u/Bosquerella

When it comes to finding fun, vibrant, unusual stuff people vastly underestimate the power of searches and browsing, whether aimless or going down a rabbit hole.

I've posted before on how to shop affordably and eclectically to up your wardrobe and personal style game.

I'll be dropping links to finds to illustrate that interesting fashion is more within reach than you might think.

Keep in mind that not everything will be available in every size, plenty of things may be final sale, one offs in general or at that particular price point, and inexpensive relative to their normal cost. If the links are dead when you find this in six months, womp womp.

As always with sizes your mileage may vary. Take flatlay measurements of things you own that you like the fit on to compare to listings and size charts. This will help more than your own measurements as they will account for the ease needed to wear things comfortably. Consult size charts or measurements in listings and be okay with sizes you normally wouldn't if the measurements or signs point there. Read reviews and figure out if those complaints are valid and apply to you.

I'm not getting paid for this and you are welcome and encouraged to use these options as a jumping off point for your own searches if what you're seeing isn't right for you.

In advance, this will be hiiiighly US specific since that's where I am but if anyone in Asia, Australia, or wherever else wants to follow suit a create a version for your country or region be my guest.

Pink cut out dress

Modern art heels

Modern art flats for my larger footed folks

Grape sodaaaa

Reminiscent of a popsicle

Mmmmmartians

Retro and futuristic

Strappy sandals but lowkey paracord and electrical tape

Gradient dress

Color block dress

Floral top

Top in greens

Spicy skirt

Literal sun dress

Skirt but it's grandma's blanket

Pointy shoes

Acid green sandals

Sneakers for the linen suit

Snekskin booooots

Chonk heels

Silver retro runners

Green linen suit

Retro futurism pants

Delicious color scheme

Vintage silk skirt

French sci-fi tee

Western sun shorts

Make this weird tee

Acid floral dress

Fringe jumpsuit

Squiggly suit

Color cube bag

Sunset bucket bag

Raspberry bucket bag

Lil dude scarf

Feel free to add your own finds in the comments.

Edit: Rearranged the links for visibility of weirder stuff.

I'm not affiliated with Dr Martens, but I do enjoy eccentric shoes at a discount and a common thread in the comments of inspo albums around here is "where get?".

Keep in mind that not everything will be available in every size, plenty of things may be final sale, one offs in general or at that particular price point, and inexpensive relative to their normal cost. If the links are dead when you find this in six months, womp womp.

As always with sizes your mileage may vary. Consult size charts or measurements and be okay with sizes you normally wouldn't if the measurements or signs point there. Read reviews and figure out if those complaints are valid and apply to you.

I'm not getting paid for this and you are welcome and encouraged to use these options as a jumping off point for your own searches if what you're seeing isn't right for you.

In advance, this will be hiiiighly US specific since that's where I am but if anyone in Asia, Australia, or wherever else wants to follow suit a create a version for your country or region be my guest.

There's a lot of anxiety out there from my generational peers about dressing and I'm here to say; What? Like it's hard?

There's plenty of sources out there for clothes that take cues from current trends and execute them in a subdued grown up way whether that's Marcella NYC, Universal Standard, or the Gap hydra. You could live in that stuff and have a pretty easy go of it.

But what if you want to do more?

Now, I'm 41, WFH, and live somewhere blue collar and outdoorsy with a weird streak. So my needs and lifestyle will have different demands and allowances, knowing yours is key.

From a base of adult contemporary styles and basics you can branch out into vintage, niche, designer, or whatever else you need or vibe with and incorporate those elements.

Take stock of what you already own. Shapes, styles, colors, materials, what you wear most and what's missing. You can look up color palettes on Pinterest or use tools like coolors.co to plot out your color scheme goals.

Really think about how you want to branch out. For example, if you're jeans and Tshirt centric to a fault, look into fun shoes and sick ass jackets that match the vibe and try to incorporate shades and themes in your graphics. Up your jeans game with current and or classic styles. Hell, get into vintage denim.

Shake off the idea of named styles and needing referral links from influencers who look just like you and really think about individual pieces you want to incorporate. Start searching for what you want piece by piece. Descriptively. Don't be afraid to go down a rabbit hole. That can be where the good stuff lives.

Finding niche brands is cool and all, but you'll be amazed what you find when you decenter brand identity from shopping. Imagine my surprise that Land's End makes the plush 90s style corduroy wide leg pants I've been searching for for ages.

Take flatlay measurements of things you own that you like the fit on to compare to listings and size charts. This will help more than your own measurements as they will account for the ease needed to wear things comfortably.

And finally for real for real, be aware of your limitations but also be willing to branch out. Mixed messages, I know, but it will help you achieve a balance of realistic exploration.