4 Ways to Find Your Individual Style
I wish that I could tell you that my tips will prevent you from wasting time and money on clothes that don't portray your style. The truth is you may have to go through a few outfits before you can find the style that truly fits you. Here's a few tips to reflect that inner you.
Get inspired!
You can pull your inspirations from anywhere. Sometimes, I'll watch a character from one of my favorite television shows and ask myself can I recreate the outfit to fit me. If not, I'll buy one item that is similar to what they are wearing and incorporate that into my outfit. For example, Garcia from Criminal minds has a unique, loud style. She wears crazy patterns, crazy colors, and piles on the accessories. It would be hard to modestly recreate her outfits since she wears miniskirts and sweaters. I love her quirky glasses so I found a funky suede pair. Not only does this expand my style, but now I have a cool reminder that one of my fashion pieces is associated with the character from the tv show. I also look at fashion accounts on Instagram when I feel like I need to revive my closet. If you can't easily find a fashion account, try clicking on hashtags such as #ootd or #fashion. That should provide some ideas for you. I also love walking around campus because it's a runway. It's refreshing to see a person who isn't dressing like everyone else show their style. You can tell that they put a lot of effort into their outfit and it looks really nice.
Look for pieces that will last a long time.
Don't invest in too many trendy pieces because once that item goes out of style, wearing that item makes you look like you failed to keep up with the fashion seasons. I tend to look for clothes that are interesting, but don't look like I'm trying to keep up with the latest fad. I'm not. I'm in a lane of my own. The goal is to wear and remix your clothes as much as possible so that you don't have to waste money on shopping.
Experiment
Be careful with this one. You don't want to experiment to the point that you have thousands of clothes lying around that you never wear. Want to try a new trend? Start small just in case you don't really care for the trend. Then, if you like it, you can go for bigger and better. Also, take a trip to the fitting room before just picking something up because it's "cute." It may look cute on the mannequin, but if you get home and hate the way it looks on you, you will have to return it. And if you aren't on top of returning unwanted purchases, they can end up taking a lot of space in your closet.
Be Yourself!
It sounds corny, but if you try to look like someone or keep up with someone else, these tips will never work for you. You have to be able to be confident with who you are, how you look, and your purpose in this life. Don't be afraid to go against the grain. Naturally, I already go against the grain because I dress modestly according to the Holiness teachings. But, I go further by developing my own style and having fun with it. You don't have to be just girly or just urban. You can mix multiple styles together, while making your outfits look cohesive. Not every outfit works out, but with time, you can usually come out with a decent outfit. As you develop your personal style, you will begin to see a pattern that represents it. You may wear a scarf one way with one outfit to make it look more flowy or wear your shirts a particular kind of way. Be you.