I’ve finally accepted that I’m experiencing a slump in my personal style at the moment.
At first, I refused to believe it. I didn’t want to acknowledge the fact that I was wearing the same three outfits every week. But, I could no longer ignore the 80% of my closet that I was neglecting. I knew that my closet had a lot to offer in terms of styling, but I’ve been feeling an unfamiliar hesitation to try styling my closet.
I tried to make it make sense. My friends knew me as the stylish one. A part of my identity was my personal style. Now, I find myself more comfortable in a pair of oversized blue denim and an oversized tee. Of course, there is nothing wrong with a simple outfit, but I was hesitant to reach for anything besides jeans and a tee.
I shied away from the skirts, the boots, the layering pieces like turtlenecks, that I used to be so confident in. What was happening to me?
I believe there were two major changes in my life that affected the way I dress. The first was getting out of a relationship where I couldn’t be myself. It drained the fun in styling for me. It was more convenient for me to dress simply than to put time and effort into looks that I enjoyed. The style I liked was not appreciated. Instead, it was met with disapproval.
Looking back, I’ve learned the importance of knowing yourself, and not letting go of that even if you are in a relationship. But, since learning that lesson, it has been difficult to get back into the creative process of building outfits.
The second thing that has affected my style was the anxiety of looking professional, while also dressing “my age”. My career is the next big step in my life, and while my style was never anything extraordinary, it definitely does not fall into the category of business chic. Whenever I tried to style myself how I used to, I could only think, “Where could I possibly wear this?” I was afraid I had outgrown my style, and because I was entering the workforce, I had to shop for more simple and “clean” aesthetics.
Losing my sense of self in a previous relationship, and the anxiety of expectations of how I am supposed to dress made me worried that I was outgrowing my love for styling. The constant influx of fashion trends has also made the step towards reconnecting with my styling hobby overwhelming.
There was a sense of helplessness. I felt like I’ve been so out of the game, and I could not possibly catch up with all the trends in fashion. I felt like I was starting all over again, and the thought of reinventing my personal style was frustrating.
But I’m trying to see this slump as an opportunity to take full control of who I want to be. Maybe I have outgrown my personal style from before, and that’s ok. Leaving the past in the past, I’m looking forward to what I learn about myself as I update my personal style.
Your style does not have to be a constant. It can fluctuate and grow with you as you learn from life experiences. For me, I’m learning to accept this and lean into the change. My next step — putting together new Pinterest boards!