Defining Your Style & Expression For Yourself

When it comes to dressing well and looking stylish, it’s easy to think that we need to follow the latest trend to look good. Sure, trends can be fun, and enjoyable, and may help you look better should you wear it with pride. But to think that you need to spend thousands on updated wardrobes each year, just to look good, is wrong.

Moreover, that money is better spent if you feel it’s for an intended purpose, rather than playing perpetual catch-up with standards that are forced on you. Just as those who wear makeup tend to define their own style according to what works with their face and sense of self-expression over time, you can do the same with your entire approach to style.


But how can we even get started with such an effort? After all, trying to find “the real you” is a process, not a question to answer on a test. It might take years. In this post, we hope to help you get started, and to reaffirm that trying is worth it:


Pivoting Your Grooming Routine Over Time


As we grow, we tend to become newer people. Now, that might involve becoming a brand new person, or it might just mean becoming a wiser, older version of whoever you were before. Regardless, your perspective changes as you grow, and this can reflect in how you express yourself.


Defining your self-expression should change over time, then. For example, you might decide to implement beard transplant recovery to soothe an insecurity or seek gender-affirming care, or it you might decide to dress smartly as inspired by a grandparent. As you get older your hair might thin, which may require finding different glasses styles to suit your renewed face shape. 


As you can see, sometimes the changes we decide on are voluntary, sometimes they arise due to necessity. But having a keen eye for that change and not being afraid to make it is what distinguishes style, because after all, what is style but a reaction to now, to how we wish to present ourselves in this moment?


Challenging Your Preconceptions Of Style


It can be healthy not only to try new styles, but to challenge some of those preconceptions you have about fashion and self-expression in the first place. It might be that you have a preference for a particular style of dress, and that’s great, you may love wearing it.


That said, it might also be that you dislike certain styles because of outdated impressions you may have had. This is why so many modern men are starting to paint their nails, or wear more feminine items, because the truth is that modern standards of what “masculine” don’t have to be so strict to everyone, and the same goes for women’s dress too. After all, in antiquity both would wear robes, and depending on the culture you’re in, that’s still the case.


Of course, if you prefer to be more traditional that is entirely valid. But having a little fun, experimenting, and not feeling chained to one or the other can help you feel better about expressing who you actually are, and not how others might want you to be.


What Feels Good To You?


A good north star to follow is that which feels healthy, positive, wholesome and good. It might be that you’re a 5’0 lady who loves wearing big, out-there jewelry, biker jackets with patches you sew on yourself, and stomper boost that take ten hours to lace up. If that helps you feel your best self, then that’s entirely worthwhile.


Often, if it feels good, it’s probably right. It’s why public celebrities like Harry Styles are so hard to pin-down from a fashion perspective, he’s just chasing what feels interesting and fun to him. It’s also why trends come and go, as you can choose to ride that wave with others and enjoy the social aspect of connecting in that way, or you can choose to eschew that or run counter to it entirely. 


Investing In Quality Items You Can Be Proud Of


No matter how you decide to follow your style, there are some truths that always remain the same. Often, it’s much better to save up your cash and purchase a statement item that you can look after for years. Not only do you save more money in the long run, but a piece of clothing or apparel that has character and can follow you throughout seasons of your life will always be looked at fondly.


This might be a beautiful winter jacket, or even a pair of boots that you have repaired at the cobbler from time to time. Sustaining character in your style requires time, and as such, opting for the best you can afford (of course, this doesn’t have to be designer) is always a good investment.


Considering Your Best Colors


It’s true that depending on how you look in general, certain colors may work for you more optimally. Your skin tone, makeup look, hair color, and general face shape can all determine how certain colors reflect on you, be those darker, or lighter or pastel. It can’t hurt to experiment, as well as experiment with like colors to complement you.


For some people, black and white are all they need to bring out the color of their eyes. Blue and yellows, pink and greys, reds and navies, these can be counterbalanced depending on if you’re operating in a personal or professional capacity. For instance, some light texture to your personal wardrobe, such as wearing blue trousers, tan shoes, and a tan matching leather wristwatch strap can and will look incredible for most people. When you make colors your servant, almost any outfit looks good, no matter what you decide to wear.


With this advice, we hope you can determine your style and fashion approach for yourself, instead of feeling bound by a formula. Some other questions you might ask are “what era do I most appreciate,” or “how can I cultivate clothing to work for me by learning alterations?” As you can see, the more you reflect, the more fun you can have, and the better your style feels to wear.