Dilettante
I dunno if this is the right forum for this, but lately I feel…completely unfocused, fashion wise. I see all these people with really clear style identities, and I just…feel like I can’t settle on anything.
I want to be old Hollywood elegant and Beach Bum, and 90s dad and preppy all at once. And I feel that makes my outfits unfocused. How do you distill all your various influences into a cohesive vibe?
I really value this community, and I trust yall enough to be vulnerable. Help
I really value this community, and I trust yall enough to be vulnerable. Help
10 Replies
I can understand the problem you are having because I think I've been there or in a similar place before.
What helped for me was realising that I could appreciate certain styles and pull inspiration from them without necessarily having to dress in that style.
soup said it better than me
I've definitely been there
I know you're a reg, but one thing thats super useful is bringing in inspo pics with your fit pics side by side and analyzing what you like about each and how they can be combined
yeah i think this is not that unusual when you consume ten billion hours of fashion content
nothing wrong w liking a bit of this and that from different styles
I agree with all the above, and to add to that: I feel drawn to a few different aesthetics as well but I don't always try to combine them. I'm okay with dressing pretty different from one day to the next. Finding out how to combine them can be hard but gets a bit easier when you understand each individual genre better, I feel. So if you think you're stuck trying to combine different styles, maybe taking a step back and trying to put together looks in the individual styles and reflecting on what parts you particularly like may help, that way you have a focus point on what part of one style you want to combine with what part of another style
i think it's also worth acknowledging the fact that you may still be figuring things out - what draws you to certain styles, how your tastes manifest in clothes and other things, how the disparate threads can connect, etc.
on some level personal style is a byproduct of our influences, which can change as we live more and experience more; that's not necessarily a bad thing, it's one of the many ways we grow as people.
i often have similar thoughts but it helps to reframe them in that way - not needing to have the answer of how all the influences connect, but to be willing to dress based on them
Yeah, to the extent that you want your fashion to reflect you, good to keep in mind that people aren’t just one thing.
Hope that’s not reductive or come off as flippant. I don’t have better advice because I have the same problem lol
I tend to focus on the items I like to wear the most, and try to build around them. It has changed a lot over the years but it helps me focus on buying things I’ll actually wear rather than just things I “like the look of”.
I face the second point a lot. And the answer to “how do I mesh all these different inspos into one” is I often don’t. Like stmn said, it’s totally cool to switch it up and still have it be distinctly you.
This is great advice. Narrowing your focus to the individual styles can also result in outfits that just feel better, even if they’re simpler/less creative than you’d like. Can be helpful if you’re feeling in a rut!
Thanks all for the kind words. Sometimes I get real hard on myself and feel I should be further along. Thank you all for the advice, and the permission to be human