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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Texas chapter.

Aesthetic: a particular taste for or approach to what is pleasing to the senses.

 

While attending Zoom University, I have had a lot more time to think about my goals and ways to become the best version of myself. We all have an ideal self and with being in this pandemic, the best time to explore and find your interests is now. I decided to make this a series as we try to “reinvent” ourselves. We’ll try to find our style, practice confidence, self-care, learn how to have a bad b**ch mentality, etc. With that said, first on the list is style. I’ve never had a set wardrobe or aesthetic, so I concluded that it was time for an extreme wardrobe change/exploration. Though I will be listing ways to help reinvent our style, be aware that change takes time. Some of us won’t find our style right away, so don’t think about it too much. After all, an aesthetic should be something that pleases you, and style varies by person. Have fun and enjoy the ride as you explore.

Examine Your Current Wardrobe

Believe it or not, you may already have some pieces in your closet that you genuinely love. Before going out and looking for inspo and/or shopping, look for the clothing that you seem to wear often. This will help you narrow down your options on what to look for when diving deeper for your style. Once you find and narrow down your clothing, now you can find the details and ask yourself questions about why you seem to wear those pieces more often. Do you tend to gravitate to loose pairs of jeans, a certain color scheme, patterns, etc.?  

Find Fashion Inspo

We can now get into the fun part since you have a couple of ideas of the type of clothing you lean towards. Pinterest (my favorite), Instagram, Twitter, magazines, movies, etc., will all be your best friends. If you don’t have an idea of the aesthetic or style you’re going for, here are a few to look into :) P.S. you don’t have to settle for one “Aesthetic” save the outfits that genuinely captivate your eye.

– streetwear

– y2k

–grunge

–minimalist 

–cottage core

– many more

Create An Outfit Mood Board

Once you’ve collected your inspo, you can put all of them together on a Pinterest board, Instagram album, or if you found some inspo from magazines, you can cut them out and make it into a scrapbook :). At this point, 1) you have either found your perfect style or 2) you have collected a mix of styles. If you’re the second option, try refining your mood board. Start to ask yourself: Do these styles reflect my personality? Could I see myself wearing this? , etc. Even though most people like to stick with one style, don’t force yourself to box into one aesthetic; the mood board helps you get a gist of what you like. 

Go Shopping

Now that you have a general direction of your style, it’s time to go shopping (My favorite part :)). I know with being excited to find your style and redoing your wardrobe, I recommend choosing five pieces that you see consecutively in your mood board. Make a list of these five pieces before you shop to avoid getting distracted into buying extra, no need items. 

Experiment

After shopping, play around with your new items and incorporate them into your everyday life. Try to figure out if this style is the direction you’re trying to go in. It’s okay if it’s not; trial and error is a part of fashion. Feel free to purchase new items to see if that style works best for you as time goes by. 

Ashley Guzman is studying Advertising at The University of Texas at Austin. In her free time you can catch her exploring with family/friends and/or working on graphics.
Hi, I'm Madeline Muschalik! This is my fourth year in Her Campus; I wrote for Her Campus at Wake Forest University before transferring to UT in fall 2019. Last year I was the Her Campus Texas Co-President and Campus Correspondent & it was so rewarding. I am excited to explore Austin and learn more about our university through Texas Her Campus. Some of my hobbies include running, reading, yoga, and traveling! I am a Public Relations Major and with a minor in Entrepreneurship and certificate in Creative Writing. Outside of Her Campus I am involved in Texas American Marketing Association, Moody Communication Council, a member of the Kendra Scott WEL Institute Student Council, Texas Kappa Delta, and I am a Transfer Year Interest Group (TRIG) mentor. I love UT & all the amazing opportunities (like Her Campus) that it has to offer!