Fashion 101: How to style and carry yourself to be more confident

When we talk about fashion, we usually talk about clothes, different accessories, and make-up to go with it. But what’s most important is knowing how to style yourself, carry yourself, and become confident in what you choose to wear! Fashion should always reflect your individuality, your own beautiful uniqueness, and it should complement who you are as a person. That’s how you will become indefinitely more confident in your own skin. How amazing does that sound?

So where should you begin?

We have prepared an entire guideline to make you feel confident and powerful with fashion. Remember: This isn’t a guide on how to pick the best clothes, it’s about taking steps to feel comfortable about yourself first, and then making use of fashion smartly, to bring the best version of you out to the world!

We start by making sure that you realize how your body needs all the care in the world - but most importantly from you. You are perfect just the way you are, fashion is just about uplifting your spirits and making your features stand out, just like make-up is about enhancing your already beautiful face.

We share some amazing tips on how you can find your own personal fashion style, from figuring out what sort of styles appeal to you, to finding inspiration and creating mood boards with fun tools. We share tips on how to accessorize and pair everything up. Everything from how to shop wisely and smartly is covered too, wrapping it up with minimizing your over-filled wardrobe. It’s all in the details: let’s jump right in!

Look after your body and treat it well:

It’s not normal to always look like a supermodel, you need to tell yourself that you are amazing just the way you are. Positive 'self-talk' can get you places! You should be proud of your figure, and complement one feature about yourself every day. Workout, eat nutritious food and stay consistent. Ensure your wellness and beauty will come running towards you itself. This is always the first step to confidence. Whatever clothes you choose to put on later, you will feel GOOD in them and everything will start to feel fashionable and super beautiful!

Gain a sense of your personal style:

As long as you leave the house feeling confident and happy about your pairings and selections, it doesn't matter how many men or women around you are wearing expensive and flashy outfits. The second you feel like your ensemble makes you look beautiful and complements your body, you have your style.

To figure out your own likes and dislikes in the world of fashion, you will have to experiment and get out of your comfort zone as well. Watch different styling videos, pick your favourite outfits, and try them on yourself. Discard the pieces that just aren’t ‘you’. Like dresses with A-line skirts can be your thing, but dark-coloured straight-leg pants may not. Maybe you find a newly found love for jackets that define your natural waistline. Try this out both in summers and winters so you can look your best self throughout the year!

Remember: This is the most crucial step. You need to know what sort of items you like or are fascinated by. But if you don’t know that yet - you’re in the right place. Because we are helping you with just that!

Figure out what fashion style do you like most:

There are so many incredible yet completely different styles of fashion wear all around the world. Some people fit into the aesthetic of vintage fashion, with pretty baby collars and sepia-toned colours together with big curls in hair. Some people love dressing up in an artsy fashion style, with a bright pop of colours and abstract patterns.

Dark Academia is a popular style too, with pretty and feminine formal dressing, blazers, and pants. Some are into grunge style clothing, while others prefer the bohemian style. It’s all about what appeals to you the most. What style makes you feel like it represents you? It does not have to be just one. It can be a blend of many!

Figure out what’s cheap and what’s expensive:

Cheap does not necessarily mean poor quality and expensive doesn’t necessarily mean it will be the best. What matters here is only how clothes make you feel. Are they comfortable? Are they according to your preferences? Do they fit your requirements? Do they feel good on your body?

But what’s most trickly is accidentally buying an item that looks cheap. As in, made with inferior quality, does not wash properly, and has an awkward look. Check the material, check how it feels when you wear it. Does it complement you?

Similarly, you don’t have to go looking for the most expensive items just because they are expensive. It may not look so good on you, and you will have spent a lot. Not a good idea. Check for the same things: comfort level, does it meet your requirements, if it complements your features. You need to be happy wearing it - be it any clothing item, any accessory or a pair of shoes!

Don’t copy someone else’s fashion style:

This doesn’t mean not wearing something your friends or people around you do at all. This simply means that when you are in the process of figuring out your personal style, you don’t need to copy someone else’s. They have mixed and matched, brought clothes and accessories that match their personality and complement their own individuality. If you seem to wear something that they do, it will not really reflect you. It won’t add to your unique style that others will recognize you by. Here’s the key to everything: How does a clothing item make you feel? If it feels good, it’s yours.

It does not even have to be something grand. It can be as little as having a favourite lip colour that you never leave home without. It can be your infamous bag that just works with everything. Your perfect khaki-coloured long coat can look spot-on for any fall or winter event. Never be afraid to be bold and stand out. This is where you can shine your brightest with no one to hold you down. Get excited to find the one true style that’s just yours!

Create a fashion mood board:

Creating fashion mood boards is a particularly fun way to get a sense of your aesthetic and style. You can make it with ease, with so much variety and image selection to curate your perfect dream looks. Our personal favourite mood boards have everything from tops, bottoms, jackets, accessories, jewellery, bags, and even matching phone cases!

This is something you don’t have to worry about in terms of prices as well because this exercise is just to get your creative juices flowing until you are happy with the board you make. You can make mood boards over at Canva or Milanote! If you are looking for inspiration, head over to Pinterest, and see some mood board styles. Pick out each and every item and arrange it as you want on the board, then pick out your favourite matching colour combinations and start looking for accessories. You can even arrange numerous mood boards - one for a birthday party, a formal event, or simply what to wear on a casual night out with friends. These little things go a long way - because the work you put in your sense of style will make you stand out from the crowd and build your glowing presence in every room. We all love the sound of that, don’t we?

Find fashion inspiration:

After you have figured out what exactly it is you like on yourself, it’s time to spice it up and change around a few things that you find look even better! This is called the information gathering stage, where you must keep your eyes open for finding inspiration in fashion everywhere. Look out into the world! Listen to the influencers, fashion YouTubers, and fashionistas around you. Go through fashion magazines, fashion week shows, and go over the Pinterest boards. Watch fashion documentaries or go through the history of fashion. Pick out all the things that move something in you.

Appreciate different styles and follow the super fun trends. Remember: Not everything will work for you, the goal here is to find inspiration and see what appeals to you!

You can start off by checking what items you need inspiration for. Are you looking for some cool types of coats and blazers? Go to Pinterest and check Instagram. Then dig a little deeper into fashion magazines and find out what are people raving about these days. Highlight or save what you like, and keep it safe for the final shopping showdown!

Always accessorize yourself

This is a must-have step. You really need to amplify your clothes with some beautiful accessories. Even if you are wearing something incredibly simple, accessories are all you need to add a little bit of dazzle and magic. For example, a basic white tee with blue white-washed jeans can look super pretty with a silk colourful hairband. Anything can work, like statement earrings, multiple rings, a stunning pair of heels, a black velvet choker, a silk scarf, a big hat, a cool belt, and a beautiful matching bag. To add that flavour and personal style, accessories can be your time to shine as well. They are always pretty easy to wear, can hype up any look, and are just fun to style!

What appeals most to you? Are you a bold-colour person or a neutral-colour person? Do you like keeping a matching silk scrunchie with you with every outfit? Are you a wristwatch kind of person? Think about it and think deeply.

Our favourite place to check for inspiration and cool trends in accessories is always Pinterest, but there are various other places as well. You can take inspiration from anywhere around you. Like we said earlier you need to keep your eyes and ears open for spotting the next best accessory in the market.

Shop smartly and carry your style:

Now that you have started taking care of your body, found your personal fashion style, taken inspiration from lots and lots of places, created mood-boards, and played around with accessories - it’s time to put it all together for the final looks. Go to the best selective stores to buy the items that you really fell in love with. Make sure you are checking how your body feels in it, trying out different outfits in the changing room, and buying quality clothes that will last you a good long time. Smart shopping also entails making sure you check from different outlets and only buying clothes from the place you loved best!

Check online stores and malls that are selling items you are looking for, then start choosing between them and ruling them out one by one leaving only the best option. This does take time, but it will help you explore so much more on your own, and it will result in you having the best choice available! You will become a perfect self-stylist!

Pro tip: It all comes naturally to you once you are confident in what you wear. So go on, be yourself, and carry every item of clothing like you own it - because you do!

Finally, minimize your wardrobe:

One of the most crucial steps that a lot of people miss out on is the step of cleaning out and minimizing your wardrobe. It’s now time to get the dead weight out of the closet. It’s time to get yourself organized, with all the pieces that are no longer you. Make portions of t-shirts, fancy clothes, dresses, pants, and all sorts of categories and select the ones to keep that bring you joy and you are way too excited to wear them! The rest of them have to go. Don’t throw them all away, you can donate and give it to charities. This also means now you have more space to fit in your new finds that finally represent who you are! Your wardrobe will look neat and tidy and you can easily keep repeating this process as your style keeps changing.

And there we go, our final step is done! If you follow through with all our tips and guidelines, you can style yourself because you have the knowledge and skill to spot what suits your needs. Fashion has always been amazing in helping people rediscover themselves. It is truly an art of self-expression.

So, what are the final takeaways?

Look for items that feel good on your body and your skin.
Look for inspiration everywhere and incorporate it into your own unique style.
Never compromise on good quality material, fabric, and something you can repeat
Walk and talk with confidence
Flaunt and flex your style, there’s nobody who can do it like you
If you don’t absolutely love it, don’t buy it!
Your style can keep changing!

And this is how you can use fashion to become more confident in your own skin. How awesome would that feel?

“At its essence, style is a complicated, endlessly fascinating human capacity. It is our spirit and what we think, our creativity, our individual way of being, and our intention for our clothes. To nurture a meaningful relationship with fashion, our task is to understand style, to hone it, to carefully craft it and make it our own.” — NADINE FARAG