Photo-Illustration: by The Cut; Photos: Courtesy of Jazmine Brown, Imani Randolph, Diamond Mahone
In a time where online micro-trends can rise and fall within the same month, being someone with a distinct personal style is no longer just about fashion, it’s a state to aspire toward — an enlightened place where you’re better than all the trend-followers. And all the advice is mostly the same: Find your color. Dress your age. Find your perfect pair of jeans. But good style comes with time and investment into yourself. We would also suggest investing in two things: a good full-length mirror (this Ikea one is great) to see how the proportions of your outfit look and a tape measure so you can measure your body and always get your exact size. We chatted with 12 of the most stylish people we know to bring you nonbasic advice.
It may sound counterintuitive to direct your attention away from fashion, but Ph.D. student and fashion influencer Vivian Li says having a unique personal style starts from being a well-rounded person. “Once you discover who you are, what your core values are, what or who is most important to you, and what drives you to wake up every morning, then the personal style starts to make sense too,” she says. “I think style and taste is a side effect of an interesting person, instead of being the thing that makes a person interesting.” Li won’t buy anything that doesn’t feel “true to herself” and has recently started to prioritize pragmatism. “When I was younger, I was dressing for who I wanted to be, and now I have less to prove,” she says. “If I have to bike across Central Park every day to get to work, I’m going to wear something that makes sense.” (Cycling itself is also one example of a good non-fashion-related hobby.)
Kim Shui, founder and designer of her namesake brand, says she dresses similar to her childhood self. “I used to wear these colorful monochrome sets and I remember this one lavender beaded set. The top had dangling beads and the pants were matching in satin that I wore to the first day of school.” Shui is still a fan of full-monochrome looks with contrasting textiles and believes her youthful experimentations were the building blocks of her personal style today. “No regrets,” she says. “It would be worse if I didn’t try.” Similarly, DJ and podcast host Amrit Tietz says that dressing her 16-month-old daughter has inspired her to wear her old favorites. “I’ve been playing around with fun hair accessories like bows and butterfly clips to the glass Indian bangles I used to wear as a kid,” she says. “Right now, I’m really into embroidery, and I especially love fixtures that pay homage to my Indian background like cowrie shells or shisha embroidery.”
Online-only shoppers, you might want to rethink your approach. Jalil Johnson, a personal stylist and author of the Consider Yourself Cultured newsletter, says it’s crucial to visit stores and “thoroughly browse through every rack” when initially developing your personal style. “Another essential step is to try things on, even if it can be daunting when your intent is just to explore rather than buy,” he says. “I’ve been there, and sometimes I still feel anxious about going into a luxury store just to try things on, but I’ve learned to take a deep breath and block out the noise; you have every right to try on a clothing item or shoe.” By taking the time to try on and examine a range of clothes, Johnson says you’ll get to feel the fabrics, explore what you like, and (hopefully) discover new brands.
Model and brand consultant Imani Randolph has developed her outfit formula, and she’s done two things to make this achievable on a day-to-day basis: wearing more black and intentionally purchasing duplicates of pieces she really loves, like her favorite T-shirts from Uniqlo or knee-length pleated skirts. “I realized that I don’t need to reinvent the wheel every time that I get dressed because I’ve established a foundation of pieces that are easy for me to work with but make me feel put-together,” she says. “This allows me to experiment if I want to while maintaining safe ‘lab rules,’ so to speak.” Then, give one or two accessories the room to shine. “Sometimes the look is about the bag, sometimes the shoe, and everything else in the outfit concedes to that,” she says. Randolph also doesn’t press “purchase” on anything unless she can imagine at least three different ways to wear it and recommends taking the time to figure out your preferred cut of T-shirt and other foundational pieces.
It’s little surprise that Emma Rogue, owner of Lower East Side shop Rogue, flicks through old magazines and editorial adverts from the ’90s to find style inspiration (her store is a vintage shop, after all). But her No. 1 tip for personal style is to feel comfortable and accessorize. “That is one of the most crucial parts of developing your style,” she says. “The fit doesn’t end once you have your shoes, top, and bottom on.” She recommends switching up your hair and makeup often and abandoning the idea that you can ever layer “too many” accessories on top of each other. In other words, to Rogue, less is definitely not more. Her personal favorite accessories include silver chains, “loads of rings,” a bandana for summer, and a cute pair of Bayonettas.
Stephanie Thomas, disability fashion stylist and social entrepreneur, says her No. 1 personal-styling tip is to keep your closet accessible. “What if you invested in clothing in more natural fibers that were more breathable? What about clothing with fewer fasteners and interesting, unique closures that are easy to manipulate if you are not injured, if you injure your hand?” she says. “Or what about having a shirt with a wider collar if it’s crew neck so that if you wake up with a stiff shoulder, you can still get the shirt on fairly easy?” Thomas recommends asking yourself three questions while shopping: Is this piece easy to put on and take off (and would it be if I were injured)? Is this piece smart for my health? And do I love the piece? “If you have to go back and forth, that is usually an indicator that piece will hang in your closet and go unworn,” she says. Thomas also does regular closet audits to check in on how her clothes feel. “Who you were last year is most likely not who you are this year.”
Liana Satenstein, writer and host of Never Worns, goes into people’s closets and asks them what they don’t wear. She finds that most people end up not wearing something that they personally feel uncomfortable in, either fit-wise or trend-wise. She suggests clearing our anything that is uncomfortable. “That discomfort radiates outwards, meaning people will sense you’re not 100 percent secure,” she says. Better yet, wait at least 24 hours before pressing “purchase” on any item, and during this time, check in with yourself emotionally. “Having a conversation with oneself is great: Does this fit into my life? Who am I in this? Do I really need it?” Satenstein says. “Will this actually enhance my life? Am I influenced by this ridiculous sale? What is my emotional state as I am putting this in my basket? Chances are, you don’t need to buy it.”
From left: Maria Alia Photo: Courtesy of Maria AliaPhoto: Courtesy of Maria Alia
From top: Maria Alia Photo: Courtesy of Maria AliaPhoto: Courtesy of Maria Alia
It should go without saying that your personal style should be unique to you, but it’s too easy to fall into the trap of trends and become a micro-trend final boss. That’s why Maria Alia, a freelance creative and fashion creator, says she’s a “broken record” when it comes to stressing the importance of dressing for yourself. “I love experimenting with trends, but I think if you haven’t solidified your own personal style yet, it can get confusing,” she says. “I think the best way to go about it is to be picky with what trends you lean into based on what you genuinely like.” To figure this out, she recommends visualizing the piece in your current wardrobe and continuing to wear “trendy” pieces past their moment. “Another pro of only buying into trends that you truly objectively like is that you’re more likely to continue liking it even when it’s not trending anymore,” she says. “I like to stick to my guns.”
From left: Jazmine Brown Photo: Courtesy of Jazmine BrownPhoto: Courtesy of Jazmine Brown
From top: Jazmine Brown Photo: Courtesy of Jazmine BrownPhoto: Courtesy of Jazmine Brown
Jazmine Brown, the founder and CEO of Sustainable Baddie, says playing within the limits of sustainability can work for (not against) your style. Brown follows Sarah Lazarovic’s “buyerarchy of needs,” which are using what you have, borrowing or swapping from others, thrifting, DIYing, and then buying new. She also unfollows brands that make her feel like she has to buy the next best thing. “Trying to think of the ways to dress yourself before buying new is so exciting because it doesn’t have to feel copied and pasted from what a brand is marketing you to feel like you need,” she says.
Diamond Mahone, a stylist and creative director in Mexico City, says she always tells people to keep their funky shoes handy. “A weird shoe can always lend itself to anything,” she says. “A beautiful, simple dress can be styled and layered with a crazy shoe or accessory, and it will always add more interest.” Mahone is generally a fan of an unexpected pairing. “I always like things that seem a little ‘off,’ like an odd color mix,” she says. “I pair them with more sophisticated, modern pieces to create a balanced look.” This includes layering items you wouldn’t typically put together, like a summer dress and a turtleneck.
From left: Aiyana Ishmael Photo: Courtesy of Aiyana IshmaelPhoto: Courtesy of Aiyana Ishmael
From top: Aiyana Ishmael Photo: Courtesy of Aiyana IshmaelPhoto: Courtesy of Aiyana Ishmael
Growing up in a larger body, Aiyana Ishmael, an associate editor at Teen Vogue, says she didn’t feel like she could have a personal style — many of the stores her friends would shop at didn’t carry plus sizes. “A lot of my personal style journey in the beginning was getting as close as possible to what everyone else was wearing,” she says. Recently, after asking a conversation about personal style with a close friend, Ishmael has discovered hers is “whimsical meets tropical.” She often finds herself wearing tropical prints and colors when she’s feeling homesick for the beaches in Miami, Florida. “I’m very sentimental, so fashion is emotional for me,” she says. “When I’m thousands of miles away from my real home, I ask myself what outfit makes me feel like i’m back in Miami. Or what piece in my closet make me feel most like myself.”