Trending items don’t always make you feel good, so stop doom-scrolling social media to crack the code of what’s “trending.” What’s trending is finding your style and rocking things that are uniquely yours.
As I talked to myself about my fashion goals for this month, I highlighted finding my sense of style. Underneath all those layers of trends, I want to see what fits me and my vision the most. With that, I cleared my closet and now only permit myself to buy items I need, which speak to my inner fashionista.
In this article, I’ll explore ways to reconnect with this lost sense of style and share my ideas for inspiration. Authenticity shines more, especially when everyone’s busy doing the same thing. Not to be cringe.
How to unleash your inner fashionista
I’m no expert on this topic, but I am venturing on this journey of finding unique accessories and clothing items. So, it doesn’t get more real than this.
Step 1: Clear that closet
People who are obsessed with buying clothes know that most of the time, we buy to buy. These pieces are either worn once or never, then forgotten and lost to the closet’s depths. These are the pieces you’re getting rid of.
Take any free day, sit down, and take everything out. Once everything is out, go piece by piece and stare at it. Try it on, make an outfit, and ask yourself: Is this how you want to dress? Is this how I currently dress? If your answer to both these questions is no, LET IT GO.
This process must be repeated several times, especially for those with trouble parting ways. Something that makes it easier is dividing the pile of things you can take to donate and things you can sell on Depop. For some reason, knowing you’ll profit from it makes you want to sell everything.
Step 2: The outline
Take a piece of paper and divide your articles of clothing into sections. (ie. shirts, pants, skirts, etc) After that, you’re going to be specific with the things you’d like to buy (side note: make sure what you buy are timeless pieces and good quality. It ends up being better in the long run)
Once you’ve created this list, don’t let yourself steer away from it. Buy when you’ve found the ONE. It will be hard if all you do is buy what everyone else is buying, but you’ll get through it. I carry a picture of this list to avoid making impulsive purchases while shopping. There’s a reason that outlines work.
Step 3: Resorting back to social media
I know all I’ve done is hate on social media for setting trends, but some parts can teach us more about this topic. A balance between being influenced and standing on business has to be found.
I mean watching videos and listening to podcasts about these topics. Here are some recommendations:
- Emma Chamberlain Anything Goes (Episodes: Fashionable vs stylish and fashion trend predictions)
- Ash Callaghan (Video: An exercise in finding your style)
- Vogue Article by Hannah Jackson (How to find your style, according to the chicest people we know)
This isn’t following a trend like we usually do with social media. We’re learning ways to interpret such information differently across various people. There’s probably an infinite amount scattered out through social media; these were just a couple of my favorites. I couldn’t recommend these enough.
Step 4: Reflecting time
Finally, the last step that will tie everything together is to figure out what we do with it. We’ve spent time curating the media we consume and how we do it, and now it’s time to figure out what we do with it.
The best way for me was to journal it all out. I have about five full pages that go into this sense of style of mine I’m trying to revive. Of course, part of this was my outline, and then everything I’d learned came.
One of my main takeaways comes from Emma’s podcast. It’s a little ironic but true: Unique taste will be trending. It will be cool to see a person and be like, “Wow, that’s so them,” and inspire us to know what’s so us.
Fashion has existed for a long time, but one thing that’s never changed is its encouraging nature: to create new sets, styles, and aesthetics and never stop, no matter what.
Additional tips
Some additional tips to facilitate this process include reminiscing about your childhood style. Although some of the worst fashion choices were made at those ages, that version of you has something you don’t. And that’s pure authenticity. Children wear what they want no matter the weather. If they like it, it’s on them. And the best thing is that it’s original; they haven’t thought about whether it’s trending. So, a pair of goggles, a crown, and a cape become their piece. That’s a statement piece.
Let your childhood fashion icon (you) guide you today in making better choices but with the same fearlessness. Hopefully, child-you will help you find that accessory, shirt, or pants that will become uniquely you.
My discoveries so far
To help you get an idea of the “results” of this process, I’ve already made a list of things I’d like to incorporate in my outfits and, with frequent use, make mine. Mine means people will associate the said item with me.
Hats
Although I have big curly hair, I’m finding hats that’ll fit whenever I have braids put in. Some hats I’ve been eyeing are trucker caps. If you find the right ones, then you will make it work. I personally really like the one with the bedazzled sports team hats. Another hat I think could be a little more of a statement piece is the Ruslan Baginsky hat. They are all very formal hats, but they make for a chic look if thrown on a basic outfit. I like their sailor hat, which Addison Rae rocked in an Interview Magazine shoot.
Brooches
Next up would be brooches. It took me a minute to find that they differed from pins, but brooches are more decorative. Although no specific brand exists for this, a local vintage store carries an extensive selection. Throw them on the collar of a suit, denim jacket, jeans, or anywhere else, and they pull a look together.
Final Thoughts
Although it’s just two items, I want to find one that becomes my staple piece in every outfit—like my signature, but instead, it’s a hat or a brooch. Hopefully, you get a chance to go through this process and find the way you like to express yourself through fashion because it makes for better outfits and a better closet that’ll let you create endless opportunities to look like a doll. So, your answer to your question: What’s trending? Authenticity and Uniqueness.
