In an era where internet influence reigns supreme, it can feel difficult to curate a personal image. There’s so much content circulating the internet and consumerism is at an all-time high. There are micro-trends upon micro-trends. Sometimes it feels like you’re drowning in a sea of trends that you have no personal connection to.
Rather than copy and paste, I use the abundance of content online to draw inspiration for my wardrobe. Here’s how I do it.
Dress to Your Hobbies
By dressing in coordination with my hobbies, I can make the clothes in my wardrobe a mosaic of my personality. I enjoy tennis, soccer, and Formula 1, so my wardrobe includes jerseys, tennis gear, and F1 merchandise. I often use Pinterest to observe how people style their jerseys and what will work with what I already have in my closet to achieve similar looks.
“Blokecore” in particular took the internet by storm in 2022, especially on Tiktok. Blokecore isn’t anything new, especially for the British. The aesthetic traces back to the ’70s and ’80s when the casual subculture gained traction.
Having played tennis with my family growing up, I incorporate some of my tennis gear into my outfits, whether that be styling a tennis dress that I own or pairing a tennis skirt with a nice soccer jersey or sweater.
Disconnect From the Internet
While it may seem counterintuitive, I try to refrain from shopping online. By limiting myself to the clothes, shoes, and accessories in my proximity, I have more control over my decision of what I’ll willingly take to be a part of my wardrobe. I have to decide if I like an article of clothing by trying it on myself before I purchase it, instead of adding something to my cart because I liked how it looked on someone else online.
This option may not be an accessible option for everyone. In-person stores typically don’t offer the widest ranges of size and dimensions, which excludes large groups of people who could be plus-sized, petite, tall, and more. I still shop online from time to time because I’m a petite woman. Additionally, online stores tend to have more variety in terms of products and colorways.
When I’m not shopping online or in person for new clothes or shoes, I often find myself browsing thrift stores and my relatives’ closets. Some of my favorite items of clothing have come from my relatives. Growing up, I often received hand-me-downs from my older brother. Today, I find myself sifting through my mother’s closet. Some of her vintage pieces have made their way into my regular rotation. They’re better quality than what you find in most stores today.
Curate With Intent
Being intentional with what you wear is a great way to curate a wardrobe that gives people insight into who you are. All the graphic tees that I own have meaning behind their existence in my wardrobe. Any band tees that I own come from bands that I support or have seen live. This is just a personal preference of how I incorporate band tees into my wardrobe.
I find that having a personal connection with the items of clothing you wear keeps them in your wardrobe longer. This reduces any desire to buy more clothes when I know I don’t need more. It’s a great way to actually like what you wear and reduce over-consumption.
Finding your style is meant to be fun and experimental. You don’t need to be a die-hard fan of a band to wear their merchandise. The best wardrobe is the one that you are content with, and it may take some experimenting to find out what that may be for you. For that reason, good luck and happy hunting!
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