Those who know their own style DNA can more easily decide whether a trendy item will work for them or if it is best to opt against it. Photo: Pexels
You may opt for a sporty look, go minimalist or be all about flowers and frills.
But many of us struggle to find the right style, as we are bombarded with images online of cheap fashionable goods and fast-changing trends.
Madeline Dangmann, fashion editor at Glamour magazine, says having your own style means feeling comfortable and confident in what you are wearing, regardless of what everyone else is wearing and the latest trends.
"It's not about chasing each and every trend but wearing items that suit you and that you enjoy wearing in the long term," she says.
Style is not a rigid construct but something that evolves over time, according to Dangmann.
"You shouldn't impose a fashion style on yourself that doesn't fit your everyday life. Then you soon start to feel you are wearing a costume."
Instead, she says, it's important to stay true to yourself and choose clothing that highlights your personality.
Read more: Fashion’s new power move? Turning away from influencers and the overhyped
To discover what defines your own style, Dangmann recommends taking stock of your wardrobe.
"Lay out the items you love to wear the most and see what they have in common."
That will help you develop a kind of "style DNA" to guide your purchases in future.
When shopping, she says as a rule, a new item of clothing should spontaneously fit into three different outfits.
If it doesn't, it probably doesn't match your personal style, she says.
You can also create mood boards or digital inspiration collections online as useful tools to find out what you are drawn to.
Social media, in particular, increases the pressure on people to constantly try out new fashion.
"We live in the age of micro-trends," says Dangmann. "As soon as you've tried one, the next one is already here."
But those who know their own style DNA can more easily decide whether a trendy item will work for them or if it is best to opt against it.
One mistake many make is to focus too much on their role models and buy clothes more suited to an ideal image that is unrelated to their everyday life, says Dangmann.
"This leads to bad purchases and clothes that remain unworn in the wardrobe."
Read more: What does it really take to dress like a fashionable Milanese woman today?
Spontaneous trend-driven shopping is also a bad idea, in her view. She suggests instead people invest in fewer but higher-quality items.
As a foundation, Dangmann is a proponent of the capsule wardrobe, meaning having a small and basic but high-quality set of clothing.
That means a pair of jeans that fit well, a white shirt or T-shirt, a blazer and a timeless bag.
You can combine these in many ways and complement them with trendy items, she says.
In general, though, each person understands timelessness differently. For one, it might be a black bag, for someone else, a red one.
