#style tips

here are some of the different aesthetics…

light/dark academia

old money

coquette

grunge

corporate goth

street style

vintage

cottagecore

of course there’s plenty more out there that you can look at! pinterest will be your best friend when it comes to looking at all the different aesthetics!

୨ৎ — research

once you’ve looked over all the different aesthetics and styles that are available to you, start making a list of the ones that interest you the most! once you’ve compiled that list, start taking a deep dive into them. look at the color schemes, make note of key pieces of clothing that follow the specific style, notice what accessories are typically used!

examples:

coquette

color schemes: soft pinks/creams/pastels, light colors

key pieces: skirts & dresses, form fitting tops

accessories: bows, dainty/minimal jewelry, lace

old money

color schemes: any color pallet will do! (neutrals, monochromatic, cherry reds, blues, etc.)

key pieces: skirts/dresses, dress pants, statement cardigans/coats/sweaters, loafers

accessories: pearls, handbags/purses, headbands

academia

color schemes: neutral colors (light academia focuses on those lighter neutrals while dark academia focuses on the darker tones)

key pieces: sweaters, cardigans, sweater vests, button ups, turtlenecks

accessories: minimal to no jewelry, leather bags (backpacks), fabric tote bags

୨ৎ — vision boards

after doing some research, start creating vision boards for outfit inspiration! this will help just organize what exactly you’re looking for in whatever aesthetic/style you chose! and, it’ll help when you start to play around with different outfits!

again, pinterest will help with this a lot! see what outfits you really love and might want to recreate and save them into a board. there also might be some creators out there on different social media platforms that you might want to take inspiration from, so feel free to include their outfits as well into your vision board!

doing this will also help you see different trends within each style. you’ll see how different outfits have similarities in key pieces, accessories, and even color schemes while also seeing that even though there are tons of similarities, there’s still a wide variety of ways to style the clothes into different kinds of outfits!

୨ৎ — experimenting

this is the fun part: trying out different outfits based on the aesthetics you chose! this might take some time, but sort through your closet and see what you already have.

what to look for:

basics: simple t-shirts, tops, & bottoms

key pieces: statement tops, dresses, coats/cardigans/sweaters, shoes

accessories: jewelry, hats, scarves, bags

play around with different outfits & try out layering! work with what you’ve currently got and make note of what other pieces you might want for your outfits. maybe you’ve got on a super cute pleated skirt with a simple long-sleeve as your top! you might want to add a pair of sheer tights, but you might not have any, so make a note of adding tights to your shopping list! you might also feel like your outfit could go well with a super cute statement cardigan to bring some life into your look, but all your sweaters and cardigans are pretty basic, so add a new cardigan to your list as well!

it’s important to sift through your current wardrobe and figure out what you want to keep and what needs to go. you might have a lot of pieces that just don’t spark any joy anymore, so maybe you’ll create a donate pile. or maybe it turns out you’ve got all the right basics and accessories for a certain aesthetic you want to try, so you’d want to bring those items forward in your closet for easier access to them.

୨ৎ — take pictures

whenever i put on an outfit that i am really proud of, i’ll snap a quick pic of it so that i can save it for later inspiration! sometimes i’ll even lay out the outfit on my bed and take a picture that way too!

it’s good to save those ideas in your phone to look back on them for future reference or to figure out what else that outfit still needs to make it perfect.

here are a few photos i’ve taken of outfits i’ve loved!

final notes —

curating your perfect and ideal wardrobe takes time, but i personally think doing all the research and trying out new looks makes the process go by a lot faster in a fun and exciting way! it’s also important to know that your style is going to change a lot as you grow. as our minds and bodies change, so do our styles! and that’s okay! back in high school, i definitely sported that “abg” aesthetic, but as i got into college i started leaning more towards light academia and then in later years i experimented and felt more comfortable in more alternative fashion! that’s what i love about fashion, the fact that it’s always changing and there’s so many new looks and pieces to try out makes it that much more exciting! so always feel free to explore and try out new things! you might discover some really great things.