This summer, I decided to break free from TikTok trend cycles and try to develop a signature sense of style without external influences. Blame the movie makeovers we grew up on, but sometimes the urge to customize your avatar takes over. We know a BRAT-coded Charli XCX look when we see one, or a Sabrina Carpenter-inspired boot when it appears on our feed, but what if we could apply the same creative world-building to our own wardrobes?
When I was an 18-year-old intern at a fashion magazine, I vividly remember assisting on my very first photoshoot. I became fascinated by how stylists could turn a rack of even the most questionable clothes into editorial magic. That's when I realized: behind every iconic look, there was a simple mood board filled with aesthetic references where it all starts. It turns out the key to curating style is knowing your inspo. Celebs and their stylists have truly perfected the art of curation through referencing, often creating entire universes around their upcoming album or movie (Zendaya and Law Roach never miss in this department). So, I figured that if I could apply the same vision to my own closet, then every day would feel like my own personal runway.
After playing it too safe for too long, I grew tired of the neutral minimalism that had once brought me comfort. It was time to become the creative director of my closet. To escape my feed, I had to get familiar with my own taste, so I created a mood board of looks that embodied my ideal style. Picture '90s Calvin Klein runway looks, old school supermodel glamour, and '90s sitcom chic inspired by characters like Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City and Toni Childs from Girlfriends.
My own style criteria is pretty simple: Will I love it when I’m 90 and will it biodegrade? As much as my wardrobe should be timeless, I don’t want my clothes to outlive me in a landfill or burden the shores of the Global South. Becoming a more selective consumer means I buy less and spend on quality instead, saving both my bank account and closet space.
Empowered with a visual roadmap of timeless style goals, I spent one week bringing my Pinterest board to life, challenging myself to only use what I already own. (Yes, this is first and foremost a no-buy makeover.)
I knew I needed some help bringing my main character arc to life, so I turned to Chani Ra, the creator of the podcast and TikTok series The Fashion Nap, who has built a following for her fashion commentary and style breakdowns of icons like Kate Moss and Rihanna, as well as "it" girls like Hailey Bieber and Bella Hadid. Ra dives deep into their inspo across fashion history, cinema, and subcultures, while teaching her followers to take what they love about their faves and make it their own.
Style has to exist in harmony with your lifestyle, so I shared my hobbies and interests with Ra, like my love for a last-minute trip. Getting dressed every day is one of the most intimate forms of self-expression, so sharing my mood board and getting actionable feedback almost felt like getting a birth chart reading. It was fun to have a fresh eye put cool brands and niche thrifting search terms on my radar.
I quickly realized that the biggest barrier to reaching your full style potential isn’t money or lifestyle, it’s every limitation we put on ourselves. Once puberty hit, I always searched for ways to achieve a more proportional look. I eventually discovered the Kibbe “image identity” system, which helped me figure out which silhouettes are the most flattering on my shape. Yet it never quite taught me that with a bit of creativity and confidence, you can make any style work for you. “[With] these types of breakdowns, I think you should take from it what you should wear and disregard what you shouldn’t wear…you need to be able to opt out of the standard whenever you want,” Ra explains.
Before this makeover, you would never catch me in an oversized knit. I always worried they wouldn’t be flattering on a fuller chest, but my style journey taught me that oversized clothing is actually a power move. “I think everybody needs to embrace oversized silhouettes, especially as women. It’s very powerful for us to be able to have parts of our wardrobe where we can completely disregard having a body type,” Ra says. So, in perhaps the first time in my adult life, I decided to rock a mini skirt. It’s a staple I’d always avoided, fearing it would make me look top-heavy, but Ra suggested pairing it with a more modest top to create balance.
It’s so easy to put off showing up as your dream self due to doubt or a lack of resources. But nothing should ever stop you from showing off, so don’t be too shy to dip into the closets of your community. During my no-buy makeover, whenever I wanted to refresh an outfit repeat, there was always a sibling or friend I could borrow an accessory or two from. “It’s almost like you get dressed in your clothes and then your clothes get dressed in your accessories,” says Ra.
Tapping into the closets of your community is an underrated hack to refresh your look, but we are not all lucky to have that. If that's your case, try out a clothing rental app. It’s such an affordable and sustainable way to live out your fashion wish list, making even the most unreal pieces temporarily part of your wardrobe.
A touch of resourcefulness is not only an affordable and sustainable way to live out your fashion wishlist, but it also helps you get into a stylist state of mind so you don’t just wear your clothes, but communicate your identity through them. That’s why replicating the exact look on my mood board was never the goal. A signature style is built by telling your own stories and interests through the universal language of fashion — and that's ultimately what should be top of mind.
I tried to channel this mindset by wearing pieces I had collected on my travels, like my favorite butter-yellow keffiyeh, which I purchased on the side of the road during a road trip in the Jordanian desert. With the help of a TikTok tutorial, I transformed the scarf into a slouchy tote, which I then converted into a shawl when the evening got chilly. It created a creative two-in-one workaround to my no-buy rule and encouraged me to experiment with new ways to wear everyday pieces.
By rummaging through my own (and my older sister’s) closet each morning, I learned to embrace the play in dress up. Curating a sense of style can be as simple as becoming your own muse. So why not add yourself to your mood board, shop your own closet, and document your looks to learn what you loved and what didn’t quite hit the mark?
