Cottagecore, Y2K, Clean girl, Office Siren, Coastal Cowgirl, Indie sleaze: the list of microtrends goes on. With trends and aesthetics moving at lightspeed through the public consciousness, it can be hard to find a style that truly feels unique and personal. Additionally, in an era of fast fashion and social media, the fashion industry is constantly trying to tell people who they want to be, and then changing the fashion “ideal” as soon as it is obtained. Along with this storm of ever changing trends, the pressure to have a set personal style that speaks to who you are while also conforming and fitting in with the masses can seem like an impossible balance to strike. In order to find out who you are on the outside, first you must look inwards. Inwards, as in what’s in your phone.
A good place to start in the journey of finding your personal style is figuring out what fashion you truly like. The easiest way to do this is by making Pinterest boards. Pinterest is an app that can be used to compile pictures together, giving you inspiration. First you start off by searching up key words for what you want to compile together. It doesn’t have to be just clothes, but could also be for room decor, food you want to cook, haircuts you like, cute pictures of animals, the options are endless. After you’ve put together the pictures of what you’re looking for, you can then go into the Pinterest board and look through the “more ideas” tab. Here, Pinterest picks more pictures based off of the ones you’ve already looked for, and thus gives you more ideas to go through. By looking at all of the different types of styles Pinterest may show you, you can start to put together what exactly resonates with you. For example, if a certain type of look keeps catching your eye, inquire with yourself: What aspects of these outfits or articles of clothing do I like the best? In this, you’ll be able to figure out what you like and what you want to see yourself in.
The next step is actually putting these outfit ideas to action. It can be hard to find the clothes in the styles you like, especially when looking for them in modern brands. This is why thrifting and buying things second hand can be your best bet in finding specific clothes. Thrifting at second hand stores like Goodwill and Salvation Army can be tedious and time consuming but the payoff is very rewarding, especially because of the cheaper prices. If you want a more refined selection of stylish clothing, you can go to flea markets. There are various local flea markets that focus on secondhand clothing where the vendors do the shopping for you and put together collections for you to look through. The Fairfax Funky Flea (@fairfaxfunkyflea), Lucky Girl market (@luckygirlmrkt) and DC Bound (@dcboundvintage) markets all post their upcoming dates and locations. Another more refined alternative to thrifting is second hand shopping apps like Depop, Whatnot, Vinted, Poshmark and ThredUp. Each of these apps allows you to buy and sell clothes and other items. This allows the user to search for specific items at their own discretion without leaving their bed.
Lastly, when trying to find your self expression through clothes, don’t limit yourself. You don’t have to stick to one type of clothing style every single day for the rest of your life. As you change and grow, so does your style and what you like. Wear what you feel comfortable in, and don’t feel like you have to copy someone else’s style to a tee. In the end, you control what you wear and feel good in, and none of your friends, clothing brands, or influencers on social media should tell you otherwise. If you focus on yourself and what makes you unique, a personal style that feels fully realized and represents that will bloom.
