Found yourself wondering, “What is my fashion aesthetic?” Here are my top tips for finding and incorporating an aesthetic into your wardrobe without sacrificing your personal style.
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Recently, it feels as though you cannot open up TikTok without seeing a video about the latest trending fashion aesthetic.
Fashion aesthetics are fun to think about, but, from my experience, they aren’t great for establishing a personal style.
A lot of the time, being one aesthetic is idolized, influencing others to completely change their style to fit the aesthetic rather than using the aesthetic as inspiration for elements they would like to add to their personal style.
Over the years, I’ve found that when I try to dress according to one style, I feel more like a character than myself. In my opinion, the best and most authentic personal styles are eclectic and curated over time with pieces you genuinely love – but that doesn’t mean you can’t experiment with elements from your favorite fashion aesthetics.
What is a fashion aesthetic?
Fashion aesthetics are essentially a type of style. Maybe you’ve heard of cottage-core, coastal granddaughter or the newest rage, mermaid-core? These are all types of fashion aesthetics.
Types of fashion aesthetics:
Cottage-core: The best way I can think to explain this aesthetic is to have you imagine what you’d wear to a tea party, frolicking in a field of wildflowers in the countryside or to a spring brunch in a cottage. Think florals, peasant tops, pastels, puff sleeves, maxi dresses and ribbons in your hair.
Academia: Think pleated tennis skirts, sweater vests, loafers, argyle patterns, button ups and knee-high socks.
Grunge: This aesthetic is inspired by the 90s. Picture flannels, converse, washed denim, graphic tees and combat boots.
Mermaid-Core: The newest fad, mermaid-core is exactly what it sounds like. Think pearls, soft metallics, seashells, open-knit sweaters, fishnet tights, layers of vintage jewelry and rope-like details.
Coastal-Granddaughter: Think pastels, linens, stripes, seersucker and lightweight knits.
Pirate-Core: Think ruffle blouses and dresses, leather shorts, thick leather belts, rope-like details, peasant tops and lace.
Classic Preppy: In my mind, half of this aesthetic falls leans towards ballet flats, sleek lines, crisp cuts, structured handbags, silk neck scarves, blazers and trench coats, while the other half includes more sophisticated pearls, tweed mini skirts and a sort of “Blair Waldorf” aesthetic.
Modern Preppy: Or, as someone who attended NC State University and saw this aesthetic constantly while working at local boutiques, what I like to call “college-girl aesthetic.” Think bright colors, Golden Goose, stars, hearts, smiley faces, puff sleeve tops, ruffle mini skirts and Marc Jacobs camera bags.
Most people aren’t going to be one aesthetic all the time, and trying to force yourself to become one aesthetic will result in outfits that don’t feel authentic to you. But, if you are wanting to incorporate a new aesthetic into your wardrobe without sacrificing your personal style, here are my tips.
Tips for incorporating an aesthetic into your personal style:
1. Use overlapping elements in your wardrobe to identify aesthetics your personal style aligns with
To find an aesthetic that aligns with your style, identify overlapping elements between the aesthetic and pieces in your wardrobe.
For example, I already wear a lot of ruffles and leather, so pirate-core may align with my personal style. Let me make this clear, this doesn’t mean that I am going to revamp my wardrobe into a pirate’s closet. But if I want to participate in the trend, I could intentionally style pieces I already love with these components and still feel like myself.
A style that may not work for me, for example, is cottage-core. Contrary to the photo of me above where I tried to make the aesthetic work for me, I really don’t wear many florals or pastels. I don’t own any of these pieces anymore, and I tend to add a bit of edge to my looks, so this aesthetic didn’t resonate with me and trying to incorporate it into my wardrobe was a waste of time.
2. Style outfits using items you already own
If you want to participate in a trending aesthetic but still want the look to feel like you, try styling an outfit with pieces you already own. If the aesthetic is true to you, you should already be able to pull pieces that align with the style from your closet.
For example, if you are going for a coastal grandaughter look, pull striped tops, knits, classic jeans, linen pants and pastels, such as light blue, from your wardrobe. If you don’t already own these items, that may indicate that this aesthetic doesn’t align with your personal style.
3. Accept that your personal style probably isn’t going to be one strict aesthetic
When I started posting on social media, my accounts were “preppy” accounts. It was the “in” thing at the time, and I fully leaned into it. I loved it for a while, but when I was ready for a style change, I felt trapped. I thought I had to pick my next aesthetic (for my wardrobe and Instagram feed), which led to years of not knowing what my style was and never feeling like myself.
For me, taking a step back from social media made me realize I didn’t need to have a perfectly curated wardrobe or Instagram feed, and that trying to establish one would put me in a box and lead to constant unsatisfaction with my closet.
4. Use elements from the aesthetic as inspiration for your personal style instead of changing your style to fit the aesthetic
Rather than transforming your personal style to match one aesthetic, incorporate elements of the aesthetic into your personal style.
Take the mermaid aesthetic we are expected to see this summer, for example. I already love pearls, so I may be interested in adding new pearl pieces to my wardrobe this summer. I also have a knit wrap skirt and an open-knit sweater on my wishlist, which could also fall under the mermaid-core aesthetic without taking it too far.
5. Add a contrasting element that doesn’t align with the aesthetic but DOES align with your personal style
For example, the cottage-core trend is very feminine and features floral patterns, which are often too soft for my personal style. To add some edge to this aesthetic and make it feel more me, I would pair a floral blouse with cargo pants, sneakers and a leather jacket.
6. Only purchase new pieces if they can be worn outside of the aesthetic
If you want to purchase new pieces from a trending aesthetic, try to only purchase pieces that you can see wearing once the trend passes. When you’re tired of dressing like a mermaid, will you be able to style the piece in other ways?
7. Style the pieces differently than they would be styled according to the aesthetic
Even when you are still into the overall aesthetic, style the pieces differently than how they were presented to you. Every time I tried to style the outfits true to the aesthetic (as seen in multiple photos above), they never felt authentic to me. Styling the looks in your own way will give the look a personal touch and make it feel more like you.