Dress for who you are: how to start finding your personal style

New microtrends appear on social media every other week, making style feel more accessible while encouraging fast-fashion buys. True style, experts say, is different: it’s about dressing in a way that brings out your true self and "the version of you that feels most honest, most alive", as Stephanie Yeboah puts it.

Rachel Tashjian distinguishes two kinds of personal style. One is the "frankly old-fashioned idea of finding out what silhouettes, fabrics and colors look good on you and feel right for your lifestyle" — a rules-based, flattering approach. The other is more expansive, an almost artistic way of combining experiences, interests and aspirations into an individual expression; only a few reach that high, iconic level, but most of us can still learn to dress in ways that reflect who we are.

Finding your style starts with paying attention. "Developing personal style is essentially building a relationship with yourself by noticing patterns, testing boundaries and refining," Yeboah says.

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