I've been through a lot of decades. In my lifetime, styles have been "set" . . . in other words if one wore jeans (dungarees then) to school in the early 50s, he/she would have been sent home. The girls wore dresses and/or skirts and tops. Boys wore khakis or dress pants with belts, and shirts.
By mid-50s, girls' skirts went very long, way below the knee, for a few years. If one wore a short skirt, she would be mocked. By the end of the 50s, skirts to the knee were the norm, and other lengths were not worn. I graduated in 1956. Even though we were all wearing jeans by then, they were still not allowed in school.
When I started my working years, all men wore suits and ties to work (unless they were tradesmen). Women still wore dresses and skirts. That was all pretty much required attire.
Right around the early 70s, "polyester pantsuits" were being worn casually by women, but still not at work. With much trepidation, the secretary of the senior attorney of the law firm at which I worked wore a pantsuit to work one day. There were many gasps, but she stood her ground, and after a "serious" meeting of the attorneys (which we did not attend, of course), they decided it would be okay, but not "all the time." Of course we all went out and bought a couple of pantsuits!!
Still, up until the late 70s/early 80s, if short skirts were in, we all wore them. If long skirts were in, we all wore them. Fashion designers dictated this, as it was a financial boon for them each time women had to go and buy all new wardrobes.
Then in the 90s, it finally became acceptable to wear dresses and skirts of any length . . . designers were no longer "dictating" what women should wear, and they made fashions in all lengths, and it has been pretty much "anything goes" since then.
Since I haven't been working for over 13 years now, I will leave it to those of you who are still working to advise if jeans are allowed in professional offices these days. They still weren't when I retired.
My youngest daughter works at a large physical therapy corporation, and they have "casual Fridays," where jeans are allowed. My other daughter who works as an IT in a hospital environment (six of them) is in management and wears jackets and nice slacks all the time. So it might depend on what kind of environment one works in.
Nowadays, I see small style trends, as mentioned by the OP, but pretty much short lived (as in "layering") which I don't see happening long term.
I would put "classic" styles in the Isaac Mizrahi and Halsten categories on the Q, as well as Louis D. My teenage granddaughters call those styles "nerdy."
I have no idea where any significant changes in fashion can happen from here on out . . . we will certainly not be going back to full length ball gowns (1800s) anytime soon!!
Formerly Ford1224
We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Elie Wiesel 1986
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