how to find your PERSONAL STYLE + CLOSET ESSENTIALS that work for you!

the best way to have a style glow up in 2024 is to find wardrobe essentials that actually work for your personal style!! just sharing some of my thoughts on how you can achieve a closet of clothes you actually want to wear, hopefully it's helpful ♡

follow me on ig - @stealthespotlight
follow me on tiktok - @stealthespotlight

what i'm wearing;
dress - thrifted (brand scolar)
blouse - yesstyle
skirt - yesstyle
denim choker - markets
crochet bows - made by my mum :)

my closet essentials (in order they were feautred)
bow baby tee - buyee (mezzo piano)
oversized jersey - 2000s archives
white skirt - yesstyle
cargo skirt - thrifted
lace skirt - buyee
black skirt - yesstyle
white blouse - yesstyle
cami tops - thrifted, knitwit the label, thrifted, kirsh, thrifted, thrifted
white/cream outerwear - first one is korean underground mall, the rest are thrifted
pink short hoodie - buyee (angel blue)
stripe short sleeve - thrifted
vests - nasty fancy, yesstyle, factorie
tshirts - dydo shop, hysteric glamour, kirsh
light wash jean - princess polly
dark wash jeans - lewkin
sweatshirts - sculptor, kirsh, buyee
plaid items - thrifted (except brown mini skirt from ledin)
babydoll dress - buyee (hysteric glamour)
white babydoll dress - princess polly
headphones - marley
belt - thrifted
beanie - fuguihua
faux fur headband - asos
stripe scarf - acubi club
lacey scarf - thrifted
(there's definitely a few more i forgot to feature but this was just to get an idea, let me know if you want another video styling everything as a capsule wardrobe)

i feel like i'm so awkward with these videos because i never want to come across as preachy because i'm by no means an expert and truly believe you should just wear whatever you want!! this is more so to help you figure out what it is you like and want to wear.

ftc: not sponsored

Chat to me on;

[mallshoggoth]

this isn't something you directly suggested in the video BUT it gave me the idea of making a pinterest board with just pictures of my own outfits and I think I'm gonna get a lot of mileage out of that in 2024

[Reggie_la]

Ive been craving a "realistic outfits of the week" video

[nessafrankenstein]

honestly i really needed this i have so many clothes and don’t really know what to do with them anymore

[mrsclark]

Eclectic grandpa was my thrifting 17-year-old selfs identity back in the mid-90’s😂 I was always on the hunt for plaid grandpa trousers in thick wooly materials to wear with funky vintage tops ❤

[camillenaudin]

I am currently obsessed with "changing my style" (not really changing but expand on it) and I ncame up with something that works great for me, and I think that it would complement the tips of this video quite nicely, so I'll walk you through it :

First I made a list of styles and aesthetics I find myself driven to. (I have grunge, punk, emo, goth, fairycore, hippie, witchy, goblincore, grandpacore, hobbitcore and pirate. As you can see, there are two main categories, one that would be alt, and the other one more whimsycal)


I then went to pinterest and searched each style, making a board with everything, and also a specific board for each.

Simultaneously, but you can do it afterwards (directly in the table would be the most efficient), I wrote down every element I liked in the outfits. Of course some elements are common to multiple styles.

You could stop there but I'm a little bit crazy and I love stats, so I made a table on notion, with a column for each style, one to indicate if I could make the item myself, and another one to specify which kind of element it was (a specific cut, a colorpalette, an accessory, a certain pattern, certain fabric ...) And of course the first column is for the elements themselves.

And now comes the tedious part : writing down every single element, and checking the corresponding boxes.

This way, I can see clearly the most versatile elements, that would be the items I'm gonna look for in priority. When comparing with my wardrobe, I can see what is missing, and what I got covered.

When I went through my wardrobe, I kept in mind the aesthetic I want (I ended up naming it "anarchist fairy" cause it fits my vibe). For each item, the questions were : Does it suit my style ? If not : Is there a practical use for it (clothes that are appropriate for a working environment, sports clothes, warm clothes for the mountain ...) And a very important one : does it spark joy ? If it doesn't fit the vibe I'm going for but I love it and wear it all the time, I keep it.

Not gonna lie, a lot of my clothes went to the "to fix or transform" pile. Some things I kept just for the fabric.

I am far from done, but it was really fun to do, I now have a clear idea of what I am looking for (my top 3 items needed are a brown corset belt, black fingerless gloves, and elf ears. These ones are not an emergency, but since there's no way I could make it myself I might as well get them as soon as possible. Plus they make me really happy, and I want to have a pierced pair, so I can add jewelry and not give a f**k if the quality is terrible cause it will only go in plastic ears.

That was a very long comment but I thought the process might help some of y'all

[blueblueblueb]

i love these tips. i think it may be helpful for people struggling to build a personal style to go through their wardrobe — including shoes/jewelry/socks/hats/keychains/etc., and ask themselves, “would i buy this again? why or why not?”

once you’re able to articulate WHAT u like about a piece & WHY u like it — it becomes much easier to build a wardrobe you’ll get a lot of wear out of :) ppl should approach trends this way too!! instead of blindly buying a similar item — ask yourself WHY u like that particular item. for example: i loved the feminine look of tiered skirts in the “fairycore” trend - so i’ve applied that to many items in my wardrobe to this day.

[dtkeight]

I love the idea of using your interests/hobbies to build up your style and idk how it didn’t occur to me earlier. I always find myself gravitating towards items that feels like they'd pop straight out of early 2000's cartoon network (love this video btw, the title cards are super cute)

[jemi_]

I love how you personalized the closet essentials! People often forget that their wardrobe staples will probably look very different from others' especially once a personal style is established. So happy to see more of your content in 2024 💕

[akame]

I love the direction of sustainability and mindful consumption / ethically loving fashion without buying too much

[MissNobodySpecial]

My advice and struggle

Tips:
- I have kept a running list of things I need to buy for years....turns out a list of things I need to stop buying is just as useful. We all have things we love in theory but just don't work for us (alternatively we have too many of - tight turtlenecks for me)
-Try out anything and everything to get more "data" even if you don't end up using it long-term. I had an app to track stuff in my closet for a couple months, I looked into Kibbie body types, etc.
- look for people who are your "style goals" and follow them on social media - you will see which pieces they wear over and over again its great inspo
- Give yourself time, you won't gain anything by rushing it, only have a bigger chance of messing up. It's a long process and you will learn over time

Struggle:
- I'm definitely not the only one who feels like they need 3 separate closets - it's hard for me to find my "signature pieces" when I have to think about outfits for work (I'm a teacher), outfits when I'm going out, and outfits for regular ME ect

[jackalopexjackalope]

The “style inspiration” bit really hit home! Letting your passions and hobbies and things have a little impact on your style can be a good shortcut to loving it more. My problem is I love geeky stuff but don’t really enjoy having them loudly emblazoned on my body and it’s also not work appropriate, so I made a compromise and curate pins to put on my everyday pin bag 😂!

Lovely video as always, happy 2024!

[korkinalina]

Went through my Pinterest board just yesterday and deleted things i know i would never wear or be able to restyle my way. It's important to separate the eye candy and your real goals

[chloew]

I started keeping an "outfits" pinterest with things similar to what i actually own separate from my general fashion board and it's so helpful especially when I don't know what to wear. I've also started using pinterest shuffles with pictures of my clothes like I used to use polyvore and keeping those in there. I know there were other polyvore alternatives but this one has really been the easiest for me. I'm still trying to reduce over-consumption but it's definitely helped.

[fairypenguinss]

I have a both "misc fashion" Pinterest board where I just pin anything I sorta like or find interesting, and then a much smaller, more curated "main" fashion board of what I consider my current style. So stuff I reasonably think I could wear/actually want to wear. As my style changes and evolves over time and or as the seasons change, I move pins between the two boards. If I'm no longer feeling into something in my main, curated board I'll 'demote' it to the misc board and vice versa. If something I was just curious or only slightly intrigued by becomes something I later get obsessed with, it'll get 'promoted' to my main board.

[avr]

such good advice and super personalized! a staple for me are simple boatneck longsleeve shirts and plattform sneakers. when its cold im wearing my beloved baby blue pufferjacket and beanie almost every day. im most inspired by the sixties, tho its hard to find certain pieces in the style of that decade.

Since im starting my first "real" job/intership this year, I, for the first time in my life, had to think about dressing work-appropriate. I would love a video from you on how to do business-casual without sacrificing your personal style

[QueenCloveroftheice]

What you said about the hobbies is so true because the whole reason I got into kawaii Japanese fashions like fairy kei and lolita is because I love magical girl anime, so I take a lot of style inspiration from them.

[nitzeart]

As someone from Mexico, I relate so much about the coat you showed I've definitely made the mistake before of buying clothing for really cold weather and never wearing it (or never having cold enough weather to wearing it) 😅 Especially jackets/coats. I just have a weakness for those and I love the cold so it's me wishful thinking 😢

[em-iyyz]

The Sylvanian Families 🥺 never thought of incorporating something like that into daily wearable outfits!! Can't wait to consume all your content this year 💗💗

[Bliss_x]

Love these videos these are so helpful as always!!!
outfit formulas/how to layer I think would also be great 🫶🏾🫶🏾

[chyennetatum]

you helped me out so much when i was re-finding my personal style during 2020 and honestly, i still keep your tips in the back of my mind when i'm shopping or putting together an outfit 😇 love seeing how your opinions and perspective on the subject evolve over time!