So, Your Style Is Changing

Hey! Before I get into this article (inspired by Katie Robinson’s TikTok) As one of my New Year’s Resolutions was to get over my fear of being on camera— especially considering I intend on being the star of the future fashion version of Parts Unknown, working title: Pants Unknown—I’ve started posting on TikTok! So far, it’s just me ranting about things like fit and “flattering” and aesthetics while I try to find my light, but, I’d love it if you joined me over there, anyway!

As a human being, I would be shocked (and probably a little weirded out) if your tastes and opinions never, ever changed over time. Obviously, there are things that we hold dear and will simply never waver on, like which Charlie’s Angels movie is the best (It’s Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle (2003)), but there are so, so many others that can and should evolve with us as we age and learn and experience more life, including our personal style.

Sometimes, though, those very healthy and necessary shifts in our values and preferences come at very inconvenient times: like right after you’ve curated a wardrobe that perfectly suits who you used to be, or that worked fantastically for a lifestyle you no longer live.

It can be scary to have to start over again, not to mention extremely wasteful if you go about it the wrong way, so, here’s the right way.

Inventory and Assess

It’s rare that your entire wardrobe is unsalvageable, but, it is admittedly difficult to see the forest for the trees when you’re deep in a style rut or just feeling restless. Before you can do anything, though, you have to understand what needs to be done, and that starts with pinpointing what exactly has changed about your style. You may realize that your style isn’t actually different, just that your clothes suck: I’d go so far as to say that this is the most likely outcome. But, in the event that your style and overall point of view is drastically different from what it was when you built your current wardrobe, you never, ever want to simply raze the earth and attempt to start over from scratch with no direction, and the best way to figure out what direction you need your new wardrobe to go in is to figure out what you’re trying to get away from.