Having a personal style is critical to expressing who you are and how you present yourself to others. But, you may be stumped to figure out your own personal style.
These days, it is even more difficult to discover your style with the saturation and quick turnover of trends in the fashion industry. By knowing what clothes you like, you can gravitate towards pieces that you will actually enjoy wearing for a long time.
For some, discovering your personal style may seem like a daunting task. So, where should you begin?
Before you start looking for style inspiration, think about your lifestyle. As a college student, you’re probably not going to be walking all across campus in heels or sophisticated business attire. What clothing will best suit your lifestyle? Be realistic, or else you will probably end up buying clothes you’ll never wear.
Now, you can start to look at style inspiration. Pinterest is a great source for exploring different styles. Pay attention to different pieces that draw your attention or even the people wearing those pieces. For example, you might notice that you’re attracted to a lot of pieces Bella Hadid is wearing. In this case, you may be gravitating towards a model-off-duty style.
As you look for pieces that draw your eye, also consider if you would realistically wear those items. Think: do you like this piece because you would wear it, or do you just like it on Bella Hadid?
A great way to tell if you would wear this style is if you already own pieces similar to the ones you are liking on Pinterest. This does not mean your entire wardrobe has to look like this, but looking at your most-worn pieces and identifying what style they are, is a great realistic foundation to build your personal style off of. This also helps to identify what pieces you don’t wear which eliminates other possible style inspirations.
Once you’ve identified what style you are gravitating towards, it is now time to tailor that style to you.
Start to think about the accessories you wear or the general silhouette of your clothes. Your general style may be classy or trendy, but you may also have vintage inspiration sprinkled throughout. These additional influences are what makes your personal style unique to you!
By developing your own fashion formula, you can begin trying out outfits that reflect it. Pull from the inspiration pieces you grabbed on Pinterest and add the touches that make you feel happy and the most like yourself. Think about which outfits worked and which didn’t.
You can continue to evolve your style based on what works for you over time; you don’t need to figure out your entire personal style when you are first curating it. But, it is helpful to consider what your personal style is so you can feel the most like yourself in the clothes you are wearing, and so you can begin to build a wardrobe you will cherish for years to come.