Ten suggestions on being stylish in 2026, from a fashion enthusiast with fifteen years of experience writing about style.
As someone who has evolved from being a social observer to a social commentator, a recent post I saw on Threads inspired today’s piece. After fifteen-plus years of styling myself, collecting the recognition, and writing publicly about fashion, I’ve moved beyond observing style to actively shaping the conversation around it. In the past year alone, I’ve written guides on building foundational wardrobes, seasonal dressing, and building a wardrobe you like without going broke.
If you read any of the linked articles above and returned for more, here’s an underlying truth: being fashionable in 2026 does require investment, especially when you consider all the factors that help you look put together—dry cleaning, hair, nails, and skincare maintenance.
While finances might be a significant factor in supporting a fashionable lifestyle (though you can still look stylish without breaking the bank), other factors contribute as well. Here are some non-financial tips for being fashionable in 2026.
What follows are ten non-financial principles to consider if you intend be a fashion girly in 2026. Not rules, principles. The kind that hold whether you’re finding your fit on Etsy or browsing Moda Operandi at 2 AM.
Table of Contents
- Embrace Fashion Icons
- Know where to Buy What
- Get Familiar with Texture, Silhouette, and Color
- Fashion is a waiting game sport, build a Wishlist
- Buy Less and shop Strategically
- Take the Risk
- Conscious effort to Iron and Layer
- Accessories as the best supporting act
- Subscribe to Fashion Forward Media
- Address your posture
- It’s Not Just About the Clothes
- Conclusion
Embrace Fashion Icons
My own style evolution owes much to what I call my “fashion icons.” In recent years, my style has evolved positively thanks to what I call my fashion icons. Individuals with similar body frames whose personal and professional style I appreciate. For anyone wanting to evolve their style from basic to forward-looking, it’s helpful to have fashion icons whose aesthetic you admire and who inspire your clothing choices. A few of mine who inform my aspirational wardrobe: Greta Lee, Mi’ayla, and Ayo Edebiri.
Having fashion icons and documenting the looks you love on them shows you what you like and where to shop. I screenshot everything. Sometimes I’ll go back months later and realize I’ve been drawn to the same proportion play or color palette over and over, which tells me something about my what type of look I go for.
Know where to Buy What
There are certain sites I explore for my wardrobe staples. I love shopping at Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus at the start of January for tops and blazers, when items are reduced by up to 70%. Then there’s the queen of the group, Moda Operandi, where I find unique pieces and discover new brands. I have a saying: if it’s not on Moda, your chances of finding it just got significantly smaller. I love MyTheresa for denim and their short delivery timeline. Farfetch can be inconsistent with packaging and product quality, but over the last year, I’ve found some nice tops and shirts there. The Outnet is excellent for quality holiday dresses, swimwear, and underwear. Yoox is my go-to for quality pants, and Ssense for jewelry and bags.
Hardly Ever Worn It, Current Boutique, and Etsy are perfect for finding gently worn designer clothing for less, especially when I’m intentionally curating a customized wardrobe.
Get Familiar with Texture, Silhouette, and Color
Think about the last outfit that made you stop scrolling. Something about it, the fabric, the line, the color, the volume—demanded your attention. Learning what works for your body comes down to understanding these elements separately, then knowing how to combine them.
Lately, I’ve been drawn to looser silhouettes, what Vogue calls playful proportions. Exaggerated hips on skirts, Cocoon coats that envelop rather than constrict. My birthday looks last year, though unplanned, ended up channeling Marc Jacobs’s Season 25 collection—I only realized it when I looked back at photos.
The real skill is knowing when to mix textures and incorporate color. How a menswear-inspired trouser hits your leg versus a high-waisted wide-leg. How matte crepe reads next to satin charmeuse. This is the kind of knowledge you build through trial and error, returns, expensive mistakes. There’s no shortcut.
Fashion is a waiting game sport, build a Wishlist
I call this the fashion organizer technique. Being fashionable requires playing the long game, and the best tool I’ve found is building wishlists. I use Notion, LTK, ShopMy, even Apple Notes—whatever works. The point is creating a record of what you love so you remember it months later when you’ve scrolled past a thousand other things.
Here’s the payoff: patience gets rewarded with markdowns. That coat you wanted in September? It’s 40% off in January. More importantly, the waiting period reveals whether something is a genuine gap in your wardrobe or just a passing want. If you’re still thinking about it three months later, that’s your cue. It was how I got my Y/project denim skirt which I have since styled multiple times.
Buy Less and shop Strategically
Buying less creates space to see what’s actually missing from your wardrobe. Last year, I pulled back from impulse purchases to focus on specific categories: dresses with strong silhouettes, tops with fun features like feathers, and a boot with architectural details. When you’re not constantly acquiring, you can be more deliberate about what you add.
There’s also this: the more you buy, the higher your risk of wardrobe paralysis. A closet packed with mediocre pieces creates the paradox of having everything and nothing to wear. And yes, buying less is better for the planet. Being conscious of consumption isn’t just ethical, it’s chic.
Take the Risk
Risk-taking is essential to developing personal style. It could be investing in a statement piece, choosing an unfamiliar silhouette, deciding not to purchase that trending item everyone else is buying, selecting an unexpected colorway, or buying synthetic fabric because the cut is exceptional. The most important thing to remember with risk-taking is that there will be misses—but the hits are what people remember.
Conscious effort to Iron and Layer
Wrinkled clothing telegraphs carelessness, no matter how expensive the piece. A common traits with those whose style I admire is the clean crease and smoothened lines of their clothing. Pressing things isn’t optional—it’s the baseline for looking put-together.
Once you’ve figured out silhouette and how proportions work, layering becomes instinctive. In recent years, layering has become a key signifier of fashion literacy—how someone combines weights, lengths, and fabrications. Amanda, previously LondongirlinNYC, has such a strong grasp of this technique: watching her layer a silk slip over a fitted turtleneck, or drape an oversized blazer over cropped knitwear, is a masterclass in balancing proportion.
Accessories as the best supporting act
If nothing else in this article lands, this will. Accessories are where most people find common ground in fashion. I collect scarves—silk squares, wool challis, printed cotton voile—even when I don’t need another one. Same with brooches: vintage enamel, contemporary statement pieces, delicate Art Deco finds. When I want to elevate a simple look or need a conversation starter, I reach for one of these.
For you it might be earrings—sculptural drops, mismatched pairs, vintage hoops. Or belts that define your waist and change a silhouette. Or bags, watches, rings. Whatever draws you in, lean into it. That’s how you develop a point of view.
Subscribe to Fashion Forward Media
If you’re new to fashion, start by consuming the right media. Not just Instagram accounts with good aesthetics, but actual industry sources where critics, historians, and image-makers share their expertise. The shift in your understanding when you start absorbing their language and perspectives is real.
Some of my essentials: The Business of Fashion for industry analysis and trend forecasting, Vogue’s The Run-Throughpodcast for weekly fashion discourse, Diet Prada for cultural context and accountability, System Magazine, and Dylkelly for cerebral takes, and Vestoj when I want academic rigor.
Learning the vocabulary matters more than people think. When you can articulate why a dropped shoulder works or how a designer references Balenciaga’s volume studies, you’re not just wearing clothes—you’re participating in a conversation.
Address your posture
Posture affects how people read what you’re wearing. Before I leave the house in something I know works, I do this: shoulders back, chin up. It’s the simplest adjustment that makes the biggest difference. Also, enjoy this fun read from The Cut “can fashion make me stop slouching?”
Slouching can undermine your best piece. Good posture makes average pieces look intentional.
It’s Not Just About the Clothes
Here’s what fifteen years have taught me: being stylish isn’t about budget or trend participation. It’s about self-knowledge and intentionality. It’s the discipline of garment care, the patience of strategic acquisition, and the willingness to experiment and occasionally fail.
Style is also built on unglamorous fundamentals. Quality foundations and undergarments. Proper storage and maintenance. Training your eye through consistent observation. These aren’t photographable moments, but they’re structural.
Conclusion
I’m not here to dictate how anyone should dress. Culturally and personally, we all have different markers for what reads as stylish. However, certain principles—understanding silhouette, achieving proper fit, playing with proportion, cultivating originality—remain constant when we collectively recognize someone as well-dressed.
One final note I almost forgot: invest in the best undergarments you can afford. Proper foundations change how everything drapes, fits, and feels.
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