Trends : For or Against?

"Fashion invites the sense of being in fashion." Malcom Barnard, Fashion Academic.

Being in fashion?  Punks, goths, chavs, hippies or even your day to day person with no links or desires to be part of any fashion crowd.  When a trend is set by a designer or a new item of clothing is the must have for the next few weeks, is it fashionable to go with the flow or even more fashionable to work against it?
I remember the time when as a 14 year old girl, the poncho was the craze, every girl had one.  Long, short, chunky, tassled and in whatever colour.  My best friend Megan had a green and brown one resulting in her nickname of the moment, Shrek.  It was funny back then.
But now, 4 years on, as an 18 year old studying Fashion Journalism, is it crucial that I am following what designers tell me?  Me, I think I do my own thing.  Wear what I like, when I like it.  However and this is the big HOWEVER....where we shop is so dependant on trends.  This autumn/winter the new colour to be seen in is camel.  A few weeks down the line, I know that I will be buying something in this season's colour.
So Mr Barnard, I will not actually disagree with you.  Fashion does in fact invite the sense of being in fashion.  Whether you think you accept this invitation is a matter of you own opinion.