Personal Style in the Age of Instagram

I was having a conversation with my sister-in-law the other day about what it's like finding fashion inspiration in the day of Instagram. On one hand, it's awesome because it's everywhere. Outfit and shopping ideas are readily available at a "swipe up" of the thumb. Everyday I save ideas that I love from social media. Chances are you follow a handful of fashion influencers who share their outfits on a daily basis with a liketoknow.it link. It can make things so easy. Like Ariana Grande says, "I see it, I like it, I want it, I buy it."

But have you ever had an experience where you buy something from an influencer's post, and it arrives and looks TOTALLY different on you than it did on her? Or maybe you just can't put your finger on why it doesn't feel as great as you were expecting when you saw it on Instagram?

I call this the "white bag problem." When I lived in New York, I was obsessing over bright white handbags. I would see them on other girls and thought they looked so fresh. But then when I would go to Barney's to hold one and look in the mirror, something felt off. I later learned that it was because white isn't my power neutral. Read more about that here if you're curious, but long story short, it wasn't a good match with my dark hair and looked too overbearing and off balance on me. Great for the occasional summer or vacay outfit but not an everyday investment purchase like it would be for a blonde. 

There are certain bloggers I LOVE to follow - Rachel Parcell and Sincerely Jules are two examples. They both have impeccable style and know their aesthetic to a T. Sometimes I get tempted to recreate their looks because I'm so inspired by them, but I stop myself and remember that my OWN style is different from theirs. Rachel is the ultimate elegant, feminine lady. Sincerely Jules has a boho look I love but she's very petite and thin, with dark olive skin. I wish I could pull off her outfits, but I would need to recreate them in a totally different way to make them work for me. All around, they both nail their fashion but for us followers there's a difference between loving how their rock a style all their own, and trying to mimic the same style ourselves. 

In one of my free mini style sessions over the phone the other day, I spoke to a girl who said she doesn't feel in touch with her own style. She said when she gets together with friends, she bases her outfit choices on how those friends dress. This really got to me, because I think the feeling is SO common. Sometimes we don't even realize we're doing it, but it never allows you to feel truly confident when you leave the house. Wouldn't it feel so much better to have your own sense of style? To wear only the things that feel 100% authentic to you, and never feel the need to copy others unless it happens to be in perfect alignment with your own goals?

This is exactly why I do what I do. Every woman deserves to be her own "influencer," creating a style all her own that makes other people stop and admire. There's a certain unspoken X factor when your personal style represents exactly who you are, flatters all your own physical features, and lights you up when you get dressed. This is not something that can be created by just buying everything someone else is wearing. It comes from within, and my life purpose is to help you find it. 

P.S. The spring special has been extended! Get completely set for 2 seasons, for the price of 1. Book before 4/30 before my regular package prices go up!

Photography by Ashley Burns