FASHION SENSE

Become an expert observer

The number one thing you can do to improve your sense of style and train your eye is this: look at how other people are doing it! What types of pieces are they wearing, what colours do they mix, what shoes do they pair with their outfits, how do they accessorise and so on.

Pretend you are a researcher in a foreign culture and are trying to find out as much as possible about the local customs.

Use your everyday environment as your lab: Sit in a cafe and just watch people passing by, pay close attention to your co-workers' and friends’ outfits and check out what your fellow commuters are wearing on your train ride to work (in a non-creepy way of course :)). Use Pinterest and fashion blogs to supplement your real-life studies and expose yourself to a broader range of styles.

The key throughout this whole process is to be as precise as possible. If you see an outfit that you like, figure out what exactly makes it so great. Is it the overall vibe of the look (e.g. preppy, bohemian or minimalist), the colour scheme or a specific piece? Let’s say the two pics above caught your attention. Was it because of the neutral colours? The simple lines? Do you just like big sun glasses and black tote bags?

That is how you train your eye, by observing and paying close attention to how other people wear clothes and what types of things resonate with you and which don’t. It’s super basic, but if you ask them about it, people who have a great style and are ‘into fashion’ will probably tell you that they do this already, and have been doing so for years. Over time, you will get more and more of a feel for what kinds of clothes you like and how you like them to fit, and can then use that information to upgrade your wardrobe, either by wearing your existing clothes in a new way or by adding some new pieces. 

Getting started with fashion

 

How to develop a sense of style from scratch

This post is going to be a little how-to getting started guide for complete fashion newbies. If you are into fashion and a regular reader of INTO MIND, feel free to skip this one!

Every once in a while I get an email from a complete fashion newbie. Someone who has never been interested in clothes at all and never really paid much attention to what they wore, but who now wants to change that and improve their sense of style, or simply just dress better.

They usually mention feeling excited, yes, but also completely overwhelmed. If you are starting from zero, the world of fashion can seem like a hugely complex and strange place, with millions of unspoken rules and way too many options.

One new reader, who used to wear nothing but band t-shirts and jeans for years, wrote me this:

"Getting started with fashion feels like being in a foreign country where you don’t speak the language. Everyone else seems to already instinctually know how to put together outfits that look great and find clothes they like. But how they do that? I have no idea!"

I love the comparison between dressing well and speaking a foreign language. Because the great thing about developing a sense of style is this: It’s not something you need to be born with. It’s a skill like any other, that can be learned like any other. All it takes is a little practice.

So if you feel like a total beginner, it may seem like everyone else around you has a natural eye for fashion, but in reality they’ve just been practicing for longer than you have.

Most people start paying attention to what they wear pretty early on. I remember caring A LOT about my clothes in middle school, and most of my friends did too. If you have zero experience in the style department, you just have to catch up! In this post I'll show you four concrete techniques that will help you do just that.

Note: Your goals at this stage should be above all to observe, develop a better understanding for the different aspects of an outfit and how they all work together, plus get a feeling for what kinds of things you are personally drawn to, so don't worry too much about defining your personal style or streamlining your wardrobe just yet. Wait until you feel confident about putting together outfits and have a good awareness of what kinds of things you like and why, before you tackle a full-on wardrobe revamp (check out this 10 Step Wardrobe Revamp or the INTO MIND workbook for help with that)