Fast fashion gives us trendy new looks on the regular, but what if most of those trends just aren’t your thing? You can feel like an outsider, and constantly guilty of your fashion faux pas. It can also be frustrating when you can’t find pieces you like.
Here’s how you can cope with today’s fashion trends and stay true to your own style no matter what’s on the racks today.
Get Offline
Whether you like to shop online or read fashion blogs, the internet is a brutal place if the only sites you visit are full of passing trends. You can feel pressured to fit in. And then, you can feel inadequate because you don’t.
You might not feel content with your wardrobe since it’s so different from what’s in vogue.
The best way to cure this? Visit other, more edifying sites. Find bloggers who share your style, and unsubscribe from mailing lists that always make you want to buy, buy, buy.
Get Inspired on Social Media Outlets
The internet can distract you, but it can also be your biggest source of inspiration. If you’ve got a specific style, there’s no better place to find like-minded fashionistas than online.
You can create Pinterest boards, save your favorite Instagram photos, or check out Tumbler accounts and read fashion blogs. Just be sure that they’re people who share your fashion sense. This way, you’ll feel supported and validated in your style.
Make a Fashion Inspiration Board
Create a fun and inspiring board and keep it in your bedroom or wardrobe. You can use magazine clippings, print outs of your social media fashion crushes, and celebrities who rock your most ideal look.
This can be a constant in a world that’s whirling with trendy pieces. All those trendy pieces come and go, but reminders like a fashion inspiration board can really help you stay true to you.
Analyze and Understand Your Style
Analyzing your style might sound a bit scientific and dry, but when you take time to analyze your wardrobe, you’ll know what you like and why.
For example, try to think of words that best describe your style. Is it casual, playful, classic, vintage, rocker, delicate, minimal, or edgy? Try to use words that really describe your look, as opposed to on-trend terms.
Then, take a look and ask yourself what your favorite pieces are, and why. What’s that one piece that you can’t go without? What’s the piece you reach for again and again? What piece always gets the most compliments? What piece makes you feel confident, comfortable and fun? This pieces are important to your style.
That’s because pieces that make you feel good are the perfect ones for you. It doesn’t matter if they’re trendy or not. In fact, if trendy pieces aren’t right for you, you probably won’t feel good in them. And then, it’s hard to be yourself, too.
Finally, your style is largely influenced by your lifestyle. What can you wear to work? What do you want to wear on the weekends? What are your favorite activities and how do you dress for them?
If you’re most comfortable spending your Saturday in jeans and a tee, leather trousers and delicate blouses will feel strange on you, even if everyone else is wearing them.
How to Find Clothes That Fit Your Style
When all stores are filled with the latest trends, it’s hard to find clothes for your taste. For example, if you love skinny jeans, it’s frustrating when your favorite stores only sell flared jeans. But don’t worry. You can still find clothes that fit your style, even if they’re not trendy. Here’s how:
- Say Hello To Second Hand Clothing: You might prefer to buy your clothes new, but unless your favorite store always carries your style, you might have to resort to second-hand clothing. This is a fun way to explore different styles that probably aren’t hitting the shelves right now. It’s a great way to claim treasures for yourself that everyone’s discarded because they’re not in style
Second-hand clothing is becoming more and more popular, too. You can find local stores like Plato’s Closet or Clothes Mentor. Or, if you prefer online shopping, you can check out places like Thread Up, Wasteland and Buffalo Exchange. These are all great places to find gently used pieces, including some vintage items, too.
- Go Outlet Shopping: Outlets tend to carry more affordable pieces by quality brands, but they’re usually not the latest, trendiest pieces. This can be a good way to find essential, go-to pieces for your style.
- Invest in Staple Pieces: With the cheap, trendy pieces available, it’s always tough spending lots of money on one, good piece. But if it’s a piece you know you’ll get a lot of use out of, then consider it a good investment, and invest in it! This way, even if trends come and go, you’ll have a great piece that can stand the test of time.
- Double Up: When you find the perfect top, don’t just buy one. Buy at least two. If it’s not a trendy piece, it will probably be hard finding it again. It might seem like a big, unnecessary splurge, but it will come in handy when your style is nowhere to be found!
- Stick With Brands You Like: Some brands tend to maintain a certain style. Gap, Express, J. Crew, and so many others might introduce trends, but they tend to keep a general style that you can go back to again and again. If you know a store usually carries pieces that match your style, consider signing up for their mailing list, getting their store card and taking advantage of any other promotions they have. This way, you can continue to honor your own personal style with a brand you trust.
Coping with fashion trends is possible no matter how many of them come and go. These tips can help you stay true to you, because that’s always in style.
