5 Tips on How to Develop a Memorable Sense of Personal Style

Hello! There's a distinct difference between simply getting dressed in the morning and taking the time to style a look that reflects your personal aesthetic. I've been working on developing a memorable sense of style for as long as I can remember. I recall looks from my high school years that now make me cringe but the rocky journey to your best personal style is worth it. After playing dress up for 22 years, blogging about fashion for about seven and a half years and getting my bachelor's degree in fashion merchandising, I'm finally satisfied with my personal style. My looks are now more memorable and more true to myself than ever before and I can happily say that getting dressed in the morning reigns as one of my favorite parts of my day.

Before delving deeper into this post, I want to state that there's also a distinct difference between personal style and fashion. And I'm here to talk about personal style rather than fashion. Personal style doesn't necessarily have to be fashionable; you don't have to rock the latest trends or heck, ever pick up a fashion magazine to develop your own personal style. Your personal style impacts how others see you and even how you see yourself- which is why it's so crucial to hone in on developing a memorable sense of style. However, it's not always easy but not to worry, I have a few tips and tricks to help you along your style journey, keep reading to check them out:

1. Wear what you truly love. Go for the pieces of clothing and accessories that are calling out to you. I often hear women say "Oh, I love that but I could never wear that because..." Girl, no. You are F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S, wear whatever you love and wear it with confidence. Just because you've never been that into vibrant colors doesn't mean that you can't rock that bold red dress you spotted in your favorite boutique. Often, confidence matters more than what you're actually wearing. You could be wearing a potato sack but be walking around like "bitch, I own this place" and make more of a style impact than the girl who is wearing a chic dress but slouching into the corner.

And if you struggle with confidence? As cheesy as it sounds, fake it until you make it. No one will know. And as you rake in the style compliments, that faked confidence will slowly develop into real confidence.

2. Think about the adjectives that you'd like to use to describe your style and chase after those. Once you know what you want to achieve with your personal style, it's much easier to reach that. Stop buying pieces that don't line up with what you want your personal style to be. It's probably been about four years since I've bought a pair of pants and I couldn't be happier. I'd like to describe my style as "feminine, retro, Barbie-esque and unique" and pants just don't fit that bill; lots of mini dresses and platform heels do though and you can find those in spades in my wardrobe.

3. Don't be scared of what anyone else may think; embrace what makes you different. Do you love vibrant colors? Mixing prints? Loud silhouettes? Go for it, babe!

4. Throw the fashion rule book out the window. Rules take all the fun out of fashion! Do you want to dress like everyone else? If you're still reading this blog post, I'm guessing that you're a little more forward with your personal style. Wear whatever you want, take risks, break rules. Want to wear a pair of colorful socks with your favorite sandals? Go for it. Throw caution to the wind and remember to enjoy yourself. Fashion should be fun and when you start trying to follow the rules in some imaginary book written by Miranda Priestly, it loses some of its magic.

One of the things that I love about fashion in general is that it's weird. And that's okay. Not normal is just fine. Wear weird things. You can literally wear w-h-a-t-e-v-e-r you want and I've found that I always feel better trying out a new style even if I end up hating it rather than sticking to a "safe" look.

5. Frequently incorporate at least one of the same elements into your looks. It could be a color, silhouette, texture or accessory. You could always rock a bright shade of red lipstick or carry a statement handbag. Key pieces will define a memorable sense of style. For example, my looks always involve ridiculous shoes and statement sunglasses. Seventies-inspired aesthetics, vibrant colors and feminine silhouettes also make my style memorable.

I hope that y'all find these tips helpful! As always, if you ever need style advice or assistance, please feel free to email me at tori@fashiontrendsmore.com with any questions.

As an added blog post bonus, I'm sharing a few of my absolute W-O-R-S-T looks from the past eight years or so. Be prepared to laugh, y'all: one, two, three, four, five, six. Side note: I don't regret any of these looks, I wouldn't be where I am today without a little style experimentation.

Photos by Rachel Dwyer Photography. You can browse more of her work on her website here or her Instagram here.

Statement dress: Vintage
Thigh-high boots: Jeffrey Campbell
All sunglasses: c/o Giant Vintage
Orange hoop earrings: Vintage
Peach lipstick: ColourPop
Rings: Vintage
Psychedelic suitcase: Vintage
Silky scarf: Vintage

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