Trends tell you what everyone likes this month. Taste tells you what you’ll still like in ten years.

A trend reports what is currently visible, which is real information about the moment and almost none about you. Taste is slower and built from what you keep returning to after the attention has moved on. The two get confused because they look identical for the few weeks when everyone happens to want the same thing.

Test anything you are drawn to against time rather than popularity. Ask whether you liked it before it was everywhere and whether you would still want it in a year. Keep a short list of the things that have already passed that test, and let it guide the next choice.