When people hear the words ‘personal style’, fashion is probably what comes to mind first, and that’s totally understandable. After all, clothes are the most visible way for people to express themselves, and they’re usually the first thing other people notice.
However, the reality is that personal style tends to be more than just clothes, and it can be in all kinds of places – it can influence how people decorate their homes, the hobbies they do, the music they listen to, the places they choose to spend their time in, and even how they express themselves creatively, so with that in mind, keep reading to find out more.
Personal Style Is Often About Identity
One reason style is so important to people is that it helps people understand who they are, and it can develop as they do. After all, most people don’t sit down one day and decide exactly who they want to be – instead they’ll gradually work out what they like and don’t like, and there will be certain colours and cuts that keep working their way into their wardrobe, or they’ll decorate in a particular way, or they’ll be drawn towards certain books and movies and so on.
After a while, all those little choices add together and their style and who they are becomes a lot easier to see and understand. That’s basically what personal style actually is, and it’s not about following trends or trying to stand out, it’s just about surrounding yourself with the things that make you happy.
It Changes As People Change
One thing that’s quite interesting about personal style is that it’s highly unlikely that it’s going to stay exactly the same your entire life, and even if it’s similar to what it used to be, it’ll probably be at least a little different now compared to then.
When you think about it, that makes a lot of sense – think back to who you were and what you were doing ten years ago, and you’ll quickly see that you’ve changed, and you’ll probably notice your style has as well, whether that’s a little or a lot.
Sometimes those changes happen slowly over time, and sometimes they’ll be bigger and more noticeable because of major life changes, new interests, different priorities, or just getting older and, at the same time, getting more comfortable with yourself, but whatever it is, the fact is that personal style tends to develop alongside people rather than staying fixed forever.
Confidence Plays A Role
A lot of people spend years (and years) worrying about whether their choices fit in with what everyone else is doing and liking, but as you get more confident in life, that usually changes, and you won’t be bothered by anyone else, you’ll just want to make yourself happy (which is always the best way to go about things).
In other words, you’ll be a whole lot less concerned about following trends and more interested in choosing things you actually like. And of course, that doesn’t mean you’re not going to be influenced by trends anymore because you might like some of them, and we’re all influenced by the world around us to some degree, but your confidence is going to man you can make choices because you enjoy them, not because you feel pressured to fit into a particular mould.
It’s About More Than Clothing
As we’ve said, fashion is important when it comes to personal style, but it’s only one piece of the puzzle, and there are plenty of other things that can influence your personal style – and that style is always going to be different.
For example, some people prefer minimalism, and others love to collect all kinds of interesting objects. Others like to have bold colours all around then, and others are going to be drawn towards more simple ideas. The best part is that nothing is wrong here – if you like it, go for it.
Creative Expression Takes Many Forms
Just like how everyone expresses themselves differently in their clothing and homes, the same is true about how they express themselves creatively as well – some people paint, some write, some enjoy music, some do photography, or crafting, or designing…
And for some, self expression can take a more permanent form, and tattoos are a great example. When it comes to tattoos, people tend to choose designs that reflect important experiences, interests, memories, or just things they connect with in some way personally. So they might visit a walk in friendly tattoo shop and speak to an expert to see how it can work, whether it’s their first tattoo or they’re adding to their existing collection.
Personal Style Can Create Connection
Something people don’t always realise is that style can also help to create some amazing connections with other people thanks to shared interests, hobbies, aesthetics, and general creative preferences – they can all help to bring people together.
Whether it’s through music, fashion, art, tattoos, collecting, design, or basically anything else, personal style can sometimes be a wonderful way of finding common ground with people and therefore feeling comfortable and understood.
There Isn’t One Right Way To Do It
One of the best things about personal style is that there aren’t really any universal rules, and you can basically do whatever you want as long as it makes you happy (and isn’t hurting anyone else, of course).
That means you can really take your time to work out who you are and what you like, and you can experiment with all kinds of interesting ideas because there’s no one right way to do it. And yes, it might take a bit longer to really get to the style you want, but if you don’t experiment, how will you ever know just what that is?
It’s Usually About Feeling Comfortable
At its core, personal style is usually less about appearance, and more about comfort, and that doesn’t just mean physical comfort, although that’s certainly part of it. But it’s also about feeling comfortable with the choices you’re making, with your clothes, your surroundings, your interests, and how you choose to express yourself.
In the end, people look their most confident when they’re not trying hard to be someone else, and that’s probably why personal style is really about so much more than fashion.
