Hey everyone,

I know some people just have "the eye" for good fashion, but I am so lost. A lot of the stuff that I want/like seems to either be overpriced or unattainable. But I'm honestly sick of being the T-shirt and jeans/sweats type of girl (and trust me, that is pretty much what I wear every single day.) I have some cute dresses but they only can be worn on super fancy occasions.

The worst part is, I am 18 years old and my mother STILL insists on shopping for me (she does all of my shopping.) She doesn't give me any money to shop for myself because she doesn't trust my taste. I admit, I my mom has pretty cute taste (she keeps up with the times) but I have never really gotten a chance to develop my own personal style and wear what I like (she really likes to dress me up as the "preppy" type but I don't really like that style to be honest.) I have tried talking to her about it but she doesn't seem to like what I like, and if she doesn't she won't buy clothes the clothes that "don't look good on me" for me.

I am most afraid of just putting together something completely mismatched and none of my friends really have styles that I like :P

So does anyone have any times on helping me develop my own style? Suggestions on what I should do (just spend some time flipping through magazines, observing etc)? Do I need to get a job to start buying the clothes I like?? I am a poor college student at the moment

Well, for me, it was trial and error, but when I couldn't have something that I wanted, I opted to make something out of what I had.

By that, I mean I ended up just mutilating the clothes I had and making new and different outfits. Lucky for me, my mother was very supportive, and even taught me how to sew. Maybe that might send the message to your mom that I'm not exactly what you want me to be, that I want to have a vision of my own and I will express that by any means necessary.

Of course, she may bitch you out for it, but what's life without risk, and I think that you have to make risks in order to figure out what works for you.

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boys in makeup ftw.

I spend alot of time looking at magazines and when im shopping i take inspiration from mannequins i like. I like to put my own spin on it by buying pieces that are versatile and could go with alot of different pieces. Idk if that helps but yeah thats pretty much what I do if im stuck.

I found things that made me feel confident and went with it. I noticed things that didn't work for me, and figured out what it was that didn't work, and tried to find things that had all the desirable qualities at the same time.

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Sugar Loving
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Hmmm...I am still figuring it out because I change my look every few years. Through trying different styles that I would see in the stores I found what I liked, what looked good on me and what I should never attempt to wear. I look in stores, I look at my favorite celebrities, I look at people walking down the street and at friends. It's something that changes and evolves as you change and evolve.

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C.O.L.O.U.R.S.

"Cool Outrageous Lovers of Uniquely Raw Styyyyyyle"

Mine always started out being weird. At least that's what people said...I had the whole Cindy Lauper thing going on...in the sense that I would just put so much stuff together...then in HS I got into the Alternative/Skater/Grunge look...
The I went to jeans, a tee and cute accessories. It was like that for a while. A black tee, a great pair of jeans and just super cute shoes/purse/jewelry and I was ready.
Now I'm still the same but I've branched out to wearing more dresses, bold patterns (and not mixing other things with it) and I'm trying more trendy things. Like, for a while I thought I couldn't pull off the legging/dress look...and then one day I said what the hell and tried it and it looked good!

Sometimes you never know what looks good till you try it. So don't be afraid to try everything on...but don't be upset if something doesn't work for you. B/c once you do find what works for you and what flatters you the most then you can make yourself look like something your not (as in, I used to be a size 12 but nobody believed me b/c I always wore clothes that fit my shape properly).

It's really just trial and error...and looking at magazines and even people you see on the street...if you see something you like, just try it! and you really have to learn to screw what other people think about it!!!

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well i kinda do what i want, i go with what feels comfortable for me. I dont have a type of look i go for. I just have staples (jeans) are a must, i love shoes if i have some really funky shoes i go plain with the outfit, if the outfit is really busy i go for either simple or no accessories etc. The best way to determine what you like is to play around with diff stuff. If you cant afford new stuff revamp old stuff there are plenty of sites that give you ez directions.

p.s.
Style is a very personal thing, if somebody doesnt like what you like thats cool. Dont feel like you have to go with what everyone else is doing

I'm exactly the same way, my style changes all the time because people style just evolves as time passes. I'm more of a preppy kind though... it's the undertone for more of my outfits, but I do expand to other things. I just feel that you should wear what makes you feel beautiful and comfortable. And stay in YOUR comfort zone, not your friend's or your mom's.

It seems as if I immediately go for sle racks and thrift shops for clothes lol. Whever sucks me in in the right places, semi-fun, reasonably priced..I'm there.
I suck at clothes myself!

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Seeing the New Kids on Oct 16th!!!

I like wearing things that are a little different, but still in style.

Like the whole tights fashion, the safe tights everyone wears is typically a basic opaque black. While I do have these, I also like wearing tights that have patterns in them or have bright colors. So while I'm still playing off what's "trendy" I have my own personal twist to it.

Plus it's fun when people look at u, look at ur legs, and look back at you hehe. If your not getting noticed, your not putting enough effort into being individual.

A lot of trial and error.

I went to a relatively well-to-do public high school after growing up in a pretty poor neighborhood and going to private school, so spending $$$ on clothes and picking out different outfits everyday was a mind-boggling concept. Even when I wore what was "in," I had a more urban aesthetic than my suburban classmates, so I was always sticking out like a sore thumb. So I sort of gave up, and wore whatever caught my eye, dyed my hair purple, etc.

Then I went to college in nyc, and I think I sort of absorbed a sense of style without consciously realizing it. I gave up all the bright weird colors I used to wear in high school sort of by chance: there was only one washing machine free and it was either do the darks, or do the brights (I never really wore lights), I figured I'll do the darks b/c it'll be less hassle to match and put together outfits with that half of my wardrobe available. And then I ended up in typical New York black & grey and really liked it. A side effect of that, is when you have 10 black tshirts to choose from, you start paying more attention to detail and accessories.

So... that's sort of that. I wear mostly dark neutrals (black, brown, grey, olive are faves), with a pop of color (mostly in accessories: jewelry, shoes, or makeup). It allows me to easily put together outfits without thinking much about it, and pull off bolder accessories (red shoes, or a huge cocktail ring, or w/e). Though, among my much more casual friends, showing up in red heels makes just about as much of a statement as showing up with purple hair-- to an extent, it feels like I'm drawing on the same I-don't-give-a-damn confidence that I did in high school when I wore really weird things.

If your mom is really that concerned about you shopping by yourself, maybe hit the stores together and pick out the stuff for yourself. Maybe hit an H&M or something (they're cheap, and have tons of stuff from basic to trendy), and stick to basics first. It's harder to mismatch them, and easier to incorporate a basic piece into a number of styles (keep experimenting!). Hopefully you can steer her towards chic basics (or w/e style you like) instead of preppy basics to warm her up to the idea of another style.

Since you are in college, go to the library and check out some books on fashion and design. Research the different the different catagories of style. See what your eye is drawn to in the book. Then, you will recognize where designers get their ideas from and what classification their styles fall into.

After this, you will know what your own individual style is. You may want to create your own looks. As Hilly mentioned about the thrift stores, you can create a whole new look from clothes purchased there. You can make them look retro, current, or all your own.

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I have two basic types of outfit: functional, or 'effort'. Either way I tend to live in my Doc Martens.

Functional = outdoors gear (Goretex or eVENT fabric stuff), boots, jeans, waterproofs, breathables, etc. Things that let you walk in any weather in Scotland without being drenched, too hot, too cold, etc. Things that let you see the Highlands without dying of hypothermia.

'Effort' = anything that isn't immediately functional. I prefer bright, noisy tight t-sh