Style & Identity: How we express ourselves through clothing

When I started thinking how to write that post I immediately thought of one specific scene in the movie "The Devil Wears Prada".

Do you remember the scene when Andrea laughs at two belts that look almost identical. Of course, to her, they are just belts and she doesn't understand how fashion people can argue over details like that.

Then Miranda gives her famous speech about the cerulean blue sweater. (iconic moment)

The point wasn't that Andrea should suddenly become interested in fashion.

It was something much more interesting. The fact that Andrea believed she had made a neutral choice. When in reality, she hadn't.

The color she was wearing, the reason it existed in stores, even the reason it eventually ended up in her wardrobe, all of it had a story. Because whatever we do style & identity are always connected.

And every time I watch that scene, I think about how often people say:

"I don't really care about clothes."

Truth is whether we realize/want it or not, our clothing says something anyway.

The myth of neutral dressing

Most people think style is something intentional.

When they hear "style", they imagine a bold outfit, a very creative complicated piece, or ca statement accessory. And of course, worn by somebody who loves fashion.

But style is not only the overly fashion image we have and we can't reduce style at those specific moments. Because:

The person who only wears black is making a choice.

The person who prioritizes comfort above everything else is making a choice.

The person who never wears bright colors is making a choice too.

Maybe it is not everyday, maybe it is not consciously but let's be honest for a minute, those are choices nonetheless.

That's why I've always found it interesting when people say they don't express themselves through clothes. Because intentionally or not we all do.

Even when we stop paying attention to our clothes, they continue to reveal what matters to us.

Comfort.

Practicality.

Confidence.

Creativity.

Discretion.

Those aren't just style preferences. They're our values, and we wear them every day.

The pieces we keep choosing

For me, that piece has always been denim. I've worn it for years and I don't think to stop anytime soon.

But it is not because it's trendy nor something revolutionary.

I simply keep coming back to it and I can see few reasons to this choice:

Denim is comfortable, practical and easy to maintain.

It works with almost everything I own.

If I have several options in front of me, chances are I'll reach for denim.

For a long time, I thought it was just a preference.

But the older I get, the more I wonder how I approach style.

I like clothes that work with me, not against me.

Clothes that fit naturally into my life instead of requiring constant attention.

And maybe that's exactly what personal style is.

Not the pieces we wear once, but the pieces we choose over and over again.

Because those choices are rarely random.

They tell us something about ourselves long before we realize it.

What our wardrobes reveal

If you open your wardrobe and look closely, you'll probably start noticing patterns.

Certain colors appear again and again, certain silhouettes dominate, and some pieces are worn constantly while others... stay on the shelf.

And those patterns often reveal more than we think.

Because your wardrobe is not just a collection of your clothes, it's a collection of the decisions you made.

The pieces that make you feel confident.

The pieces that make you feel comfortable.

The pieces that make you feel like yourself.

That's also why some clothes can fit perfectly and still feel wrong.

Not because they are ugly, or badly made but because they don't align with the person wearing them.

I think we've all experienced that feeling at least once.

You put something on, look in the mirror, and immediately know: "This isn't me."

Even if you can't explain why.

What to keep in mind

People often describe style as a way to express ourselves. And I think that's true.

But I also think it works the other way around because not all decisions are made consciously.

Sometimes style helps us discover ourselves.

The colors we always return to.

The pieces we never get tired of.

The outfits that instantly feel familiar.

They tell a story.

Not about trends, not about fashion, but about us.

And whether we pay attention to it or not, we've been telling that story all along.