5 tips to find your own personal style

If there's one thing 2020 probably taught us, it's having greater consciousness. Consciousness of ourselves and of the world around us, and this is also reflected in the choices we make every day: from the products we buy at the supermarket, to the people we decide to spend our free time with, from the books we read to the choices in terms of style.

Having more and more awareness of one's choices means seeking our own personal style, a topic that has recently been discussed a lot by fashion enthusiasts (and not only). But what does it mean to have your own personal style?

"When it comes to style, we always associate ourselves with clothes and the way we dress, but style is much more than this. Having your own style means first of all being self-conscious, not only on the surface - aesthetically - but also in depth. So I believe that everyone has their own style, but that not everyone has a sense of aesthetics or - even more difficult - self-perception. I also believe that not being able to recognize your own style today is like not knowing whether we like chocolate or not. In style, it works exactly the same way: I know for a fact that I love to wear wide pants, but I also know that I would never wear the same pants if they were in velvet. Then there are intolerances, that is, the things we like but cannot really wear because the result would be far too odd and probably annoying." - says Giulia Loreti De Paolis, aka @giulialdp.

Although it may often seem difficult to find your own style, in a moment where we are overwhelmed by external influences in every area of life, especially in terms of style, we can all take this path. That's why nss G-Club asked the 5 precious tips by Giulia Loreti De Paolis - producer by day and writer by night, with a huge passion for books, feathers and for people with bad taste - to better face the search for our own style. Start taking notes!

1. Get to know yourself - or study yourself.

My first advice is a bit like that of Apollo's oracle in Delphi, the first step is to investigate within yourself and become aware of who you are - but also who you would like to be. It is something that I repeat often and that I care a lot because in my case the evolution of the style took place through an inner discomfort. I used to have - and sometimes it still happens today - a deep intimate discomfort towards myself and my image (we shouldn't be afraid to admit it). For this reason, it is so important for me to be comfortable with the representation of myself I choose to give others every day - and not only through the clothes, but also through words, gestures, movements etc. I would never want an inner discomfort to preclude me from new opportunities, so here is the second step to take in order to look beyond.

2. Feel free and don't force yourself. 

One of the things I've learned is to free myself from so many beliefs and thoughts that lived only in my head. I think it is important to free ourselves from all our thoughts and look at ourselves rationally from the outside - a little critical sense does not hurt, but not too much! We should never force ourselves to follow - or wear - something that is not for us or that doesn't make us feel good. We should learn to look at things from the right perspective, and for this the third tip will be very useful.

3. Don't take yourself too seriously.

After all, style is nothing more than an exercise. Once we are free from discomfort, we can train ourselves to play and dare by experimenting. Trying and trying again is the best thing to do, it may seem a cliché but mistakes are even more important and the essential thing is to never take yourself too seriously! So go ahead with a mix of unlikely colors, animal prints - which still remain my favorites - flashy vintage jewelry, geometric shapes, etc: balance will come and you will soon find your personality. But there is one thing that will help you: do research! And here comes the fourth piece of advice.

4. Train yourself and your taste.

It is true that some people have a greater sensitivity towards good taste and aesthetics, but it is also true that good taste needs to be trained. Style, in particular, is influenced by the cultural environments we are in, so it is also good to experiment and learn as much as possible. Read books, visit exhibitions - when possible - watch cult movies - you will learn a lot from costumes and photography - study the biographies of those you admire, be passionate, learn to observe, study the disciplines you don't like and do it without prejudice. All this will help you get an idea of what fits your personality and will make it easier for you to get to the last step.

5. Find your identity.

Having a personal style means - among other things - being recognizable. Following and learning about fashion is beautiful, but being authentic and being yourself is amazing. With this sentence, I would never say that we should stop experimenting at some point, but that once we found the balance and our identity - both in terms of style and character - we can move away from a "trend" to the other while remaining focused. Maybe that's the hardest part of the game, but it's also the most interesting prospect.