Personal style comes from a bunch of different things. To find it, you have to decide what you care about when it comes to fashion and how you want your outfits to look. Do you prefer interesting shapes, colors, textures, etc? The aesthetics you enjoy are only a small sliver of your personal style, and are meant to guide you in a direction that best matches how you want to express yourself.
To find what you care about, it’s important to take in as much reference as you can and see what you like. Don’t just say you like this outfit or those shoes, ask yourself what you like about everything you’re drawn to. You might love the earthy tones and the silhouette of baggy pants you find in earthy aesthetics. In that aesthetic, hair is a part of the outfit, with hair-jewelry and head wraps being staples. In a clean girl aesthetic, the clean lines and sharp edges are highlighted by a light face of makeup and hair tied out of the way. Of these two examples, what you care about more is going to guide you in finding pieces you like. That applies even if you only see things you don’t like in each aesthetic.
If you think the grunge aesthetic is too busy, you know you might not like the distressed clothing but you may appreciate the layering. Next time you go to the store, you can look for accessories that add onto your outfit without making it look messy. When making note of what you like, it’s important to remember that just because you like certain aspects of one aesthetic doesn’t mean that aesthetic has to represent you.
The more you recognize what individual things you like about certain aesthetics, the easier it’ll be to find those things the next time you go thrifting. Personal style starts with knowing yourself; that’s what makes fashion a popular form of self expression.
