Being different can sometimes be a challenge. On a college campus surrounded by a creative, talented, and diverse group of students, it’s easy to feel overwhelmingly average. Especially when it comes to clothing, I’ve found that my personal sense of style can sometimes feel not so personal. Hundreds of other girls can be seen sporting the exact same oversized sweater, ripped jeans, and sneakers. Here at the University of Michigan, we all seem to have an overwhelming attachment to the all-black attire, myself included. Everywhere I turn I see girls resembling each other, a blur of Adidas sneakers, chokers, leggings, and flannels. I fall victim to it too, often settling on outfits that are spectacularly unspectacular. How can we prevent ourselves from all looking like slightly tweaked variations of each other?
The first answer is that we all need to find our individual style inspiration. This extends much further than admiring what our friends or classmates wear. If you’re only exposed to the styles of the people around you, you’re more likely to dress like them, and thus the cycle continues. Instead, I urge you to do some online searching. Find a street-style blogger or a celebrity who hits your tastes to a T (I’m a personal fan of Alexa Chung). Or, you could follow a few cool Instagram accounts for style inspiration (I’d recommend @giizeleoliveira, @margaret_zhang, and @sincerelyjules). There’s even a wide range of Youtubers that offer style advice and model their own clothing preferences. This may show you an innovative way to style an article of clothing that you already have, or may introduce you to a new must-have item.
The next step to attaining originality is to break out of buying exclusively from the most popular stores. Take it from an avid Urban Outfitters fan, I find this one a challenge. However, your style will be instantly more unique if you explore and frequent local boutiques, or even thrift shops. I’ve found some of my favorite sweatshirts, flannels, and even game-day apparel from shopping at secondhand stores, and they always come at a small fraction for what I would’ve paid for them elsewhere. For my fellow college students who cringe at spending excess money, this is an attractive option.
With developing your own style comes experimentation. Be a little brave every once in a while. In high school, I used to be afraid to wear certain outfits because of how they would be perceived by my peers. I was worried I’d be called out for trying too hard to be alternative and different. With college comes a new degree of freedom and individuality, and I don’t have nearly as many style inhibitions.
At the end of the day, it’s all about feeling like yourself. If I’m being honest, I’m never going to shed my chunky sweater, boots, and glasses, because without them, I’d feel less like me. However, I will dare to try something different every now and then. I encourage everyone to vary from the norm, even in a little way. That will make our style community a little less homogenous, and a lot more vibrant.
Images courtesy of: Instagram, Looking Fly on a Dime