Live Your Best Trendy Life: How To Develop Your Style at Any Age

How you dress is the ultimate self-expression. Your clothes and accessories are among the first things a person sees when they look at you. Style is timeless; you carry it with you from childhood into adulthood. As you grow, it changes and develops to match your current interests and modern trends. While style is always about what makes you feel good, finding your signature apparel can sometimes be difficult. Learn to develop your style concerning the latest trends and your current aesthetic.

Develop Your Style vs. Fashion Trends

When you think about style, do you think about your personal style or the latest fashion trends? There is a distinct difference between style and fashion, but there can also be overlap. Determining what your style is in comparison or contrast to the latest fashion trends can help you to navigate the market throughout the seasons.

What Is Fashionable?

Think of fashion as the dominant style. Fashion encompasses the trends you may see most often in one place, at one time, within a specific culture. Fashion is popular. The clothes you see on the runway, in fashion blogs and in retail stores are typically what you would consider fashionable at any given time.

What Is Personal Style?

Style, on the other hand, is how you express yourself. These are the clothing pieces you love and the accessories you wear regularly. Sometimes, your sense of style may clash with the latest trends or you may find that the latest trends complement your style completely.

How Do Fashion and Style Overlap?

Fashion and style work together. If you love to be up to date on the latest fashion, then your style may be trendy and timely. Your style may be color versus monochromatic outfits or gold versus silver jewelry. When you look through a catalog of the latest fashion trends, you pick the items that you love, that suit your aesthetic and use them to develop your style.

 

 

The Importance of Personal Style

All women deserve to have a personal style. There is no age or weight limit on wearing what makes you feel beautiful and empowered. Style is all about your self-expression. You have the most control over how you present yourself to the world. When it comes to how you dress, it should indicate who you are as a person, what you care about and the image that you want to represent you when in public.

Increased Confidence

Women with a signature style tend to have more confidence. When you look in the mirror and love the clothes you’re wearing and feel as though they flatter your figure and express the person you want to be, then you’re going to feel more confident and powerful. Do not dress how you feel, but how you want to feel. If you want to feel strong, independent and no-nonsense, choose a fitted dress with stiletto shoes to show yourself as powerful and difficult to penetrate.

Boosted Reputation

First impressions can mean everything. When someone looks at you, they see your clothes and how you put yourself together. If you are a professional, dressing in the latest trends and carrying yourself with an air of formality will make people take you seriously. If you work in the arts, your style should reflect the art that you create. Let people know you are as creative when you develop your style as when you work.

Earned Respect

People do judge others by how they dress. People may view you as unorganized or too messy if you do not have a coherent style. Unless, of course, your style is cultivated to look messy, relaxed or rebellious. No matter how you feel inside, the exterior presentation is what people will remember. If you want people to respect you, you must play the part.

Improved Sense of Self

Changing styles is natural. Throughout our lives, we may go through various phases and transitions regarding how we dress. How you dress in your professional life may differ completely from how you dress on the weekends with your family or after hours with friends. What matters is that you dress as the person you want to be. When you encompass the fashion trends you love, you gain the confidence and sense of self necessary to carry any style you want.

How To Develop Your Style

There is no age to develop a wardrobe full of timeless pieces that flatter your aesthetic and brand-new trends that complement your overall look. Throughout your life, you may notice differences in how you think about how you dress. For example, your love of different colors may change. You may find that you never thought you could pull off pastel colors, but the perfect blazer made you recognize that the pop of color complements your skin tone and brings your overall look to the next level.

As you define your look, the process may seem daunting at first. There are people that style seems to come naturally to, but you have to understand that everyone puts in work to look their best. You can follow some steps to change up your wardrobe and create the overall look you want to be known for.

Start With the Timeless Classics

Before digging into the latest, unique trends, look for the basic investment pieces that will stay in your closet for years. The basics are your wardrobe’s foundation. For instance, denim is a basic choice for many women. Having jeans for every occasion may be what you require. However, if you appreciate skirts and dresses, ensure you have the classics in your wardrobe. This can include cocktail dresses and pencil skirts that are always in fashion.

Think about the clothes that make you feel comfortable and empowered and start working on those basics. The basics should include:

• Shirts and blouses
• Jackets
• Skirts
• Dresses
• Slacks
• Jeans

If leisure wear and working out is important to develop your style, include comfortable clothes. Joggers, leggings and comfortable sweatshirts and hoodies will always be in style and you can integrate them into your wardrobe easily. Your foundation is the starting point. You learn the types of clothes that you like the best and you can slowly grow your collection.

Look for Inspiration Everyday

Become an observer of fashion. When you are in public, make a mental note when you see someone dressed in a way that appeals to you. Pay attention to what others wear and consider what you like and dislike about different outfits. If you see a woman in a stunning glam dress, can you imagine yourself wearing it out too? Do you picture yourself wearing it to an event or out for drinks with friends? If you can see it, then you should take note of it and consider trying out the style. If you cannot picture yourself in someone else’s outfit, you need to move on and find something that defines you better.

Consider a vision board or inspiration board to keep track of your inspiration. You can create a physical or virtual board on websites like Pinterest. Look for styles you admire and pin pictures that you like. Looking through the catalog you create, look for commonalities with the clothes. Do you find yourself more drawn to bright colors? Do you love the look of vintage trends or do you want a more modern vibe? You can learn a lot about how to develop your style through the clothes you choose.

Do Not Be Afraid To Imitate

In the fashion world, you may think that you have to avoid copying someone else’s style. If everyone has a signature look, you cannot have the same look, right? You may not know what looks good on you and what you like unless you practice imitation. If you see someone wearing an outfit you love, do not feel guilty for trying to recreate it. Look at the person’s outfit and try to find clothes similar to what you may already own.

Pick out clothes as close as possible and be flexible with your choices. For example, if the outfit that you appreciate had a red blouse, you may be able to use a blue blouse to pull off the same vibe.

Allow Clothes To Be a Creative Outlet

Fear will do more harm to your signature style than it does good. There may be outfits that you try and discover that you do not like. You might see a dress you think you would look gorgeous in, only to find out that it does not suit you. Trying and failing are a part of maturing to develop your style. You learn what looks good on you and doesn’t give you the confidence to thrive in your wardrobe.

Before you can be creative with your clothing, you have to be able to look past what other people think of you. Do not worry if someone thinks you’re weird or your outfit is too out of the ordinary. It is OK to have insecurities, but if you let them rule your life, you will never be able to move outside your comfort zone. Give new clothes a try and if you hate them, let them go.

You never have to try bold looks right away if you are uncomfortable. You do not have to try a brand new look out; instead, ease into it. If you have always wanted to wear stiletto heels with skinny jeans but think the look is too bold, start with flats and slowly increase the heel until you are ready to give the stilettos a chance.

Fashion Myths To Forget About

Your personal style should not be dictated by the myths that some people within the fashion industry try to uphold. Ignore fashion bloggers who tell you that fashion is for young people or that you cannot try out unique fashion at any age. Your style should only get better as you grow older.

Unique Styles Stop After 40

Some people think that once you turn 40, you have to change your style. If you love bold colors, leather jackets and high heels in your 30s, it’s time to put them up once you reach a certain age because it’s time to be elegant and mature. This is not true. You never have to dress boringly. Instead, you should dress how you want to. Leather looks stunning on people of all ages. If you are over 50 and dislike denim, but love the look of leather trousers, add them to your wardrobe.

Cover Up as You Age

The amount of skin you cover at any age should be a personal preference as you develop your style. If you prefer more modest looks or want something full coverage to feel more confident, you can always dress modestly or with coverups and jackets. However, you do not have to cover your arms once you reach a certain age or avoid mini-skirts. You know what looks good on your body. If you want to flaunt your arms or legs, then find the right style to do so in.

If you have insecurities about your arms, you can try three-quarter sleeves or use flowy fabrics that do not cling to your skin. Ruffles are on trend and can also be extremely flattering on the body because they can cover the areas where you feel insecure.

Statement Pieces Should Remain Limited to One Item

If you have a statement necklace or statement blouse, some people say that you should only have that item and pair it with neutrals at all times. While you want to create balance in your outfit so that people know where to pay the most attention, you do not have to limit yourself. For instance, pair them together if you love flashy necklaces and shoes. Spread your statement pieces so you do not have a cluster in one area. If you develop your style to include unique statement pieces, you deserve to show them off.

Develop Your Style With the Latest Fashion

At Kate Hewko, we can introduce you to new styles before they hit the runway. In addition to fresh, modern outfits, we have timeless classics too. Develop your style to represent who you are as a person and celebrate your uniqueness. Check out our collections made for all women.

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/key-differences-between-fashion-and-style

https://verilymag.com/2017/02/creating-personal-style

https://lookiero.co.uk/blog/myth-busting-age-related-fashion-myths/