Everyone Looks the Same: Get Your Own Personal Style!

Trending fashion is out and personal style is in! Does this mean that following trends equates to lack of personal style? How does one even know their personal style? Many questions needed answering. Naturally, I turned to the experts. I observed and listened to professional stylists, fashion designers, celebrities, style influencers and people in my day to day life whose styles I have always admired. Among the commonalities I found that they:

1. Don't take it too seriously. There has always been an element of fashion and styling that is liberating. Though there may be cultural and societal standards that dictate the appropriateness of certain styles in certain settings, there are no real hard and fast rules of fashion. Having personal style means understanding that fashion is merely a tool for the artistic expression of self. Therefore, it should not be wholly dictated by external influences but the main influence should be internal. Wear what makes you feel good in the moment. You can change your mind and your style at any time.

2. Are open to new things. Trying new things is vital to having a personal style. Personal style is personal but it is not static. Therefore, contrary to popular belief, participating in trends is important for developing one's personal style. Trends offer new opportunities to get more playful with new designs and concepts of fashion. They allow you to discover more and have more options to add to your wardrobe.

3. Don't get locked into one aesthetic or era. This highlights a misconception that personal style means an aesthetic. She's a clean girl, her style is preppy. His style is hip and street. Having personal style means having an inclination towards a certain type of look but not being locked into that forever. The preppy girl can incorporate street fashion into her style every now and then and make it her own. The hip and street guy can pull off a stately, handsome suit.

   
   

   

   
   

4. Have a signature element. While locking in to one aesthetic may not be the way to go, one may find a signature element of style that is uniquely them. Even a single element may beautifully set people apart and qualify them as fashionable. When people see them in different fits, they still have one or two things that receive nods of confirmation that this is indeed something they would wear.

   
   

   

   
   

5. Know it's beyond brand names and prices. Our brains have been influenced to think that wearing expensive luxury designer items automatically equate to being stylish. That is far from the truth. While high price tag items tend to be of noticeably better quality or have logos and styles that attract more attention, simply wearing them does not make someone stylish.

6. True to who they are. The most important aspect of personal style is authenticity and this is what tends to be lost on people who aimlessly follow every fashion trend that comes around. People lost the plot when the styles of clothes they wore started to dictate who they were and not the reverse. Instead of expressing self, they transformed into readymade personas these fashion brands and influencers have convinced them to take on. Then everyone started to look the same and personal style lost its personal touch. However, inner truth will always shine forth for those who are authentically themselves. Remember, a uniform of jeans and a T shirt is personal style and can be quite fashionable too.

   
   

Stay fashionably well,

TheFashionFindess