Back to Perfecting My Personal Style + Styling Tips

The love hate relationship I have with putting clothes on my body?

Hey y'all! Today I'm gonna provide you with my best insight on finding your personal style. I've personally been on a journey of reinventing my wardrobe to accommodate my ever-evolving lifestyle at the moment. My interests may fluctuate but my techniques for sourcing clothes and styling myself have been efficient and the same since I can remember, so I welcome you to join this fashionable journey I remain on and we can help each other to keep it cute.

Maybe you've been really inspired lately by the looks you've seen around but can't quite get them down. I know Fashion Week is around the corner, Spring 2021 rtw was an interesting one, wasn't it? Others are here because they just don't prioritize fashion which is O-K. It's truly us that make the clothes we wear but I will say it's important to have a few articles of clothing that are appropriate for every occasion you may find yourself taking part in. I'd describe the way I style myself as a mixture of function and fiction, which is the approach I will elaborate on today. I never stick to a certain style and my daily itinerary changes frequently, (just how I like it) so every day I wake up and dress my role, with pizzaz of course.

I don't let modern trends shape my wardrobe because fashion is supposed to be fun and I believe in being cute, comfortable and well prepared for any given situation. When I get dressed in the morning I want to leave the house feeling and looking ready for the day. As a flourishing entrepreneur I wear many hats so each hat needs a matching outfit. I've moderately been invested in my personal style journey for a very long time, my inspiration is routed in a lot of shows I watched while growing up, the fashions I surrounded myself with consistently (I've worked at every established luxury department store and have my favorite brands for sure), repurposing clothes through consignment because vintage can be fun, and the styles in modern fashion that peak my interest. These are my sources but there are infinite ways to make fashion fun and your own.

Think about a few years from now. Where are you? Who is surrounding you? What are you wearing upon arrival/departure? What type of event is it? Are you prepared for that right now?

Here are a couple of ideas for sourcing inspiration:

• Watch movies and shows from now AND different eras to get inspiration from the colors they wear, fits of their clothes, and such.

• Dream of yourself in a couple of years, what are you wearing when you are doing all of the things that you want to do?

• Watch and view lookbooks online to see what and how people are wearing their clothes. This is a good way to see what trends are hot right now.

• Search through the #BlackContentCreators hashtag on Instagram to see everyday people wearing regular clothes. There are a lot of everyday people posting where they get their clothes and showing how they rock them.

Right now I'm preparing for work school and freelancing in the fall/winter season. I want to give sexy artisanal cutie with brains and beauty this season y'all! Thats the vibe I would like my looks to give off, but another important thing I have to keep in mind is styling myself for jewelry. Since I plan on taking more pictures of jewelry on myself, I need lots of basics and fabrics synonymous to my jewelry themes. Websites like ASOS are good for basics at a fair price point, I'll probably be getting a few things from there along with sneakers on StockX if the pricepoints for my size aren't preposterous.

For those of you like myself that love to buy weird pieces of clothing that go with absolutely nothing in your closet. I say do as your heart desires. Theres a way to make everything work, don't be afraid. Be a little daring - because even if it doesn't work who cares? Life is short and we are meant to do what brings us comfort anyways! Do it one time for the one time.

Styling yourself is a never ending uphill journey filled with rewards.

What keeps me going is the act of building a capsule wardrobe for every era of my life, which essentially makes styling way more fun and easy on a day-to-day basis. Having a clothing capsule means having a selection of clothes that are the basis for the majority of your styles. You can see a few items that I've added to my capsule recently. I love these pieces because they are so easy to dress up or down with my statement pieces and weird shoes. Also, I can wear them easily from work to play.

I change my capsule rack seasonally. I am a working girl on the east coast, weather fluctuates a lot so I must change my clothes like the season.

One thing I will say is that your capsule pieces should be cozy, and functional so that while you're wearing them you don't feel restricted, or as if you're sagging down the street. Bonus points if they are good for layering - you get tons of outfits from one article of clothing. Seek materials made of lots of cotton for breathability. The fit of clothes really make or break an outfit friend, if you take anything from this please remember that the fit is whats going to take you there! Say you purchase high quality items for your capsule and it's just a little too big in the waist or a smidge too long, but its good material so it's going to last! I'd consider going to a tailor so that they can ensure that you'll be snug and properly fitted in your clothes. They truly are artists that can ensure the article of clothing is hitting in all of the right places.

Tips To Take

1. Before you start your personal style journey, remember that fashion is meant to be fun so as you're getting stuff let your mind go free and get clothes that truly makes you happy.

2. It doesn't hurt to seek inspiration, it's everywhere! My favorite is method is imagining myself at the places I would like to be in 5 years and thinking of what I'll be wearing.

3. Build a capsule to give yourself structure AND creative freedom freedom.