s trending so you feel pressure to buy it, telling you what’s trending so you can decide if it’s for you. The edit isn’t the point. Your version of the edit is the point. We are big believers that personal curation is the coolest thing a woman can develop — not a massive wardrobe, not every It shoe of the season, not keeping up. Just knowing yourself well enough to walk past the thing that isn’t for you without a second thought, and stopping dead in your tracks for the thing that is. That’s the whole game. Everything else is just noise — and baby, there is a lot of noise right now!!
Now that we’ve gotten this part out of the way, let me tell you a few of the trends myself and the Common Ace girls are living for currently:
SHOP NATURALIZER LORENA My two formulas. Steal them.
ADIDAS WALES BONNER
HOKAONE TOR SUMMIT
NIKE DAYBREAK
I talk a lot about outfit formulas- the combinations you run on autopilot that always work. I have a few, but if I’m being honest there are really two I reach for more than anything else. I’ve been staring at my camera roll trying to articulate why they work, and I think I’ve finally got it. So here they are, with real references so you can actually see what I mean.
Formula 01: The layered base
This one shows up two ways in my life and they look different on the surface but they’re running the same play. Version one: a simple set - sporty short and white tee, mini skirt, whatever, with something thrown over it. A trench, a jacket, an overshirt. Version two: a slip dress or minimal base piece with an oversized shirt or layer open on top. In both cases the base is simple, almost nothing, and the layer is doing all the personality work. The formula is: minimal underneath, relaxed on top, and then a sneaker with enough presence to hold the whole thing together. I also love the proportions of oversized on top, bare leg.
The shoe here is non-negotiable, it needs weight. A chunky retro runner, something with a sole that says something. Strong socks. Always strong socks. This is the formula where I would actually tell you to lean into a bolder sneaker! A colourful one, a maximalist one, because the rest of the outfit is so unfussy that the shoe becomes the whole point. Image one: beige matching set, trench, chunky Nike, cream bag. Image three: chocolate slip dress, light blue oversized shirt, multicolour runner, canvas tote. Same formula, completely different mood. That’s how you know it works.
Formula 02: The wide trouser, no effort
This one is my most-used and the hardest to explain until you see it. Wide white or cream trouser, not tailored, not stiff, the kind that moves, oversized dark knit or sweatshirt on top, one bag with colour or texture, one personality piece that does all the work so nothing else has to. In the reference it’s a red cap. Sometimes it’s a great pair of earrings or a bag in an unexpected colour. The formula is deliberately underdone everywhere except one place.
The shoe here is where this formula surprises people. Not necessarily a sneaker. A brown suede flat, a loafer, a mule — something that feels worn-in and quiet. The wide trouser and the oversized top are already doing a lot of volume. A chunky sneaker here tips it over. What you want is something that grounds it without competing, the shoe almost disappears into the outfit, which is exactly the point. The cap, the bag, the trouser, those are what you see. The shoe is just right.
These are mine. Neither of them is complicated. Neither of them requires shopping for new things most of the time, you probably own most of this already. The formula is the insight, not the pieces. Once you see it you can’t unsee it, and you’ll start pulling it off the hanger every time without thinking.
That’s the whole game. WHAT ARE YOUR GO TO FORMULAS?!
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