I wrote about Style Resolutions at the beginning of the year, and I talked about transforming your style to be more reflective of who you are. If you’ve ever wanted to change your style up but have been apprehensive or haven’t gotten around to it, let me suggest reinventing your style this summer!
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Why reinvent your style?
Maybe you made some style resolutions this year that you didn’t follow through on. Or maybe you’re going to college for the first time this fall and want to show off a new look. Maybe you want to start dressing in a way that better reflects your personality. Or maybe you’re just bored with your current style. (It happens to the best of us!)
Reinventing your style can be a great way to not only break out of your comfort zone but also gain inspiration and confidence. It ban be lots of fun as well. Even if you don’t end up sticking with the changes, transforming your style can give you a new perspective on your clothing choices and on yourself.
Why Summer?
Summer is the PERFECT time to reinvent your style and change up your look. Why? Because you have time on your hands and aren’t stuck in your usual daily grind. It’s most likely that during summer you’re out of school, away from your normal September to May academic life, and have more free time than usual during the summer.
Summer break also offers you a great timeframe to achieve a goal – three months. It’s enough time to give you room to plan, but it’s short enough that it forces you to take action.
Transformation Ideas
So what part of your look do you want to change? Here are some possibilities.
If you’re a high school grad going to college for the first time, consider making a fresh start and dressing the way you’ve always wanted to. After all, we all know how boring & restrictive high school fashion can be!
Maybe you’re in a style rut, wearing the same type of look all the time. Vow to end your slump and branch out by adding accessories, new colors, or styles you’ve never attempted before.
If you’re looking to join the corporate world and your current style is a little young and unprofessional, you could work on cultivating a more professional and classic wardrobe.
Maybe you used to be an angsty high schooler who wore lots of dark clothing (raises hand), but now you’re ready to branch out and start wearing a little more color before you get to college.
These are just a few of my ideas – I’m sure you have lots of your own too. What would you like to change about your style? How have you always wanted to dress? Think about that and make it your mission to change this summer!
Tips for Transforming Your Look
Here are some tips on how to take action and transform your look this summer.
Have a goal in mind. Think about what you’d like to change about your current style and make a goal to achieve it by a certain date. Maybe you want to stop being obsessed with labels, or accessorize better, or dress with a vintage flair. Whatever it is, write it down somewhere and make a plan to get where you want to go.
Don’t be afraid to play around. Just because you’ve always dressed the same way and shopped at the same stores forever doesn’t mean you have to stick with one single look. Don’t be scared to go for something totally different from what you’re used to. Change is good!
Remember that they’re just clothes. We’re not saving lives here, and perfection is NOT the goal. There’s nothing wrong with testing out lots of different looks to see what works for you, and even more importantly, what doesn’t. Making mistakes is how you learn, and even if you wear something hideous one day, you can always dress better the next day. No fear!
Take it slow. You don’t have to start dressing completely differently overnight. Make small changes like adding a new color to your wardrobe or experimenting with wearing heels or dressing up once a week. You’ll be more likely to stick to your new changes and feel more confident if you take it slow.
Ignore negativity. One of the reasons some people get scared to express themselves via clothing is because they’re afraid of what people might say. There are definitely some creeps out there who dislike anything that’s outside the norm, but they’re the exception, not the rule. Anyone who doesn’t like your new style has no place in your life. For more on combatting negativity, see How To Deal With Fashion Haters.
Move toward your goal in increments. Do something every week to get yourself closer to your goal. For example, you could visit your local vintage store weekly to look for new pieces, or replace one piece of clothing a week with something that’s more “you.” Or you could plan to dress better one day the first week, two days the next week, etc.
Will you be reinventing your style?
Is there anything you’ve always wanted to change about your style? Will you be transforming something about your look or working towards a style goal this summer? Leave a comment and let me know what you think – I’d love to hear your thoughts.
I want to start wearing more skirts. And fewer T-shirts. That’s all I ever wear- jeans and a t-shirt. I’ve always been that way, but lately I, I guess, turned female and want to wear all these pretty things, like gorgeous dresses, blouses, etc. instead of the t-shirt and jeans. For me, though, it’s tough to make such a big change since I don’t have a lot of money and whenever I find something fabulous I can never think of what I’d wear it with.
Great post. I’ve been reinventing my style lately. I spent the whole winter in Jeans and tops, and the last week or two, I’ve been wearing dresses etc. It does make me feel good about myself!
Short dresses, yes, yes, yes! everything else? Meh. I’m just not liking the trend this summer. Especially not the gladiator sandels, BLAH.
On the other hand, the maxi dresses are sort of cute, but being as short as I am, I would never wear one.
this is a great article! last/this year i went to college near my home and very few of my highschool friends stayed behind. i had a lot of time to think for myself for once instead of worrying about everyone else, and now i dress a lot differently. i dress a little nicer now, and sometimes this summer when i see my friends i look a little bit overdressed compared to them, but only because i have really grwn up in my style. i am no longer afraid to dress differently just because my friends arent dressing up or wearing heels, etc. i actually get a lot of compliments now that i have lost weight and look a lot better because my style is based on how i look and feel in something rather than what everyone else is wearing. your tips, especially about ignoring haters, are great for people who havent had an exprience with reinventing their styles!
Love your ideas.
I need to change my style complitly because I am moving from Cali to Texas, and yes the styles are totally different. I didn’t think they were ’till I stayed a week over there. People are more casual and I didn’t seem “label crazy”.
So thanks for the tips, and also about saying not to worry about the haters… So true, dress how you like no matter what people say.
i’m a sophomore in high school.. but i love reading this anyway.
i pretty much LIVED in polos. i didn’t wear like anything but hollister polos. i had them in literally every color.
but then i got this bomber jacket… and the rest of my wardrobe started falling in around it. i like my clothes so much more now.
Those boots in the photo are so cute! Does anyone know what kind they are or know of something similar?
I’m starting to reinvent my style now. i’ve always wanted to dress more classy, and professional, kind of Blair Waldorf, Audrey Hepburn -esque. I’m graduating high school and it’s the perfect time to do it! I’ll no longer be restricted to skirts below the knees, tops that show no shoulders or a little cleavage, and trying to walk through crowded halls in heels.
I’ve always been a skinny jeans and white v-neck girl but lately I’ve been trying to buy more dresses, skirts, and heels. I love dresses so much but it just always seemed that whenever I would go to purchase one I’d skip out and go buy another pair of jeans. But my main motivation is that I’m going to study abroad in Spain next summer and your article about packing for that mentioned that girls mostly wore skirts and dresses, never shorts. But also I just love having an excuse to buy pretty girly things 🙂
I love this article! I’ve been thinking about reinventing my style lately but I didn’t have the time. Now it’s summer so I’ll be able to try different styles and find out what is really good for me. I want to dress girlier and I want to be confident enough to wear whatever I’d like to. Thanks for the tips! 🙂
I love this article! I think summer is the perfect time to try this. I’m happy with the style I have now (I LOVE dressing up… I would wear a dress or skirt every day if I could), but it’s hard when I have to be in a swimsuit and shorts every day (I’m a lifeguard). So I dyed my hair last weekend.. I’ve always been a dark blonde, but I dyed it a medium brown color (think Keira Knightley in Atonement), and having the new color definitely makes me feel a little bit better about getting up at 5:00 in the morning to go to the pool!
While I love the idea of reinventing my style, I’m just wondering how that reflects on my own personal style. Like if I have a “vintage” look, how will people describe me if I go totally gothic? Won’t it just be kind of throwing around random styles? How do you get to a unique point?
At one point in life I had been wearing a lot of feminine girly ruffly stuff, and then I suddenly got a leather biker jacket. My roommate told me that it was “not me.” How can I reinvent without totally throwing my style out the window?
I’m interning this summer in a government office. Normally I’m a skinny jeans and v-neck kind of girl, but since that obviously wasn’t gonna cut it for the internship, I ended up buying only skirts and dresses for work. Since the summer started, I’ve worn skinny jeans maybe three times – I’ve been buying lots of casual skirts and dresses. One of my goals for this year was to dress girlier, and the internship has greatly helped with that. I’m also complimented on my outfits nearly every day. It’s very refreshing, and I’m excited about putting outfits together in the morning (which also makes waking up in morning a little easier haha).
I branched out of my usual style trends and have hopped on the T-shirt Band-wagon. I always thought they looked a bit sloppy, but now I wear them with skinny’s and a blazer and I feel banggin! http://www.shopgoldyn.com/shop.by.designer-did-285-productname-KAIN-Label
I’m looking forward to re-inventing my style big time! :]
I love all of your tips! (: I can’t wait for summer. :]
xooxoxox
PS. Evernote is actually pretty useful. (: I find my self using a lot more then I thought I would! :]
Refreshing article. I like the part about fashion haters-nothing more dissapointing than wearing something great and some making some backhanded comment about it.
I’m looking forward to reminding myself to reinvent my style from time to time. Wearing something different is a welcome change!