Ditch the Trends. Here’s How to Master Your Personal Style

The constant rush to grab the latest micro-trend? It’s exhausting your wallet—and possibly your sense of self. As The Wellness Process host Elizabeth Endres points out, “Trends are just trends. They’re not looking at people’s different body types. So everyone’s just kind of wearing the same thing.” If you’re budget-conscious and wince every time fashion influencers declare a new aesthetic, Endres and Aureum Collective founder Cass DiMicco recommend focusing on building your own personal style.

If you focus on curating a timeless wardrobe that makes you feel confident, you’ll save both time and energy in the long run. After all, as DiMicco notes, “Style is supposed to be an expression of how you want to show up in the world.”

Read on for tips on how to develop a look that’s authentically you.

How to Master Your Personal Style

Know your body shape and best silhouettes

“You need to know your body for sure,” says DiMicco. For example, despite the resurgence of low-rise jeans, she remains devoted to high-waisted styles. “You will not catch me in low rise,” she explains. “I feel like I need a trouser that is wider at the legs to make me look taller.” This self-awareness comes from experimentation. Whatever your best silhouette may be, odds are it will become trendy at one point or another. So focus more on what’s flattering than what’s “in.”

“You eventually learn those things about yourself,” explains DiMicco. ”The trends are always cycling through. So at some point you’re trying everything.” 

Create your wardrobe uniform with versatile basics

Since DiMicco knows she loves a loose trouser, she committed to the look. “I have every color. I have a gray, a tan, a navy, a black.”

When you find pieces that feel like a perfect fit, don’t waste it. Buy multiple versions so you can mix and match!

How to source personal style inspiration

“You can’t just copy and paste from someone else,” DiMicco says. Instead, when you’ve identified key pieces that you know you can rock, use them as a foundation for research for inspiration on what to pair those pieces with. “Look on Pinterest for looks that you like and only save looks that have at least one piece that you already have in your closet,” DiMicco advises. If you know you look great in skirts, for example, this targeted approach helps you build outfits around your existing strengths rather than starting from scratch.

Your closet likely already contains at least a few great pieces of clothing that look amazing on you. “Pull images that aren’t just a head-to-toe completely new look. There may be pieces that you’re like, ‘Oh, I have something like that in my closet, but I don’t have the shoe,’ or ‘I don’t have the top,’ and go from there.”

Accessories are your best friend

“I think accessories are so great,” says DiMicco, “because if you feel gross and you can’t think about an outfit,” you can spruce up those key pieces of what DiMicco calls your “outfit formula.” “You will always catch me in a turtleneck, trousers, belt and earrings. That’s literally what I’m wearing every day.”

Rotating accessories keeps your uniform from feeling stale, so you can still have fun with your style without requiring constant shopping. Instead, DiMicco jokes, just buy “a million belts.”

Declutter your closet with purpose

DiMicco’s journey to her “chic and classy” signature style began when she felt like she didn’t have the wardrobe to fit in with her partner’s circle of designer-loving friends.

“I didn’t have money in my early 20s. I was so broke. I felt like when I was out and about in New York, all the girls had designer head-to-toe, and I just felt like such a loser.”

Her solution was to stick to basics and streamline her aesthetic into something sophisticated. Looking at her wardrobe, she realized: “It was like a rainbow of crap and ruffles, and nothing was cohesive. I couldn’t wear anything together.”

While DiMicco certainly purged her closet, she says it’s important to be thoughtful about the process. When you’re constantly cycling through wardrobes every season, you end up looking back at clothes you bought because they were trendy and saying, “Yeah, I actually hate this.”

The truth is, a well-curated wardrobe should transcend seasons. “You should have things from the year before and multiple years before that you’re keeping in your closet,” says DiMicco. But fear not—if low-rise jeans don’t look good on you, you have DiMicco’s full permission to throw them away. The pieces worth keeping are those that make you feel as fabulous as you are—and they’ll probably be trendy again in a year or two.

For more practical tips about building your personal brand, listen to the full episode of The Wellness Process. And for fashion and beauty tips, check out Breaking Beauty and With Whit.