On Finding Your Style
By Ellie Bavier
As 52 fashion seasons bombard us with new trends to follow and new “must have” items, we are faced with the challenge of sifting through fads that won’t last and finding our own style amidst it all. New aesthetics, fabrics and fits are pulling us every which way, enticing us to buy more and wear each item less. To navigate the hyper-accelerated fashion landscape is not an easy task. One must not succumb to all the whirlwind fashion trends of today and instead root themselves in their own individual expression.
To create your own style is an empowering experience as a consumer. It brings a sense of purpose to your shopping, and a sense of identity in expression. Being able to identify what you like, what looks good to you and on you is a way to solidify your style, and filter through the racks.
From a sustainability standpoint, understanding your sense of fashion is a great way to not buy in excess, but instead buy garments that you know will get a lot of use. These micro-trends are meant to pull you in while they are hot. Yet once their moment is over, we search for the next trend to fill our closets. Being able to understand your style will give your closet a sense of purpose, and your garments a long lifetime of wear and love.
Of course not everyone has one single uniform look. I myself fluctuate between a lot of different styles, colors and formalities based on the day or my mood. For a long time, I had a style identity crisis -- it confused me that I liked edgy aesthetics, yet floral prints. That I love fun prints and colors, but stick to my black and neutral tones. This quarantine, I was able to remove myself from the trends that enticed me and start to work on my own sense of fashion. I use my new parameters as a way to help me stick to clothing I know will get a lot of use.
The first way I found my style identity was through Pinterest. I created different boards for the season I was in, and another for overall fashion, called my “Lookbook.” Pinterest curates a homepage that is similar to the pins you save, so soon after I started my lookbook, I was able to easily add to my growing collection of outfits and garments. As I look at my saved pins, there are noticeable motifs in outfits, fabrics, colors, prints, and types of garments. I love collared shirts, blue jeans, leather jackets, square cut necklines, white sneakers, chunky boots, boxy cut shirts, and fun prints. I love bright reds, sage greens, classic blues, neutrals, and black. My style is slightly grungy, slightly classic, even sometimes boho. These don’t all work together, but each have their own ways to shine in my closet and outfits. Keep an eye out for specific colors, prints, aesthetics, and the way your garments fit your body. These tools will help you get to know your style better.
Using my Pinterest boards and my newly found different fashion types, I was able to put together different mood boards of my favorite photos. I quickly found new trends and ways these vibes, if you will, could fit together. The exercise of choosing my favorites was a great way to filter my style even more, and see what really spoke to me. Not to mention, creating these boards was pure fun.
Another way to filter out your taste is to keep track of what you tend to keep in your closet. Closet cleanouts are a great way to declutter and keep your wardrobe feeling fresh and authentic to you. It’s also a great way to understand your buying habits. Keep track of what you get rid of: Is it a certain style? Fit? Color? And more importantly, take note of what you keep: what makes you love it? Ideally, as you find your style, you will start to buy garments that you truly love and will last a long time.
Of course, I am not always dressing to fit these boxes I’ve put myself in. There may be items in your closet you absolutely love, but don’t fit into your latest aesthetic. Don’t fret! These guidelines are not meant to be static nor binding in any way, but rather a baseline that helps you stay true to yourself and a fun way to learn more about fashion and your taste.