005. Personal style is no longer personal

Reflections on a year of "developing" my personal style.

In 2024 I decided to experiment with and develop my personal style after years of wearing mainly athleisure and having a mismatched wardrobe full of items that didn’t fit.

I was tired of never liking how anything looked on me no matter how much money I spent on clothing. I was essentially starting from scratch at this point because I had no idea what my tastes were anymore when it came to fashion.

Here’s what I learned.

Personal style is no longer personal- When I walk down the streets or scroll through my TikTok feed, I can probably find several identical outfits, sometimes down to the exact same shoe or coat brand on two different people. I can often even find the exact outfit formula I’m wearing at that moment. In the age of instantly being able to click “buy” from anyone’s LTK, we have begun to somewhat morph into each other. No one’s style feels very unique anymore because everyone wants to buy the exact same thing they see on someone else, to the point where different items are being sold out every week. We should be using everything around us as inspiration, not for imitation.

I have fallen victim to this, too. Even though it was helpful at times to get outfit ideas from fashion influencers, I’m trying to lean away from relying on social media to come up with my own ‘true-to-me’ outfits this year. I want to get better at identifying the things I like and don’t like in clothing, and I want to go outside my comfort zone to blend function with fashion to reflect my hobbies, interests, and personality. Fashion is an art, and it should be unique to you.

Outfit repeating is in- Not only is it in, but it’s SO necessary for learning what your personal taste is. Your clothing is meant to be worn, and the more you wear your pieces, the more you understand what aspects of them you like, whether it’s the color, cut, texture of the fabric, or the fit of it on your body. Before you buy something new, think about the different ways you can style it. If you can only picture one specific outfit for one specific occasion, it’s probably not something you need to have in your wardrobe.

Ditch the rules- There are so many style rules—both unspoken or newly created. Think ‘no white after Labor Day’, the sandwich method, never mix black & blue, etc. I am giving you permission right now to ditch all the rules. Play with your clothes as if you were a kid playing dress up. Try out color combinations that you normally wouldn’t go for. Think of a new way to wear a skirt (maybe as a top?) or that scarf you have. You need to let yourself experiment without any constraints. Sure, some of your outfits might be a little wild, but that’s ok! It’s part of the process.

I’m still figuring out exactly what my style looks like, and I think I will be for the rest of my life because we all grow and change, but the journey has been so much fun!

Xo,

Jess