Ideas To Shake Up Your Style

Scroll TikTok to find an aesthetic you enjoy, then go to your wardrobe and find an outfit that fits that aesthetic.

Aesthetics are all the rage now! Personally I have different sides to my style and I can't fit all my outfits into just one category, but there are people on TikTok whose entire lives fit a specific aesthetic. It makes for very beautiful content!

There are so many to choose from - light/dark/classic academia, cottagecore, princesscore, 'that girl', coastal grandmother and many, many more. I have a lot of outfits in my wardrobe that are inspired by the cottagecore trend, with long, flowing dresses like this smocked sage green one from Amazon, straw accessories and floppy hats. It's probably not 'official' cottagecore but it's my preferred version of it. Find your own aesthetics that you enjoy, and if they suit your style you'll probably find that you already own pieces you can create outfits from to fit that aesthetic. Take it even further and wear the outfit to an event or location that fits the aesthetic too! I love wearing my cottagecore outfits on picnics.

Look to style icons and Pinterest to find outfits you can recreate at home.

A classic outfit that Jennifer Aniston wore in Friends has been doing the rounds on social media lately so I decided to do my own version of it. I don't see the point of hunting down and spending money on items that look exactly like the ones Rachel wore, because then that's not my outfit, that's just a copy. Instead, I went to my wardrobe and chose pieces I already had that created a similar look, inspired by Rachel's preppy outfit but not exactly the same as it.

You could also head to Pinterest and type in an item that you are currently struggling to style, such as 'white jeans', and see if you have items similar to the results that come up, then have a go at recreating those outfits too.

Just this one, throw the rulebook out of the window.

If you've been here before, you'll know I have several rules/guidelines when it comes to my wardrobe. For instant, I don't make impulse purchases. I only add something to my wardrobe if I've been considering buying it for a while. I also only buy things I know I can style with the items I already own. I have a lot of hoops to jump through before I can buy anything new for my wardrobe!

However, I did at one point worry a bit too much about these rules and it took the fun out of fashion. I then decided that every now and again I would allow myself to be more frivolous, and follow my heart rather than my head once in a while.

If, like me, you tend to overthink your purchases, allow yourself one or two impulse buys and see if that reboots your enthusiasm for your wardrobe. (Don't buy too much though! We don't want to end up spending a fortune on a load of stuff we won't wear. Just treat yourself to a couple of things you've fallen in love with.)

As somebody who wants to curate a capsule wardrobe and only buy pieces that I can see myself wearing for many years to come, sometimes my wardrobe can feel a little... bare.

Timeless items of clothing are often expensive, and I'm a serial de-clutterer! So I declutter a lot but can't always afford to buy new items, and my wardrobe gets a bit empty. Vinted has become my new favourite app!

You can scroll for ages on Vinted and find some really good pieces. This Jack Wills dress was a mere £7 on the app. I also found a Ted Baker dress for £30 and a 100% silk scarf for £18. These items would all have been triple those prices new.

If you need to buy lots of new items, try shopping secondhand before you head out to the high street shops. If you look hard enough, you can get better quality pieces at affordable prices.