Recently, on one of my doom scrolling excursions, I came across an older woman showing her outfit, captioned, “thrifted Desigual dress”. She was wearing a faded, 90s-esque blue smokey eyeshadow, a chunky knotted necklace, and of course, the Desigual dress.
Most of the comments were talking about how this was a glimpse into their future, and that they could not wait to be like her when they got older. This woman’s distinct style carried into her middle age years. She was wearing what she wanted with complete confidence, and had even mentioned her Vinted (an online secondhand website), profile in her bio.
Seeing this stranger propelled me into a thought spiral about what I would be wearing in my future. I wondered whether I would still have the self assertion and taste to wear what I truly wanted, no matter how my face or body had changed with age. I do not want to look back and reminisce so much on old photos of myself and the outfits that I wore as I get older, and instead, know that I can still keep and grow a distinct style.
A strong sense of personal style comes with an understanding of who you are, and sticking with it. I have realized that my style will be changing for the rest of my life. No matter what I wear, there is inspiration, intention, a hint at what I prefer. As soon as I lose that, my personal style will only start to diminish.
In a world where trends are cycling through faster than ever, and with aging and beauty pitted against each other, it is more than difficult to resonate with certain styles or articles of clothing.
I am always on the hunt to find styles that I love, and consciously wear elements I know will communicate my sense of self. The basics to honing in a personal style for oneself can easily be muted, yet discussing fashion in the context of the world truly shows that personal expression can be a core trait in all of us.
I know that I have the rest of my life to find and wear the thrifted dress of m dreams. But it is me ruminating on my style now that will have my futu