好貼潮流 Up With The Trends

Phrase of the week: 好貼潮流 hou2tip3 ciu4lau4 up with the trends.

Recently I was watching a tv show where one character mentioned that the other person really followed trends. I had heard the word trend before (潮流) but I hadn’t heard the “貼” part before. After consulting some Canto experts, they mentioned that you could also say 緊潮流. Now I have two trendy phrases in my language toolbox. 

This should come in useful. If you’ve spent any amount of time in Hong Kong, you will know that it is a very trendy place. Trendy as in trends come and go constantly. Blink, and everyone will have moved on. 

As with most places, it is very evident with clothing. Every season, you can see people sporting new styles walking around the street. Nothing is safe. From clothes to shoes to hair to glasses to purses, everything could be a trend. I was told a few weeks ago that flats with straps and buckles are now the trend. I never thought of owning such a flat, but after being the lucky recipient of a free pair (didn’t fit the friend who ordered them online), I guess I am now trendy! 

What I find most interesting and also annoying, are the food trends. Some particular kind of food will be in, and shops selling it will pop up all over. Japanese cheesecake, brown sugar bubble tea, mango mochi, tacos, frozen yogurt, cheese tarts, and matcha “stuff” are just a few that I remember living through. After the trend has passed, evidence will remain. A few of the more popular shops remain but many of them shut down. The empty retail space turns into a cheap dish outlet or perhaps a stall for someone selling towels. It’s biding its time until the next wave comes. 

I feel like food trends do keep life interesting, and I can enjoy trying new things. Like sparkling tea! But it does annoy me when I get attached to a trend just to see it disappear. 

A friend recently asked me if I care much about trends. I replied that I follow the trends that I like. She said that isn’t really following trends, then. I suppose not. Especially in the area of clothing, I loosely try to follow the most basic ones (goodbye, skinny jeans), but if the wave has moved on and I still like something, I will keep wearing it. I’ve heard that the jean skirt trend from last year is still here, but they are supposed to be midi skirts instead of maxi skirts. I will stick to my perfectly good maxi skirt, thank you. A midi skirt wouldn’t give me all those good middle school vibes. 

So yes, bring on the trends! But make sure they are ones I like.