Are We Entering the Age of True Personal Style?

Last week, I went to the Museum at FIT’s most recent exhibition exploring the style spectrum of minimalism vs maximalism. Minimalism follows a thoughtful less-is-more philosophy, focusing on clean lines and neutral colors. Cutting out the bullshit, minimalism celebrates the chicness of restraint. On the other hand, maximalism embraces the excess. The bigger the better, the more the merrier, maximalism screams what minimalism whispers. Yet, as they seem to be on the opposite extremes of the aesthetic spectrum, each style can act as an external expression of what soothes the individual internally.

Throughout the history of fashion, the defining styles of the decade have been dictated by trends. As an expression of the moment and a reflection of society, women’s fashion, in particular, is a reflection of women’s roles. In 1919, as women gained the right to vote, women also gained more freedom in dress with non-constricting styles, shorter hemlines, and the emergence of sportswear throughout the 1920’s. Additionally, in the fashion industry today, some present the idea that modest silhouettes are a reaction to the shockingly revealing Kardashian fashion and current women's movements. However, rather than modesty being the thing in fashion right now, it is just one thing. Some girls are dressing the complete opposite, feeling freed in sheer tops with no bras or wearing figure-hugging bike shorts. But, also, a girl can do a mix of both.

Once only for the elite, fashion is now more inclusive than it ever has before. Accepting of more groups, more sizes, and starting to embrace the beauty of differences, there is no one thing that makes a woman fashionable. Dressed in streetwear wearing the latest Supreme drop and a bucket hat, this girl can be equally as stylish as a girl wearing a thrifted prairie-style dress with gigantic sleeves and a padded headband. Both of these looks feel very modern, yet are so different.

My first experience with understanding personal style came from The Lucky Guide to Mastering Any Style. Frequently stealing my mom's fashion magazines and fashion books, I was able to learn about fashion at a young age in a small town. From the book, we (Kaity, my mom and I) determined each of our styles. My mom was a mix of Euro Chic and American Classic. She constantly reminded us about the importance of having the essentials like a cardigan, white button-down, and a string of pearls. With an affinity for a leather jacket and a graphic tee, Kaity was definitely Rock-n-Roll. And as I was having a moments wearing out ballet flats and sporting A-line dresses with a striped tee underneath, I was Mod with a hint of Gamine.

Experiencing this book about ten years ago, fashion has changed a lot since then. And while the book did touch on different styles, it lacked the context of these styles beyond the streets of L.A. or New York and did not really show how these women interpreted the styles in their own way. For me, I see fashion as a way to speak for oneself without having to say anything. I have always been shy, but for some reason, there has been a fire inside me that needed to be expressed through over-the-top outfits. On the other hand, Kaity is the complete opposite. With her quick-thinking wit and her ability to become friends with anyone, she contrastingly likes to dress more simple, but with an edge to express her rebel side. She recently expressed how she prefers a uniform, one that consists of black jeans, a graphic tee, and a blazer. It satisfies her because she does not have to think too hard about what she is going to wear in the morning. And for me, while a uniform is nice sometimes, (my go-to is an '80s floral dress with sneakers) I do not feel creatively fulfilled if I just fall back on the same outfit everyday.

The 21st century brought the age of personal style as it borrows its trends from varying eras of the past. With the emergence of social media, personal style was able to be shared with the world. "Regular" women rose to fame for admirable personal style and became the modern fashion icons. But as the fashion leaders influenced their followers, Instagram became monotonous and it seemed like everyone wanted to dress the same. Obsessed with having a picture-perfect curated feed, true personal style seemed hard to find because everyone became too busy trying to copy and one-up each other in off-the-shoulder tops and the hyper contrasted filter presets. Because we naturally want to feel as though we are a part of something, it is not a surprise that there are thousands of girls claiming to be personal style influencers but all look the same. There is a comfort to fitting in, but when are more people going to choose to be more comfortable with themselves?

Sometimes I fell into the trap of posting clothes that I thought would get more likes. From tiny sunglasses to the latest it-brands like I.AM.GIA, I was trying to make myself interested in things I did not genuinely like because I thought it would get me noticed. Even as a person who has never liked to dress like anyone else, I felt myself being negatively influenced by only a few products. I quickly learned that following the trends just did not feel right for me and I started dressing in ways that genuinely made me feel good. I took cheesy iPhone selfies and felt like these pictures satisfied me so much more than trying to post professional "pretty" pictures in outfits that I did not even like. And now as others are transitioning away from coordinated grids and posting more "authentic content", will this authenticity carry on to express people's personal style?

As two individuals who have been grouped together our entire lives, but have always been so different, we want to encourage people to be themselves. Naturally, this is something that Kaity and I have done on our own. We never wanted to be like each other. Kaity is social, and I never felt FOMO from missing a social event. Kaity loves black leather and will rarely be caught dead in a puffy-sleeve. For me, the bigger the sleeve, the better and I think black just isn't my color. Neither of us are better or more stylish, we are just being ourselves and expressing fashion in our own way. In fashion, in relationships, in life, comfort in individuality will feel so much better than being stuck in a group.

Now, I am not saying that you can't participate in certain trends because it does not fit into your own certain style. I think that true personal style is started by styling the classics in your own way. The way I shop and pick out clothes is instinctual. It comes from a feeling. Simple or not, I challenge you to dress based on your own feelings rather than the assumed feelings of others. Kaity and I both like a graphic tee and baseball cap for a casual look, but we will wear them so differently. That is personal style, and it is what I think fashion should be, personal to you.