Figuring out your aesthetic is extremely important when it comes to deciding what clothes to add to your wardrobe. Maybe you’re in the middle of shifting from one style to another, or perhaps you’re completely at a loss for what to wear—no matter the case, figuring out your style will help you better understand what clothes suit you best and make you feel the most confident. After all, no matter what you choose to wear, your clothes should help empower you, not bring you down. From my experience, developing my style has been a challenge, and I’m still refining and redefining it every day. However, there are a few things that have made the process of discovering my style easier, and I highly recommend trying some of them out if you ever find yourself in a fashion rut.
1. Examine which of your clothes bring you the most joy.
Building off of advice from Marie Kondo, you should strive to surround yourself with items that bring you joy when you look at them. When applying this to your wardrobe, I recommend trying on the different clothes you own (especially ones you haven’t worn in a while) and seeing how you feel when you wear them. Do you feel more confident when you put on that top? Maybe that skirt, while it looked cute when you first bought it, makes you feel uncomfortable when you wear it now? These are all things you should ask yourself when wearing your clothes. This way, you can figure out which pieces bring you the most fulfillment and help you get a better sense of what you like and dislike when it comes to fashion.
2. pay attention to the outfits around you.
One of the best parts of walking around a college campus is that you have the opportunity to encounter different types of people who have different styles. Just the other day, I saw this girl in the cutest head-to-toe pink outfit I’d ever seen. I’d wanted to incorporate more colors into my wardrobe, and I knew I liked the color pink, but I just didn’t know where to begin with looking for pink pieces to add to my wardrobe. As soon as I saw this girl, I fell in love with her vibe and made a mental note to myself about what she was wearing. I then searched up pieces that looked similar and added them to my Pinterest board dedicated to clothes I wanted to buy in the future. Speaking of Pinterest…
3. create a fashion board on pinterest.
Not only is it fun to create Pinterest boards dedicated to clothes that appeal to you, but it’s also extremely helpful in helping you branch out and discover new styles that you might not normally come across in your day-to-day life. From Y2K to dark academia, Pinterest has a multitude of examples to pull inspiration from. Having a Pinterest board for fashion is also useful when you go out shopping, as you have a little reminder of what you’re interested in to help guide what you look for.
4. learn the terminology.
While there are hundreds of names for different aesthetics, beginning to learn and get to the point where you can identify some of them is extremely useful when figuring out what you fall under. Especially when it comes to online shopping, being able to know the terminology and search for a specific style is super helpful for saving you time. I highly recommend reading this other Her Campus article for a brief introduction to some popular aesthetics, including cottagecore and e-girl fashion.
5. use your favorite celebs for inspiration.
Finding a celebrity that I can use as fashion inspiration has been extremely helpful for me. Personally, I adore Dakota Johnson’s outfits. She always has a very professional (but sexy) vibe that I strive to incorporate into my own looks as well. Take a look at some of your favorite celebs. What do they usually wear? Can you imagine yourself wearing a similar outfit?
6. don’t be afraid to experiment.
Probably my biggest piece of advice is to not be afraid to experiment with your looks. Sometimes, when you find yourself in a fashion rut, the best thing to do is spice it up a little. In fact, you should use this article as a sign to try that look you’ve always admired but never gathered up the courage to try. It can never hurt to expand your horizons and try something new from time to time!
With social media fashion trends appearing and disappearing overnight, it is more important now than ever to develop a strong sense of personal style. Not only is it more sustainable in the long run, but you’ll save more money and feel more confident. I hope you’ve found these tips useful, and I wish you luck with developing your own personal style as well!