In an era of never-ending microtrends—office sirens, tomato girls, and coquettes among them—finding your style can feel like a Herculean task. It can even be hard to find people to look up to. While some celebrities have carved out hyper-specific senses of personal style, there has been a trend toward polished homogeneity. And while we still have the Chloë Sevignys, Grace Joneses, and Alexa Chungs of the world to look to, they feel too few and far between. So it’s no surprise you may be wondering…
Why can’t I find my style?
With the nonstop trend cycle, we’re always feeling the pressure to move onto the hot new thing. Even if your wardrobe leans more trendy, try interrogating yourself about certain pieces in your closet. Do the colors suit you? Do you like how it makes your body look? Why do you feel good when you wear it?
Of course, that’s all a little vague. In case you’re still stressing, we turned to some of the chicest people we know to help us figure out how to find your style. They work across the fashion industry, from design to editorial to retail. Not only did we ask them the secrets to curating their own closets, but where they shop, and who they look to for inspiration in their own wardrobes.
How would you describe your personal style?
Margaret Austin, co-owner, Outline Brooklyn: Comfortable, thoughtful, functional, striped? I try to stick to natural fibers but I also really love Pleats [Please by Issey Miyake] and Comme des Garçons].
Jalil Johnson, fashion office coordinator, Saks Fifth Avenue/Consider Yourself Cultured writer: Eclectic and preppy.
Naomi Elizée, Vogue editor: I describe my style as a hodgepodge of all of my interests. I like to think I am a style chameleon and try not to limit myself to one particular “style.” I dress for the mood I’m in or the mood I crave! If I’m looking for something uplifting, I’ll reach for my brightest Christopher John Rogers sweater and my rhinestoned Martine Rose jeans. It’s never too much or too little for me. I dress to experiment, I dress for comfort, I dress for fun and I dress for myself.
Steff Yotka, head of content, SSENSE: It’s impossible to answer this question about yourself! I love plaids and stripes, wearing black with a little bit of color, big skirts and platform shoes—I just buy into those categories and figure it out every morning when I’m getting dressed. I think if you buy individual pieces you love, getting dressed will be a smash.
Susan Korn, jewelry designer, Susan Alexandra: Victorian school marm meets yentl who aspires to be a cool Danish mom.
When did you start cultivating what is now your style?
MA: Lockdown was a bit of a reset for me—I think the time spent on my own caused me to lean towards simpler pieces rather than some of the louder things I wore in my more “out and about” pre-pandemic days.
JJ: I believe I’ve been refining my style since I could speak! In my household, style and dressing were revered like a sacred ritual. However, it wasn’t until I moved to New York that I truly began to push the boundaries of my fashion expression. There’s a unique liberation in the city that makes experimenting with different pieces feel less daunting, at least in my experience.
NE: My style evolution truly started back when I was a kid watching my mother get dressed and sat in awe of all of the various dress options, shoes, bags…it all seemed so endless at that age. My style was heavily influenced by my mother, the stack of Teen Vogues I would collect, Tumblr and Lookbook.nu. Now looking at my style, I feel it has been fine-tuned and sharpened during the last 7 years of working at Vogue.
SY: My style has never changed. My mom loves finding family photos of me at 5-years-old, wearing almost exactly what I would wear now: black tops with big ruffles, plaid skirts, and Dr. Martens boots. I own and still wear a lot of clothes I have had since I was a teenager—I wore my prom dress to the CFDA Awards one year.
SK: At 3, I deeply loved a regal velvet purple frock with a lace trimmed collar. I insisted on wearing it every day, everywhere. It met its devastating demise when my mother accidentally sprayed it with bleach. Everything I wore and loved when I was little is what I wear and love now.
Where do you get your clothes?
MA: At this point I get most of my clothes from Outline, but some stores I love are Neighbour in Vancouver, Rennes in Philadelphia and The Broken Arm in Paris. I also used to love shopping at Tiina in Amagansett.
JJ: I am a big vintage shopper, so I usually frequent the same vintage spots, or scour auction/resale sites for finds.
NE: I love a good hunt so I will search for Vintage on eBay, Poshmark and Etsy! I know Etsy may seem like the odd ball out but they secretly have great vintage hidden throughout the platform. Online retailers that I gravitate to would have to be Net-a-Porter, Moda Operandi and Cettire. And for whenever I am after the in-person shopping moment in NYC, I’ll head to Tokio 7 and Loewe.
SY: Obviously I love shopping on SSENSE. Working at a retailer has actually pushed me to be more experimental with how I dress because I see so much product every day—I’m probably more adventurous in what I would wear now than before. Besides that, I mostly shop vintage on The RealReal or Etsy or from following vintage stores on Instagram. I also love to shop when I travel. Two shops with a great big skirt selection I have discovered recently: L’Arabesque in Milan and Ewa i Walla in Sweden. Florence also has the best vintage of all time, I will always come home with at least 10 new purchases, from petticoats to baseball caps.
SK: Discards from people I love. A close second is The RealReal.
What are your tips for anyone trying to discover and nurture their personal style?
MA: Don't force yourself to wear something because it’s “cool” if you're not comfortable in it—I spent a lot of my early twenties chasing trends and oftentimes ended up feeling like I was in costume. That being said, it’s of course important to experiment and play, just don’t go so far that you no longer feel like yourself.
JJ: I would say embrace the discomfort of experimentation, for discovering your personal style is a game of trial and error, and not an overnight victory. Furthermore, if you’re truly dedicated to refining your style and discovering your true essence, stay receptive to inspiration at every turn. Don’t limit yourself to the usual apps for inspiration. Watch all the Alfred Hitchcock films you can find and then subsequently watch Grey Gardens followed by Paris is Burning. Flip through the September 1989 issue of Vogue, read the Sex and the City book, and then binge the show for the umpteenth time. No matter what you do, always be on the lookout for inspiration—you never know where it will come from!
NE: Don’t be afraid to experiment and most importantly, dress for yourself!
SY: Wear what you genuinely like! Never stop experimenting, but say “no” when a garment or trend isn’t for you. Don’t feel bad for buying doubles of something if you love it.
SK: Wear the thing that makes you feel the least awful. Try to add one sprinkle of color, too!
Who are some people that you think have a singular sense of personal style?
MA: My friend Diane Valiergues (to me this is real Parisian-girl style), Rym Beydoun of Super Yaya, my mom Wanyong, and my father-in-law Carl.
JJ: Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, the Olsen Twins, Leandra Medine Cohen, Rachel Tashjian, Tracee Ellis Ross, Naomi Elizée, Jenny Walton, and Amanda Murray to name a few!
NE: There are so many but a few people who I admire and always look to for style inspiration are Chioma Nnadi, Julia Sarr-Jamois, and Chloe King.
SY: Too many! I am so inspired by my friends who have their own, fully realized aesthetics: Nick Tran from [Dover Street Market] Paris, Rachel Tashjian, Lynette Nylander, Fiona Hartley, Calvin Holmes, Becky Akinyode, Renee and Gibson Fox, Anna Sui, Liana Satenstein, Sam Hine, Brandon Seah, Yohana Lebasi, Chloe Snower, Lynn Yaeger. Noah Johnson is the best dressed person alive to me because our style seems so different at face value: he loves brown and I love black—incompatible! But he introduced me to Angelo Urrutia from 4SDesigns—another best dressed person alive—Evan Kinori, Lauren Manoogian, and Cawley Studios, all designers I love and admire so much. If Noah likes something I will go out of my way to find it and buy it.
SK: My dad, my friend Doria, Ally McBeal, the green lady of Brooklyn, and Ginger from Casino.