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A few weeks ago, I had a conversation with my best friend about how we feel like we have finally found our respective styles. It was a conversation that made me realize that I worked long and hard to get to where I wanted to be fashion-wise. It’s been a journey: an embarrassing — at times even cringy — journey, but a journey nonetheless.
Having been born in 2003 means that I grew up in the early 2000s and 2010s, and it’s safe to say that in those years, my style was curated solely by my mom. Those plaid shorts most kids around that time seemed to wear were a closet staple in mine and my sister’s closets, along with bright pinks, blues, and purples (for some reason those are the colors I remember specifically). That being said, I didn’t have much say over my style, nor did I really even care since I was a dedicated outside kid and my clothes were prone to get dirty anyways.
It wasn’t until late middle school that I began to delve into my own style. Unfortunately for me, I went to a uniform school and ran track for sport, so my style was mainly just workout clothes and khaki pants with a school polo. It didn’t offer much variety. When I got to high school, I would attempt to spice things up with a wrist of Alex and Ani bracelets, but not really having been much of a jewelry person, that’s as far as I would go. Those bracelets were super trendy at the time, definitely in style, and a bonus is that they were cute and not cringy. With time I stopped wearing them because again, I’m not really a jewelry person.
When I stopped running track and developed a bit more of a social life, my style expanded to tight skinny jeans and crop tops. Let me tell you, I cropped everything. T-shirt? Cropped. Sweater? Cropped. Hoodie? Cropped. It was the time of the belly for me. It made me feel cute. One thing that I stayed away from? Shorts. It could be 100 degrees outside and you would still catch me in a pair of skinny jeans, just with rips in them so I had some type of circulation. I was extremely insecure about my legs at the time, and I didn’t really start being comfortable wearing shorts until my junior year of high school, and even then, I didn’t wear them often.
After high school, I’d like to think that my style broadened a little, but it didn’t really. Thankfully I did stop cropping everything though. I still wore mostly hoodies, skinny jeans, ripped jeans, stylish tops. I liked having color in my closet, but I still owned a lot of black. In my early college years, my style was pretty much the same. At this point I was comfortable wearing shorts, and I’d wear the ones that were pretty short. Crop tops were still my go-to. Not much had changed in my style, but I still think it was better than the high school years. A little less ‘out there’ and more calm in comparison.
The true turning point in my style was when I got my first knee surgery almost two years ago now. I couldn’t wear skinny jeans anymore. Even after a full recovery, it was still uncomfortable. I honestly think it was the best thing to ever happen to me because it made me rethink my entire wardrobe. I didn’t enjoy wearing tight clothes as much as I used to, so why put myself through it? Over the next two years, I started picking out different pieces of clothing and trying new things: looser jeans, layering, jackets, and even hats. I’m glad to say that I’ve found my staple pieces, and I love them so much. I’m able to be cute and comfortable. I can dress a piece up and look sophisticated, or dress that same piece down and look more chill. Picking pieces with versatility is now my kryptonite, so I’ll share a few of them with you.
Jeans
Bootcut have become my go-to pair of jeans. I love the fit of them and how they flare out as you get closer to the ankle. Loose fitting jeans in general are my favorite because you can style them up or down. I only own one pair of jeans with holes in them, because they are extremely comfortable and cute so I couldn’t resist, but I prefer no-hole jeans now. They’re more practical. You can wear them on a night out or to the office for your 9-to-5 job: it just depends on your top!
Tops
I have found solace in plain tops. Tops in one plain color with no wording or design are some of my favorites because you can style them however you want. They’re the best for layering too, especially long sleeves in the colder months, and this includes sweaters too! I’ve been getting a lot of plain comfy sweaters to just wear with a pair of jeans or leggings, and I’ve found that I like it better than a graphic tee or something tighter. Honestly, I just like the look better.
Cardigans
This has been one of my favorite staple pieces to look for: cardigans! Knit cardigans, fluffy cardigans, I even found a tan suede cardigan with cute black buttons! Wearing them with jeans is my favorite, but they’re cute paired with leggings or dresses or skirts, quite literally anything. They really help pull an outfit together. Typically I’ll do a pair of jeans, a plain t-shirt or long sleeve, and a cute cardigan and I’ll have my outfit. I’ve finally found the key to my style: layering.
Dresses
I’m not much of a skirt person, but I do love a good, cute dress. I like something that’s playful and cute, so I tend to stay away from the bodycon, tighter dresses now. In the fall and winter months, I’ll wear a long sleeve under it with a pair of fleece lined tights and cute booties, and I have myself a cute fall outfit! In the summer, the dress with a pair of sneakers or ballet flats is usually what I’ll go for. Dresses are also fun because it’s another piece you can make into a business outfit that you wear to work!
Vests
This is a new one for me, but I’ve recently seen the value in a good, cute vest. Again, its cuteness lies in the power of layering. However, with the right vest, during the summer it’s nice to just wear the vest and a cute pair of jeans or shorts. I hadn’t been much of a vest person until I found one at Macy’s from the brand Good American, and now I’m obsessed with them! I’m hoping to get a couple more for my closet.
Pants
Yes, these are different from jeans, which is something that took me a while to learn. But, I’ve found it imperative to not just have jeans in your closet, you need pants too. Pants broaden the range and diversity in your wardrobe. Instead of wearing a top with jeans, wear it with a pair of pants! Corduroys are great, I have a pair of cream ones that I really love and are comfortable to wear. I also have a pair of Kickers that are sort of a mixture between pants and jeans, but they’re super cute and comfy and have the cutest checkered pattern. Pants make your clothes more versatile, so I highly recommend investing in some!
Overall, I’d like to think of my style now as a mixture between chic and cute and comfortable. It took me a while to find a wardrobe that felt like mine and something that I loved, but I couldn’t be more happy with it. My advice is to hit some thrift stores because that’s where I found a lot of my pieces that I’m obsessed with. I know thrifts can be a hit or miss, but finding really good quality thrift stores like one of my favorites, Uptown Cheapskate, makes for high quality finds that are still at affordable prices. You don’t have to break the bank to look cute!
Now you may have realized that I didn’t talk about shoes. That’s because I haven’t quite nailed that portion of my closet yet…