Reviving Individual Style by Rebecca Hansen

What is personal style? It’s a question I’ve been asking myself a lot lately. A seemingly simple concept, yet I’ve found myself wrestling with the answer. Is it what you would wear if money were of no concern? Or is it how you dress when no one is looking? One of my New Year’s resolutions is to answer this question for myself, but I seem to have lost what was once a firm grasp on my personal style.

After graduation from high school, I went through this odd phase. All through high school I had a very distinct personal style: trendy. I was a bit of a fashion addict. But without that daily dose of social interaction I found myself getting, well, lazy. Very lazy. I went from planning my outfits every day to wearing oversized t-shirts and sneakers. I quit wearing makeup and barely did my hair.


In college I attempted to revive what was left of my personal style, which was flat lining fast. For the next several years I yo-yo’d back and forth. On one extreme I would vow to start buying more bold and trendy pieces. Then I’d purchase and wear said pieces and feel like a woman wearing a pink prom dress to a funeral: over dressed and completely inappropriate. So I would resign to wearing a more casual wardrobe, attempting to convince myself that I would be happier if I fit in better with the jeans-and-hoodies college crowd. But I was still left wanting, feeling that I was truly missing something important in my life. Melodramatic, no?


So I started to think about what had changed. I mean, fashion used to be fun for me. I used to look through the magazines for ideas and inspiration, and then I’d adapt what I liked to work for me. And that’s when it hit me. I should just wear what I like. If I feel good, that’s really all that matters. So what if today I feel like wearing a black v-neck tee, jeans and flats. Tomorrow I may feel like wearing a boyfriend blazer, leggings and knee-high boots. Or maybe a retro floral dress with textured tights and kitten heels. Who says I have to limit myself to one style. If I like trying new things, and letting my mood dictate my style, who’s to say that’s wrong? Maybe that’s the key to true personal style: a sense of honesty to self. And being unapologetic about it.