10 tips to finding your personal style

With a million different forms of social media, and especially made popular by TikTok, finding an ‘aesthetic’ has been at the top of everyone's lists. I see aesthetics as an overview, a baseline, something to go off of. But overall, your style should be unique to you and you can create your own aesthetic that truly showcases you. I’ve put together my 10 tips for finding your personal style and establishing your wardrobe.

1. Find an aesthetic, or mix of aesthetics you like!

I find myself falling into a bit of the chic, and dark academia aesthetics which is how I built my style. There are a ton of different aesthetics out there. There is the “soft girl” look, or the “e-girl” look, and others such as “cottage core” and “vsco girl” etc. etc. etc. you've heard them all. Basically, find some that fits you and that expresses who you are and want to be.

2. PINTEREST!!!!

I don’t know if you guys are ready for this convo, but Pinterest is arguably the best social media platform. It’ll become your best friend. It’s a place to find all sorts of things that speak to you and where everyone can share their creative ideas. Pinterest has been one of my biggest tools for finding my personal style. It’s easy to search through different aesthetics and styles. From there you can organize it into your boards. Another way to do this would be on Instagram by following your favorite models, influencers, brands, and blogs.

3. Find your basics

After you have created a board on Pinterest or have a saved folder on Instagram, you can look through and see the things that keep reappearing. Whether that’s a black turtleneck, straight leg jeans, or a chunky knit cardigan. Chances are, if it’s appearing multiple times, it’s a strong piece to have as a base for your wardrobe and style. Good bases are timeless pieces you can pair with many things in your closet and show off your personal style.

4. You don’t need to spend a lot of money

This will probably be everyone's favorite tip because as much as we all love to spend money, most of us can’t go crazy with our hard earned cash. The pieces you want to invest in will be the clothing items and accessories that define your style as well as the aforementioned recurring basics. Another way to save money is by building your wardrobe overtime. Build up the staple pieces, and invest in the more fun, style-defining pieces. Buying second hand is a great way to do this. On websites such as ThreadUp, and Depop, you can find gently worn pieces to help define your style at a lower price.

5. Don’t spend a ton on trends

I’d also recommend not putting a ton of money into trendy pieces, unless that is a part of your aesthetic and style. Trends are usually only around for a couple years at most and don’t require a lot of investment, especially if it isn’t necessarily your style. These ‘trend’ pieces don’t need to be the best of quality, just enough to live out the trend. Another way to get involved with trends while still keeping your style is making the trend work for you. For example, cheetah print is a HUGE trend right now. Maybe you want in but you aren’t all about a cheetah print shirt or skirt. A way to work it into your style would be in your shoes and accessories, which leads me to my next tip.

6. Accessorize!

Judge me all you want but I am passionate about the art of accessorizing. A simple necklace can change your outfit from “eh” to “hell yes.” Accessories play a big role in building your personal style. Different things such as jewelry, purses, hats, headbands, scarves, hair clips, etc. are the parts of a wardrobe that are unique and personal to you. They complete the look and give you an overall well rounded style. Once again I’m going to refer back to Pinterest, my holy grail. When pinning different outfits, you are able to see how models pair accessories with their outfits. You can take what you like and apply that to your own style. It is a way to create your own unique aesthetic by going as simple or as bold as you like.

7. Confidence

I know, I know; a heck of a lot easier said than done. Overall what I’m trying to get at with this tip is wear what makes you feel good and beautiful, screw what anyone else has to say about. You are dressing for you and expressing yourself and no one, not even you, should get in the way of that.

8. Dress for your lifestyle

I would love to dress like Blair Waldorf everyday of my life, but that isn’t the lifestyle I’m currently living. I’m not running a fashion company on the Upper East Side of New York. But, I take inspiration from this style (that hopefully one day I actually can dress like, fingers crossed) and make it work for my day to day life. Think about what you do. Where you work, what you like wearing to school, what you do in a week. Take your personal style and fit it into your lifestyle. You can roll up to Target looking like a model straight out of a Chanel ad if that’s your style and that works for you. But maybe when you go to school, you prefer an athleisure style look.

9. Find your style icons

As I briefly mentioned in my second tip, you can look on Instagram and find bloggers, models, or influencers that share your style or aspects of your style. This is a great source of inspiration. Once you have style icons, it’ll also help you build your own style. Maybe you love the ‘model-off-duty’ look so you would want to follow people like Kendal Jenner or Bella Hadid and see what they are wearing and you can look in your own wardrobe and recreate inspired outfits.

10. Be you

My tenth and final tip is as simple as it sounds: be you. Similar to my confidence tip, wear what makes you happy. Wear what makes you want to post an OOTD. Wear what makes you look in the mirror and say “Damnnn, I’m looking hella fineeee today.” The biggest part of finding your personal style is wearing what makes you feel good and confident. Be unique in your style and wear something that just screams your name. Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and express yourself through your clothes.

I hope you enjoyed my 10 tips for finding your style and building your wardrobe. I cannot stress enough that fashion is an art form that is unique to each individual and is everyone’s personal outlet to showcase their personality. Get out there and show the world who you are and who you want to be.