Style Without Rules: How Street Style Influences Our Personal Style

The Style Stories Podcast

Unwritten Style: How Street Influence Frees Us from Fashion Rules
with Dawn Pederson, Co-Founder & Creative Director at Trendzine/TRENDZOOM

In this episode, I’m joined by Dawn Pederson—trend forecaster, co-founder of Trendzine, and Creative Director at TRENDZOOM. Dawn’s expertise is in reading the cultural landscape: she draws inspiration from street style, mood, and the echoes of past trends to predict where fashion is heading next.

We dive into the powerful influence of what real people are wearing on the street and how this collective mood shapes not just trends, but how we all feel about getting dressed. As Dawn explains, street style has become a global language of self-expression, reflecting shifts in music, art, technology, and culture.

Fashion is no longer dictated by magazines or the runway alone—instead, inspiration is everywhere, and anyone can find their people and their style online.

We discuss the liberating shift away from being told what we “should” wear, and how digital communities give us the freedom to curate a wardrobe that feels authentic and personal. This episode is packed with insight on building a wardrobe that reflects who you are, not just what’s “in.”

We also go on a journey through fashion history, from Coco Chanel’s revolutionary impact in the 1920s—freeing women from restrictive clothing and championing comfort and self-expression—to the present day, where every era’s mood can be recognized in a single photograph.

We explore how fashion is always a product of its time and place, influenced by everything from film to politics to street culture.

Key Topics:

• How street style predicts and reflects the collective mood

• The end of being “slaves to trends” and the rise of authentic personal style

• The digital revolution in finding style inspiration and community

• Fashion as a mirror of cultural, social, and artistic movements

• The ongoing legacy of icons like Coco Chanel in shaping how we dress today

Whether you’re a fashion lover, a trend-watcher, or just want to feel more at home in your own wardrobe, this episode will help you see your clothes—and your influences—in a whole new light.

Connect with Dawn Pederson:

• LinkedIn

• Trendzine/TRENDZOOM

• https://trendzine.net/

Tune in and get inspired to break the rules, find your influences, and dress for who you truly are.

Dawn & daughters' innovative, stylish aprons: https://www.instagram.com/kistikari/

Follow the host Lisa Gillbe here: https://www.instagram.com/lisegillbestylist/

email Lisa here: [email protected]

Work with LIsa: https://www.lisagillbestyle.com/

#personalstyle #personalbrand #fashionpodcast #fashiontrends