Individuality & High Street Fashion
The internet is a wonderful thing when it comes to fashion inspiration. A simple search for “black jumper” or “blue denim” can return hundreds upon thousands of results, giving you new and fresh ideas of how to style these items in different ways to how you have done previously. It can introduce us to brands we’ve never heard of before, show us new styles of our favourite staples and can connect us with like-minded people to discuss the things we love about fashion, and even the things we don’t. It is a treasure trove of new ideas for old items and yet it also has its downfalls. Aside from the promotion of fast fashion and the industry’s portal of a very specific beauty ideal it can also lead to a lack of originality and leaving everyone wearing exactly the same thing. In a world where you want to stand out and create your own dress code, how do you do this when everyone is shopping from the same places and buying the same key items?
I’m sure we can all think of *those* key items from this season that everyone has been wearing. This leopard dress for example from Zara is one of them. Those satin skirts, that face drawn ASOS T, the list goes on. There is absolutely nothing wrong with loving these items, buying them and making them staples within your wardrobe. Of course, there is a good reason why they are popular in the first place and avoiding something just because everyone else likes it has never been a compelling enough reason for me to avoid it. But as someone who loves experimenting with style, finds different fashion trends exciting and loves to browse new collections from all stores, it can sometimes feel a little stale when I see everyone, myself included, dressed in the same way, no matter how gorgeous those outfits are.
To overcome this there are a couple of easy things that I do and have been trying this season that I have found have helped combat this feeling.
The first is obvious but start look in new places. If you’re always looking in the same places as everyone else then you’re only going to see what everyone else is seeing. There are so many smaller independent brands online now and beautiful boutiques in local towns where you can find something a little different. It’s also good to look elsewhere for fashion inspiration, look to different instagramers and bloggers, pick up different magazines and try and find inspiration in more unusual places.
Often it isn’t so much about the piece but how you wear it. You can give 10 people the same item but they could all style it in such different ways that it looks like a totally different item. Instead of just wearing it how you saw it on the mannequin or one person on Insta why not take a step back and see what else you can style it with that you already own. This leopard dress is exactly how it comes, but it also works well with a black roll neck underneath. Black knee-high boots and a large black belt would change up the look again whilst throwing on a big chunky knit over the top will give more of an illusion that the leopard dress is actually a skirt. Come the summer I will revert to wearing it with tan sliders and a wicker back for another look. Mixing up how you style it and what you wear it with can help to give a really unique twist on an otherwise very commercial product.
Re-wearing and re-cycling within the fashion industry is becoming increasingly popular and this can only be a good thing. But it’s also a brilliant way of adding a more unique twist on those popular items. Wear them again the following year to have something a little different in your wardrobe or simply pair them with items in your wardrobe that you’ve had for a few seasons. It will quickly re-vamp the look, give it a different twist and you can almost be certain that no one else will be wearing quite the same as you.
There are plenty of ways to make a basic or popular item feel more like your own, but one thing I have found the most effective is embracing the fact that other people will be wearing the same thing as you, and that is fine. Confidence makes any outfit look instantly better and not caring how the people around you are dressed feeds directly into that. Yes you may be the 4th person within the space of a week to wear that Zara dress into the office but ultimately it doesn’t matter. The best way to set yourself apart from everyone who has worn it before you is to just embrace how brilliant and happy you feel when you wear it, ooze confidence and people’s focus will start to shift away from just the clothes that you’re wearing. At the end of the day it really doesn’t matter, and unless you are creating all of your own items or only buying one-off pieces then the chances are you will encounter people wearing the same as you. Yes, there is a strong argument that it is boring to see different people in the same high street (or designer, the price is not the determining factor here) item day after day but it is to be expected. You can still add your own twist and ultimately it is your confidence and personality that is going to set you a part.
It does feel strange, that in a world where so many of us want to have influence over what everyone else will be wearing, we still hate the idea of wearing the same as someone else.
It does feel strange, that in a world where so many of us want to have influence over what everyone else will be wearing, we still hate the idea of wearing the same as someone else. It is a strange juxtaposition but one that is only really overcome by taking out own spins on different items and wearing them in our own ways. It’s easy to obsess over these things, to worry that we’re just following the rest of herd and opting for the “easy” items, particuarly if you are someone that loves fashion. But as we’ve previously covered, there is nothing wrong with liking the things that are popular, there is a reason these items were created in the first place afterall - to sell and to be bought by the large majoirty of the market in a commercial enviorment. It’s also worth taking into account that things always seem so much more popular online than they do in real life. That pesky algortithm can convince you that anything is on trend and that you’re the only person who doesn’t have a pair of dad trainers (is it possible that I am the only person in the UK without a pair?), just as this can convince you that you need to buy this it also works the other way and can be a real deterent, but don’t let it. If you don’t like something then don’t buy into the trend, but if you love it then go for it, regardless of whether you’ll be matching with at least 3 other people on the tube on Monday morning.
Fashion, particularly trends, are meant to be enjoyed and the chances are that those *it* pieces won’t even be on trend in a couple of months time. Sure they may come back around but in the meantime don’t give yourself a hard time if you’re wearing the same Zara items as everyone else. If you like it and you feel happy and confident that really is all that matters. I adore this leopard dress and will be wearing it for weeks and months to come, regardless if I end up twinning with every other woman on the train in the morning. After all, at least you know you’re not to only one that thinks you look great
