How to Be a Fashionista

Co-authored by Nejla Renee

Last Updated: November 2, 2021

A fashionista is someone who looks at fashion as a form of art. If you want to learn to follow fashion and look great, you can learn how to stay up on current fashion trends, as well as how to build a stylish wardrobe that will have you turning heads.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Staying Current

1
Look for fashion inspiration everywhere. Fashion is all around us, and by reading, watching and learning new things about the world and fashion, you will be inspired and in time become a fashionista. Start looking at the world as your canvas and create, whether it be by styling different clothing garments together, or sketching ideas of clothing garments you'd like to recreate or find in a store.
- For instance, if you live in a big city, you might spend time in some of the trendier neighborhoods.
- You can be inspired just by watching people walking on the streets!^{[1]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Nejla Renee
  Fashion Stylist & Image Consultant
  Expert Interview. 18 May 2020.}
- Think about fashion as an art form. Fashionistas may be equally influenced by Gucci as by music, fine art, or poetry.
2
Stay up on the trends in the industry. Watch what celebs and designers are wearing, and try to recreate those looks into your daily outfits as a fashionista. Try not to copy the looks exactly, but try to put your spin on things.
- Knowing what’s coming can help you buy trendy clothes before stores realize they can charge you twice as much as those clothes are worth.
- Look for things you've never seen before and wouldn't necessarily buy at first–they might be the next big thing.
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3
Do your fashion research on social media. On your personal Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages, follow as many style and fashion icons as possible. This way, you can get instant fashion updates at your fingertips. Search popular fashion hashtags and regularly go digging for new and surprising style inspirations online.
- Pinterest and Wanelo are great fashion-forward social networking pages that can help connect you with the fashion world.
- Start a profile and start saving things you like until you begin to develop a style you like that is all your own.
- Check out the "recommended" clothes that are near the things you save.
- In Wanelo, you can go to the "Magic" section which provides things they think you'll like based on your recent saves.
4
Buy fashion magazines.^{[2]
X
Expert Source

Nejla Renee
Fashion Stylist & Image Consultant
Expert Interview. 18 May 2020.} Fashion magazines are one of the classic touchstones of being a fashionable person. Particularly look out for magazines like Vogue or Marie Claire where the photography of the adverts can be as informative as the articles themselves. Magazines can give you some basic information about the fashion world.
- Carefully examine the details on photos. What is in now and what is not?
- Pay attention to the way people style the clothing to inspire your own styling choices.
- Can't afford to subscribe to that many fashion magazines? Read them at the bookstore, or head to the library and check out their subscription.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Building Your Wardrobe

1
Buck trends. If you want to be a fashionista, you don't have to like what everyone is wearing. By the time you figure out what's trendy and start dressing like other people, it'll be old hat. You don't have to look like the trend-setters out there, and you shouldn't want to. Aim to have your own style.
2
Get some solid essentials. Don’t just go out and buy a bunch of really cool pieces that match with one thing in your closet. You will soon feel that you are running out of clothes when truthfully you just bought a ton of statement pieces like a cool floral skirt with no plain tops to match it with.
- Get things like camisoles, plain sweaters and cardigans, a plain skirt, and a few neutral-colored dresses, so you'll have as many options as possible to match.
- If you aren't quite ready for wild colors, just go with black and neutrals to make sure you'll have choices.
3
Get plenty of shoe options. The right pair of shoes can make or break a fashionable outfit. Even a simple pair of form-fitting jeans with a cute top can look suddenly spiced up with a surprising pair of pumps. Shoes should be cute and comfortable, and you should have a variety of them to spice up your different looks.
- Boots elongate the leg and make you look super toned.
- Boots also work almost all year long. They're classic and won’t go out of style.
- A cute but casual pair of flats is important for any wardrobe. That does not mean running sneakers.
- Invest in a great pair of heels that will last a long time. Then you can get other ones you just like for some special occasions.
4
Shop smart. Fashion's a great hobby, as long as you can afford it. If you're on a budget, it's important to set a particular amount out of your funds that you're allowed to spend on money per month and stay strictly in that limit. You don't have to sacrifice style for cash, though, and you can learn to find quality items for cheap.
- Price items at different stores and always go back and compare. Don't go just to one fashion store and settle for what you find.
- Try to stay within your budget. You can splurge once in a while on a real statement piece, but there's a difference between fashionista and shopaholic.
5
Learn how to accessorize properly. Jewelry, cute hats, earrings, necklaces, and bracelets are helpful in allowing you to create different looks from the same items in your wardrobe. Find what looks right for you and look at the outfit as a whole in the mirror with it so you don't over accessorize by mistake.
- Invest in affordable scarves, jewelry, and shoes to accessorize your outfits.
- They make a big difference in any simple outfit, and you can get away with having a wide variety of cheap items that accent your other pieces.
6
Learn how to sew and make your own garments. When you truly develop your own style, sometimes you'll picture such an ideal outfit and you go on a mad hunt for it. And you won't find it. Instead of being disappointed, learn how to make it yourself! You can learn to mend your favorite items and keep them looking fresh and new, as well as how to make up new items as you go along, just for the cost of materials. This can be a real cost-saver, and a great way to make statements.
7
Purge your wardrobe regularly. Every couple of months, it's important to get rid of clothes you won't wear anymore. Give old clothes to charity, or have "Naked Lady" parties, in which you get together with a bunch of your fashionable friends and trade items you don't want anymore.
- You can save interesting T-shirts or old out-of-style jeans if you think you can combine them to get a unique look.
- Still, it's usually easier to clean out your closet and focus on working with what you really like.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Getting Dressed

1
Learn to mix and match the clothes you already have. A lot of people assume you need the latest trends to be fashionable, but this doesn't necessarily have to be true. If you mix a plain white t-shirt with denim jeans one day and a black pencil skirt another, you've got two outfits right there made with a minimum of items.
- Practice organizing your clothes into different looks when you've got free-time.
2
Find out what looks good on you and what doesn't. Something might be fashionable in general, but it's not right for you and your body type. That's ok. It's important to figure out not only what's stylish and what's "in," but what's going to look good on you.
- Spend some quality mirror time trying on different things together and experimenting to see what looks right on you!
- Buy clothes which fit your body shape best and accent your best features.
3
Wear what makes you feel confident. To be a fashionista you need to be confident. The number one rule in fashion is to wear what you want to wear, so always wear what you want and choose items that will help you feel comfortable and radiant.
- Hold your head up high and improve your posture to get noticed.
- Don't wear something just because it's "fashionable," or because someone recommended it.
- Fashion changes. If you used to love wearing blazers a year ago, but now you want to try leather jackets, go for it.
- Life is short and a fashionista should always wears what she wants.
4
Don't over-do it. Although runway fashion can be very over-the-top and glamorous, sometimes less is more. You don't need to wear a fancy dress to school to be a fashionista. Just be yourself and find clothing that you feel represent you, and make you feel beautiful and confident.
- Separate runway fashion from everyday fashion. The designers of those elaborate garments are mostly wearing normal everyday clothes, just like you!
5
Have a positive attitude. Fashionistas need to mimic the beauty your fashions exudes on the outside by being beautiful on the inside. Being a fashionista means nothing if your attitude is not positive. Be happy, and enjoy life. Fashion is wonderful, but brand names and style aren't everything. Learn to be you and love you, and soon your inner fashionista will shine.

Expert Q&A

Question

How can I look attractive?

Nejla Renee
Fashion Stylist & Image Consultant
Nejla Renee is a fashion stylist, image consultant, and personal shopper based in New York, New York. With over seven years of experience, Nejla specializes in helping people enhance their positive attributes and express their identities through style. Nejla holds a BS in Marketing and Finance from Northeastern University and worked in finance prior to starting her own business. Nejla combines her business experience with her personal creativity, passion, keen eye for detail, innate sense of style, and strong understanding of fit and proportion to help her clients create peace and acceptance around their style.

Nejla Renee

Fashion Stylist & Image Consultant

Expert Answer

Try imagining that your body is divided in 2 halves with your waist as the middle. Think about how you can balance those halves, like wearing more volume on the bottom if you're wider on the top.
Question

Where do you get your fashion inspiration from?

Nejla Renee
Fashion Stylist & Image Consultant
Nejla Renee is a fashion stylist, image consultant, and personal shopper based in New York, New York. With over seven years of experience, Nejla specializes in helping people enhance their positive attributes and express their identities through style. Nejla holds a BS in Marketing and Finance from Northeastern University and worked in finance prior to starting her own business. Nejla combines her business experience with her personal creativity, passion, keen eye for detail, innate sense of style, and strong understanding of fit and proportion to help her clients create peace and acceptance around their style.

Nejla Renee

Fashion Stylist & Image Consultant

Expert Answer

I live in New York, so I'm often inspired by the people I see walking around the city everyday. I also read a lot of fashion publications.
Question

Can an 11-year-old kid be a fashionista?

Community Answer

Of course! Anyone can be a fashionista, just try to follow the steps in the article. Ask an adult if you need help or advice.

Warnings

Don't wear something that doesn't look good to you. Don't wear branded clothes that makes you look gross. Find balance between modern and good-looking-to-you.

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Don't buy cheap clothes. Quality is very important.

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You also don't have to buy extremely expensive things unless you are a millionaire.

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Don't mix a lot of colours. You don't want someone to have a headache because of you.

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Don't wear your friend's clothes. Make your own collection.

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