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Great style is all about expressing yourself and the easiest way to look and feel your best is to simply be yourself and wear what you love. But sometimes, being authentic is easier said than done. While most of us might admire somebody else’s look and mimic it, over the long term, trying to be more like others in the way that you dress and express yourself can be damaging to your self-esteem, and stop you from creating a signature style that allows you to really express your true self.
After all, you were born a unique human being, so why try and be anybody else? If being authentic with your dress style is something that you’re quite new to, try these tips designed to help you be truer to yourself and feel your best.
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Keep it Simple
Looking good doesn’t have to be complicated and sometimes the simplest of looks can be the most effective. There’s a reason why the ‘little black dress’ is seen as a wardrobe staple. Think about the items that you can’t live without when it comes to your sense of style and what you tend to be the most comfortable wearing. Being true to yourself can be just as much about dressing in simple, easy styles as it can be about being more extravagant and out there; everybody is different.
Put Your Own Spin on Things
Are you a creative person who likes wearing unique and interesting pieces of clothing? One way to express yourself through style is to consider making your own clothing or altering items of clothing for yourself to wear, so that you can have them exactly as you like them. If you’re not quite there yet with making your own clothing, there are plenty of things that you can do to put a unique spin on the items that you already have, whether it’s sewing on embellishments, cutting off jeans to make shorts, making a tank top out of a t-shirt or sweater or making your own iron-on transfers.
If you like the idea of wearing clothing that you know nobody else is going to have, doing it yourself is a great way to achieve that. Mannequins are a great start if you want to make or embellish your own clothing; the same ones professionals use can be bought online.
Go with What You’ve Got
Don’t fight nature and learn to go with the flow of what you’ve got. If you’ve got fine hair, get a hairstyle that accentuates its best features like a pixie cut instead of spending hours trying to make your hair appear thicker. If you’ve got a body part that you don’t like, choose clothes that draw attention away from it and onto the parts that you do like instead.
While there’s nothing wrong with wearing flattering clothing or getting beauty treatments that fill you with confidence, accepting and embracing what you have is key to developing an authentic sense of style.
Know Your Colors
Some colors just suit some people better than others. Your skin tone, hair color, eye color and even your lifestyle, likes and dislikes can all have an effect on the best colors that will suit you and help you look your best. But more importantly, wear colors that you actually enjoy and love wearing.
There’s nothing wrong with dressing in monochrome colors if that’s what you prefer, or being bright, bold and colorful if that speaks to you more. Stop choosing colors based on what’s going to flatter you the most or match your eyes, and pick colors that you really love instead.
Try New Things
Being authentic with your style isn’t always easy, and if you’ve been dressing a certain way for years but simply don’t feel like it is ‘you’, it can be difficult to find your authentic style and rock it. So, don’t be afraid to try some new things. Wear outfits that you would not normally go for and try on items when clothes shopping that you wouldn’t normally pick off the rack.
If something catches your eye for a good reason, try it on even if you’d normally stop yourself – chances are you noticed an item because something about it spoke to your authentic sense of style.
Ignore Trends
Some trends might speak to you and others simply will not. The truth is that fashion trends come and go and they can be quite dangerous for people who are not sure what they actually like to wear.
There’s a lot of pressure to keep up with the latest trends and you can often find yourself spending money on outfits that you don’t even like just to look fashionable and current. Have the courage to let go of trends, forget what the fashion magazines are telling you and ignore any beauty standards that you don’t feel measure up to who you truly are.
Have Fun with It
Many people have so much fear and anxiety around being judged for what they wear that they simply play it safe, but that could lead to getting stuck in a rut when it comes to your sense of style. If you want to discover your authentic sense of style, it’s important to try and not take yourself so seriously.
Get in touch with your inner child and go wild with experiments; you might just find something that works for you, and forget about what other people might think – after all, you’re not wearing it for them, you’re doing it for yourself.
Break fashion ‘rules’ if you have to; mix patterns, wear bright colors, or go crazy with accessories if that makes you happy. Or, keep it simple if that’s more your thing. The main thing to remember is that whatever you wear, the only person that should have to be happy with it is you.
Developing an authentic sense of style can be daunting in a world full of fashion trends and rules. Go against the grind and wear whatever you love, regardless.
