A reoccuring complaint amongst fashion fans and lovers is the notion of everyone looking the same. In modern society, social media has a widespread impact on what people decide to wear, the way people perceive fashion; and lastly the way people perceive themselves. Nowadays, trend cycles are no longer given a chance to marinate in the industry; and as one micro trend comes in; the next one is abruptly kicked out. It can feel like a never ending style race; and the feeling of keeping up with the joneses completely rips away any ounce of joy that comes with the journey of style discovery and exploration.
Currently, mainstream trends are based on social media style aesthetics and fitting into specific groups; with less emphasis on the the beauty of standing out; and shining one’s individual personal style.
The collective group think when it comes to fashion has created a yearning for individualism more than ever; with a plethora of people desiring to create outfits that are unique and stand out. Your style is a reflection of the inner you; and the beautiful stories that make up who you are. The issue with striving to fit in, is that many people are walking around and attaching everyone else’s stories to their bodies. In order to be confident in expressing yourself authentically with your personal style; you have to make a conscious decision to be yourself, and that burning desire will align you to take further action steps that you will need to take.
Here are 4 intentional style tips to create outfits that are unique and stand out
Pick Up Pieces From Different Places
I remember when I worked at Club Monaco as a personal stylist, and a man walked into the men’s department with a demure and dapper outfit. I complimented his outfit; and asked him if he needed any support to please let me know. He stated how he was waiting on his wife to finish up shopping; so that’s why he was in the store. I asked him if he was a frequent client at the store; and he stated how he shopped at Club Monaco sometimes, but how he mostly picks up pieces from different places. I then replied, “Oh I know you are into fashion for sure; simply because you stated I pick up pieces from different places”
This is such a simply style hack; but it’s one that a lot of people tend to disregard. Some people think that they should only shop at the same places every time they desire to elevate their wardrobe.
Your blouse can be from Zara, your jeans can be from a vintage boutique in china, your shoes can be from Nordstrom, and your earrings can be from a random mom and pop shop you happened to stumble upon in your hometown. You don’t have to be a frequent shopper at any of these places, but you are being open minded; and allowing this open mindset to guide you to shop at places you may have never shop at before.
Picking up pieces helps you see your personal style as your own secret sauce. It helps you understand that you can shop anywhere and everywhere; and it’s all about finding quality items that reflect your personal style. Similar to a chef, you are mixing all of these different pieces together; to create your own signature recipe.
Picking up pieces also reminds you that you are the aesthetic. It’s not about going out of your way to find pieces that fit the mob girl aesthetic, or the cool girl aesthetic; you aren’t striving to be like anyone else, because you are picking up pieces that are tailored to you. This is why so many fashion fans enjoy the art of thrifting and vintage shopping because this unique shopping experience makes consumers feel like they found individual items that were made just for them.
When you secondhand shop, and you pick up pieces that are one of it’s kind, or that no one has ever seen before; this will always make your outfits stand out, and most importantly deeply support your own self-expression.
Don’t be afraid to pick up pieces; even from the most random places that you would never imagine yourself shopping at. This could include thrifting in a family members wardrobe. It’s when you start to pick up pieces you realize, it’s not the store, it’s not the trends; it’s you.
You are the true aesthetic, you are the forever trend; it has always been you, and it will always be you.
Consistent Experimentation
This is where the fun in fashion really stems from; consistent experimentation. If you aren’t having fun with fashion; I can guarantee you one of the reasons is because you aren’t experimenting enough.
One of my favorite sayings is how you should strive to find 100 ways to wear a gem. It’s in this style experimentation where style confidence is born; and style combinations that you have never tried before come to the surface. In addition, be aware of your own style intuition; as this is the inner compass guiding you to give new styles a try.
If you don’t own anything that’s velour in your wardrobe; but your intuition keeps nudging you to give velour pieces a try; listen to it. Try your best not to ignore your style intuition; because you will find yourself eventually feeling bored and frustrated with your personal style. You’re the one that will ultimately make fashion fun and exciting; so go out there with confidence and courage; and experiment, experiment, experiment!
Juxtaposing Different Layers Of Your Personal Style
Juxtaposing different stories that make up who you are in intriguing ways will create outfits that are signature and stand out. Let’s say you love to wear athelesiure styles all of the time; but you also love sophisticated fashion such as blazers, long trench coats, and slack pants; how can you juxtapose these two layers of your personal style together to create a unique outfit?
Perhaps you can style a nice hoodie, with some crisp jeans, and a long pea coat? By juxtaposing your outfits; you will never find yourself feeling like you are dressing like anyone else because the focus is 100% percent on combining the contrasting layers of your style together.
Use Pinterest As A Style Inspiration Platform Not A Style Imitation Platform
The misuse of Pinterest is why everyone seems to dress exactly like their favorite Pinterest fashion girlie. While gaining style inspiration is heavily encouraged on Pinterest; the platform isn’t always used for inspiration but more so for imitation.
Pinterest is the perfect platform to inspire you to find ways to create an outfit in your own way.
The next time you go on the app; and you see outfits that you love, challenge yourself to innovate your own way to style a look. What can you change or add to the outfit to make it your own? You want to challenge yourself to showcase who you are; without imitating every single outfit that you see.
Now I get it, imitation is one of the greatest forms of flattery; but it also will keep you feeling confused about your personal style choices. Always remember that Pinterest is one of the best platform’s to gain inspiration; but it’s not a style imitation platform. The platform is there to inspire you to create outfits in your own way.
