This Harsh Truth from Allison Bornstein Made Me a Better Shopper—Let Me Explain

Stylist and wardrobe consultant, Allison Bornstein, knows a thing or two about how to shop. Her straight forward TikTok videos offering styling tips, tricks and more frequently go viral, and with over 250,000 followers, it's not hard to see why she's become the authority on our most pressing fashion questions. But it was her recent video on personal style that struck a particular chord with me.   

In the video, Bornstein compares asking your favorite influencers for the exact items they're wearing to cheating on a personal essay. And while at face value that might seem like a stretch, it makes sense. In an age of instant gratification and algorithms, many of us have lost sight of what it is to have our own unique style in favor of the, 'if it looks great on them, it'll look great on us' logic. But, as Bornstein explains, that's not always true nor is it conducive to originality. "It's like trying to use a shortcut to find our personal style," she says. Instead, she suggests we "value the process as much as we love the acquisition." The 'process' being, shopping, which as Bornstein reminds us, is fun!  

Taking the time to hone your eye, trying different things to see what does and doesn't work and using the style imagery that inspires us merely as a jumping off board are all ways that can help us develop our own fashion sense. With this in mind, I've compiled five outfits I admire below, but rather than providing links to help you get the exact look, I'm showing you how I might put my own spin on it. Hopefully, this will get your own creative juices flowing because, as Bornstein laments, "It's about your experience," which is to say, "it's about your expression."