Finding your own style is harder than people might think as I don’t know about all of you, but I always felt corralled into whatever style was popular at the time especially when I was a teenager and young adult due to the desire to fit in being so strong. But the best thing you can do for yourself is to think about what you would want to wear or who you’d want to be if you were the only person in the world and you didn’t have the societal pressure to fit in?
The absolute best thing anyone can do for themselves is to be more expressive of who they are and stop caring about what other people might think. I know it’s a lot harder than I make it out to be but that really is the only way you will be more at peace with yourself. I can’t tell you how freeing it is to know I am authentically expressing myself every time I leave my house and people will either have to accept it or move on with their lives. Good luck and I can’t wait to see what the world becomes when people like you start creatively expressing yourselves more!
- Start off simple: what’s your favourite colour?
When searching for your own specific style, starting off with your favourite colours are a good way to know you’re on the right track. If you have no clue where to start when trying to find your specific style; I would suggest starting off with something you know you’ll like; for example your favourite colours or even colours you know suit your skin and hair tone etc. Once you’re happy with your colour selections; you can then start to mix and max different colours to see how they come together on the canvas that is your body!
Now, I want to remind everyone that this process is meant to be fun and experimental. What’s the point of doing something if it brings you no joy. As Mary Lou Cook say, “Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun.” My personal philosophy is that life is for living and I feel most alive when I’m working with my creativity and letting it guide me; I strongly believe you cannot be led astray by your own creativity!
- Think about what silhouettes speak to you!
Once you find a silhouette that works for you, you’ll feel so much more confident and this will help you with solidifying your style! For example, I am more of a boxy/rectangle shape, so I don’t feel the most confident in tight tank tops etc, but I’ve found that slightly cropped tops work well for me as I have a really short torso! Another silhouette that I’ve found works for me is floaty/flowing tops as well as flared bottoms because it creates a gorgeous silhouette on my body and really empowers me! Another thing to note is that you can also choose silhouettes that objectively aren’t what’s considered “flattering” etc but that doesn’t mean you won’t look AMAZING! As they say, “Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder” and I believe truer words have never been spoken! An outfit is never complete without some confidence, and the having the attitude of “I don’t care if you don’t like it, that’s why you’re not wearing it and I am!” (you can quote me on that lol).
I find it so enjoyable when I see an item of clothing that I would have previously never looked twice at because it didn’t fit into my idea of what people should wear at the time etc but now I see if for the potential it has and the interesting shapes it will give my body! I have the belief that your body is another way to express yourself and it can become another canvas you can use to channel more creativity into!
- Don’t give up on your clothes so easily!
Just because you are searching for your style; that doesn’t mean you don’t have anything already! You might be looking at your wardrobe and thinking “I have nothing that I like, and I need to buy a whole new wardrobe!”; but this is not true! There is potential in everything, and you must have liked some part of the items you have or why did you buy them in the first place?
The best tip I can give you is to think of your clothes as unfinished, they have potential, but you may need to put a little work into it. For example, I had this black floaty top that I loved but could never wear because the fit wasn’t quite right, and it stayed in my closet for over a year before I remembered I had hands and access to a needle and thread lol! All I did to the top was shorten the straps and sewed the slit a little higher and it was perfectly “made for me”!
Even if you don’t have a needle and thread you can also make use of hemming tape and all you need to do is iron it onto your clothes in place of sewing it! Now I know not every item of clothing will be worth making it your own and that’s why there are places you can donate or even sell them but I just want to remind everyone that we are capable humans and if there’s an item of clothing you love but its just not quite right, there may be a way you can customise it and it can become a new favourite!
- Look for quality pieces!
One of the best things you can do for your style is find pieces that you really resonate with and that are good enough quality that you can wear them for at least 3-5 years without too much wear showing. I have some items in my wardrobe that I got when I was 10 years old that still fit! (Now I know that is unrealistic for most and it also shows you all how little I have grown since I was a child lol).
The basic principle is that you want pieces that can become staples and thankfully in today’s internet age there are great places to buy amazing quality pieces that don’t break the bank! Some honourable mentions that I like to use are Vinted, eBay, Depop etc (but vinted is my favourite). If you have trouble with these sorts of sites, the best tips I can give you are; use specific keywords and then also filter it to within an inch of its life! If you want to search for a summer Cami top; you basically just search for “summer Cami top” and I like to add “vintage” to that as I don’t want to be getting loads of results from Shein and prettylittlething etc. Then you need to filter it by your sizes of course (which I recommend using a few; eg. 6/8/10 as vintage sizing is a little spotty) as well as selecting your price cap; my usual is £10 as I personally believe you shouldn’t pay much more than that for a Cami top unless you’re looking for designer brands.
Not to mention these are usually lightly used so it should definitely be cheaper than when it was first sold! Another great place to find amazing quality pieces for affordable rates (most of the time) is charity/Thrift shops! Full disclosure; I also enjoy the hunt!
- Don’t forget about the accessories!
Accessories are a very important part of your style and if you haven’t started collecting pieces that speak to you, start now! The way I think of it is that the outfit is very important, but the accessories you choose to wear are what makes the outfit your own completely! I never used to wear jewellery and I never knew how to style it with my outfits but that has now changed, and I absolutely love to see how my outfit comes to life by simply adding a long necklace and an interesting belt! I always enjoy mixing and matching textures like suede, metal, ribbons etc that add a bit more depth to the overall look. Honestly, I am of the mindset that the more the better but that won’t be the case for everyone so its important to find pieces that you feel comfortable and confident wearing as that will help you to look confident and as we all know; Confidence is SEXY! I find that the best places for me to find amazing accessories are charity/thrift shops, vintage shops, vintage markets etc.
