How to find your clothing style

Clothing is one thing people use to express themselves. It can say so much about you before you even open your mouth. Luckily, finding your style is not nearly as hard as it sounds. 

The first step in finding your style is to recognize that you will not fit into one stereotype of clothing. Think about ‘The Breakfast Club’ and how they all have cool COMPLETELY different outfits and realize it won’t be like that at all. You can, and most likely will, be a mix of a bunch of opposing trends. 

Next, you should do the corniest thing I could ever tell you to do… download Pinterest. Just do it. It really is whatever you make of it. If you only look at edgy outfits, then only edgy outfits will be in your feed. It is all based on what you look at and search. So, explore different looks and pin them to a clothing board. If you find a few people whose style you tend to like, follow their Instagram. 

Pay attention to the clothes your idols and celebrity crushes wear. They are real people, who most of the time, pick their own clothes. They don’t have one specific style. They wear many kinds of clothes. Draw inspiration from the things that they wear. 

Now that you have a general idea of things that you like, go to Goodwill.  Going on a Monday morning is best because there will be more of the cheaper tagged items, the close will be newly stocked and it will not be crowded. Try everything that even somewhat appeals to you on. Buy shoes too. Goodwill is one of the cheapest ways to begin to redo your wardrobe.  

Send your friends pictures of outfits that you like. Tell them about what you want to look like. This way, they will hype you up and be encouraging as you wear new things and figure out how you like to dress. 

Find what makes your clothing unique. Work to stand out, if that appeals to you. Buy shirts for bands you like or movies you enjoy.  

Shop mostly at second hand or thrift stores. There, you can find brand new almost entirely one-of-a-kind items for not much money. Or, go to stores you think are cool, and wear similar outfits to the mannequins. If you like things you see people wearing, ask if you can take a picture of it or see where they got it. Go to fashion shows, especially Omaha Fashion Week. 

Download apps like dote, which includes many stores, Poshmark and Depop, which are secondhand clothes buying apps. Try stores like ASOS and Pacsun. Even look at Target. Sometimes it is okay to look at basic stores, especially if you are good at picking out the clothes that stand out to you and not just the simplest ones. Having the apps of stores on your phone is great because you can scroll through clothes in your downtime. Screenshot things that interest you and go back to the pictures the next time you go shopping. 

Make sure to buy little things too like cute socks, jewelry, shoes and belts.  

Remember that your clothes are entirely your own. You do not need to dress up for anyone other than yourself. You dress how you want, when you want and don’t let anyone tell you different.