It's your style - own it!
Personal style is one of the best ways to express yourself. It shows your personality through your clothing and can be very fun! Your style can be a reflection of the colors you like, the trends you follow, or the way you want to be perceived. Whatever your style is influenced by, it's important to keep true to yourself... but still have fun with it.
When I think of my personal style, I think about how others perceive it. When a friend sees an item and says "This is SO you," I know I’ve created a distinct style for myself! I'd say my style is a mix of classic and vintage with a *touch* of quirkiness. I absolutely love an all-black classic outfit, but if I see a polka dot skirt, I'm all over that too. It's important to have a range in your style so you don't feel confined. Having multiple inspirations and elements to your style is what makes it more unique to you. You should never feel like you have to have one word to describe your style. Maybe you're trendy with a little vintage, or maybe you're colorful but still classic. Even if you like elements from opposite aesthetics, you can still bring them together to be your own.
A key part of my style is specific garments. I own *a lot* of blazers. I’ve found that if you feel good in something, run with it! Don't feel like you’re repeating looks because you’re actually creating a signature style that you look and feel good in. Even though I own and wear a lot of blazers, I can always style them differently to put a little variety into my style. Sometimes I wear my blazers over a dress, with dress pants, or even jeans! You can have a lot of your favorite piece but still style it in so many ways. This may also help you find more pieces you love. Once I got into blazers, my love for collared shirts soon followed. Finding your style is an ongoing process, so you don’t need to have it together all at once.
Your personal style is also perceived by the people you see and interact with. Like I said before, your friends may pick up on your style and suggest things for you. They may say you look great in a certain style or even a color. HOWEVER - just because someone says a piece looks good on you, doesn’t mean you have to wear it. (Okay, obviously, right?) How many times do you hear people tell you “That is SO your color”? When you hear someone praise the way you look, it’s a great feeling! The problem is you might not like the color they just looooved on you. For example, I’m often told orange would be a good color on me. I don’t really like orange (and actually had a very strong feeling against it for years), so even though others like how it looks on me, I still won’t wear much of it. The point is to stick with what you like, even if someone is suggesting an idea you don't really love. You know your colors and your styles, so rock them!
The main idea with your personal style is customizing it to your interests and making it comfortable for you. You want to find the clothes you look and feel good in, and that you can rely on. You don’t want to have this wide variety in your closet ONLY because you saw this new trend, especially if you don’t 100% love it. You can take opinions from others, but ultimately it’s yours that matters. You will find your favorite colors and styles and make them your own. Even if you find your personal style or aesthetic, it doesn’t mean you’re bound to it. If you want to try something new, you never know if you’ll love it until you try! Give yourself some creative freedom, but don’t feel pressured to always go out of your norm. Fashion is meant to be fun and make you feel great, so your personal style should be that for you.