Old money! Coquette! Y2K! Specific aesthetics and fashion styles are a big part of internet culture today, with millions of videos urging people to tailor their style to fit a certain aesthetic. While those videos are sometimes helpful, they often fail to consider how unrealistic it is for a person’s whole lifestyle to reflect one trend. I also fell victim to these videos and would cycle through different aesthetics that ultimately did not last.
What I did discover through several trial-and-error fashion periods, however, was that the same core elements caught my eye. I had a personal style, it just needed to be discovered underneath my previous phases. Let’s dive in!
Here are the steps I used to pinpoint and implement my personal style:
- Identify characters or celebrities you loved as a child or currently love.
For example, some characters I felt drawn to as a kid were Catwoman, Scarlet Witch, Elizabeth Swann from Pirates of the Caribbean, Maria Posada from The Book of Life, Nya from Ninjago, and Carmen Sandiego. Sabrina Carpenter is also a current favourite of mine. Then, analyze the clothing trends between the characters or celebrities. My characters exhibit traditional feminine styles, often wearing dresses and long skirts, but also sleek bodysuits and other masculine, body-form clothing. Colours such as red, black, and white are prominent as well.
- With this inspiration, go to Pinterest and search using keywords to develop a vision board.
I would start by adding pictures of all the characters I’ve chosen, especially of their outfits. This makes it easier to bounce off of when it comes to your own style, but it is important to remember to channel only the essence of these characters as you create your board and not their actual clothes. I can’t go around wearing full-length dresses like Elizabeth Swann every day, a red trench coat like Carmen Sandiego or armour bodysuits like Black Widow. Instead, I’d slowly add Pins like form-fitting black sweaters, flowy white skirts, red coats and long-sleeve tops with open necklines. Now you have proof of your new personal style and reference point that you can come back to when in doubt. For me, it always helps to visualize my goal – and through Pinterest is how I do it.
- From the Pinterest board, analyze and commit to three colours that look good on you and can serve as base colours for all of your outfits.
As you can probably guess, I narrowed down my colours to red, black and white. The creation of the Pinterest board also helped me to narrow down these colours. They go well with my brown hair, brown eyes, and pale skin tone. They are also all cohesive and go together in an outfit – if I’m wearing a red top, I can wear a white or black jacket and vice versa. If only wearing three colours isn’t something you can see yourself committing to long-term, then absolutely expand to more. This process isn’t supposed to be restrictive, but rather informative and aims to help you express yourself as efficiently and easily as possible. These colours also make shopping much easier because you have guidelines of what looks best on you and goes well together.
- Welcome to the magic of the ‘three tops, three bottoms’ hack. You want to buy three tops that will match with three bottoms, all within your chosen colours.
A hack for my three bottoms – they’re all jeans. Light wash, medium wash, and dark wash. This is because they all fit with my red, black, and white core colours. Your bottoms can be jeans, pants, skirts, shorts, etc. In the summer and winter, I use three different bottoms and three different tops, and boom! Now you have a basis for all your outfits – kind of like a uniform, but one you actually enjoy wearing.
- Shop effectively and for the long term.
Speaking of shopping, here is how to actually start building your new wardrobe. Ideally, at least you would have some clothing at home for your rebrand, but shopping is a great way to start over if necessary. Remember to invest in clothes that are flattering but also comfortable. For example, I avoid turtlenecks because I feel uncomfortable in them and opt for shirts with open necklines instead because they slim my face. As well, choose clothing that aligns with your lifestyle. I had an obsession with the “old money aesthetic” in high school but it wasn’t practical – it looked like I was cosplaying my grandma as a literal 16-year-old. Even with my chosen colours, it didn’t work out because it didn’t suit my lifestyle and state of mind at the time.
Plus, well-fitting clothes are extremely underrated and stand the test of time. I understand the baggy look, but it’s yet another trend that will die out. When you are wearing a well-tailored outfit that perfectly hugs and fits every corner of your body (without being constricting), you look ten times more put together. Simplicity and high quality in fashion are the real old-money aesthetic.
- Accessories: make or break.
With the core elements of your style complete, it’s time to turn to accessories. Different people value different types of accessories and ways in which to wear them. For jewellery: earrings, rings, bracelets, necklaces, nose piercings, watches. Stackable or simple, it’s up to you. I prefer simpler jewellery but in a uniform gold. I am a gold girlie through and through, and gold goes great with red. I can wear red or white sneakers or black boots with a red or black purse, and red sunglasses. It’s an art. Mix-match and have fun.
- Reap the benefits of your hard work!
Getting dressed in the morning is the easiest it’s ever been. You’ve not only discovered your personal style and actually implemented a sustainable fashion era that will last but also created a brand for yourself. And don’t worry if this process doesn’t work for you – it’s incredibly simplified and relies on sticking with your choices for a long time. Fashion evolves, and so do people. That is what makes fashion fun.