How to Dress in Simple Alternative Fashion

Co-authored by Ira Lysa

Last Updated: June 18, 2024

If you love the idea of dressing in a simple alternative style, the first thing you need to do is decide what that term means to you. Wearing simple, alternative clothes can be fun and is good ways to express yourself. Some styles are complex and you might not feel they are for you. How you dress might be restricted by school or work policies, your parents, time limits and budget - a simple alternative look is very adaptable. This article will help you simplify down the alternative look, get started at step number one below.

Steps

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1

Picture your ideal simple alternative look. You don't need to wear labels. Make sure you have a pretty good idea of what you want to wear to live your life. Print out pictures from the Internet and cut out images from magazines of styles you like to keep you inspired. Paste them to your wall, or create a little fashion notebook and put them in there.
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2

Go through your closet. A lot of times you can still use a lot of your current clothes in your new wardrobe. Get rid of anything that you don't feel flatters your figure, that you dislike, or that you find uncomfortable or that doesn't fit with your simple alternative loom. Keep an eye out for things that could be altered to fit your new style, as sometimes they could end up being your favorite pieces.

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3

Know what to look for. Make sure you have outfits for all seasons and the sorts of occasions and events you attend. Arguably an alternative style includes long-sleeved, plaid flannel shirts, T-shirts of classic bands, black tights, dark or acid wash jeans or shorts, vintage button-down shirts and cardigans. For shoes, you can opt for Converse, classic boots, combat boots or any other footwear you like. Keep an eye out for studded clothing and accessories, and make sure to pick up a few dressy outfits that fit your simple alternative style.

EXPERT TIP

Alena Le Blanc
Personal Stylist
Alena Le Blanc is the Personal Stylist and the Founder of Le Blanc Label. Based in San Francisco, California, Le Blanc Label is the leading personal stylist brand for sustainable style transformations. Alena and her team specialize in seasonal wardrobe refreshes, closet edits, styling for special events, travel, photoshoots, and general personal needs. Alena has been featured in podcasts including EMPOWERED BY WMN, I Am Fearless, and Mind Power Meets Mystic. Alena received her BFA in Fashion and Apparel Design from the Academy of Art University.

Alena Le Blanc
Personal Stylist

Audit your wardrobe to make it fit your desired image. Curate outfits that reflect the image you want to project to the world. Focus on elegant pieces over fleeting trends. Build a style that is uniquely you and boosts your confidence. Clothes are the way you introduce yourself visually to the world.
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4
Begin shopping for your new wardrobe if you want to. Check out high-street and mainstream stores such as Kohl's, Gap, JC Penney, and even Macy's to see if you can find anything that catches your eye. Make sure to always get the basics, and buy them good-quality so you don't have to keep buying them again. Next, try some stores that are more in your style. Hot Topic has some good band tees and accessories, but be warned: many alternative people shop there, so you most likely won't be "one-of-a-kind" unless it is very unpopular in your area. Zumiez, Journey's, and even Claire's all are good places to shop.
- Shop at thrift stores for old-fashioned, vintage, or cheaper clothing. Don't be afraid to shop in unusual places or places that don't look like they'd have any potential; it's easy to miss a needle in a haystack.
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5

Don't forget to try shopping online! There are a lot of great websites that sell alternative accessories and clothing for fairly low prices, such as bluebanana.com, shanalogic.com, restyle.pl/, and shopplasticland.com. Be careful when shopping online; since you can't try on clothes, you have to pay extra special attention to the sizing charts and what the material it is made of. One brand's size large may be a medium in another brand.
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6

Try altering you clothes. Cut up your tees, rip up your jeans, and add embellishments. If you can sew, try attaching buttons and different fabrics to really customize your old clothes and make them look brand new!
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7

Find different ways to style your hair. You can have short and punkish hair, long and flowing hair, cute and wavy hair; whatever you want. Learn how to dye your hair, or go to a friend or hairdresser, and maybe dye your hair different colors. You can make it all black, two-toned, rainbow; whatever floats your boat. Curl it, crimp it, iron it, scrunch it, braid it; do whatever you think looks best.
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8
Start trying on different outfits. Don't be afraid to wear something you would think would never match; it may look really good. Have a friend who wears similar styles help you decide whether they look good or not. Some good examples would include:
- a ripped up tee, skinny jeans, any shoes
- a long-sleeve shirt, skirt, Doc Martens
- a simple tee, long skirt, "goth boots"
- plain tee, ripped up jeans, any shoes
- alternative dress, Doc Martens (depending on the style of the dress)
- tee with a vest, shorts, any shoes
- layers upon layers of different clothing
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9

Be proud of your style. Don't let anyone put you down no matter what they say. It's your life and you should be able to do what you want.
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10

Finish off the look with hair and makeup. While there is no typical alternative hairstyle, many people opt for thick, sweeping bangs over one eye, or a high ponytail with studded hair accessories. Alternative makeup is generally kept pretty simple and natural, with the exception of heavy eyeliner, smoky or cat eyes, and red lipstick. Still, these elements of your style are highly variable, so go with whatever you like best!
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11

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How can we be aesthetic in clothing being a teen? I am not allowed to wear makeup yet so any suggestions for clothing like we tie jacket on our waist for style?

Winter Lilly Daniels

Community Answer

It depends on the aesthetic. If you like alt/goth clothes you could probably shoot for dark/black colored clothes, but for a more preppy aesthetic, tans and light pinks look really good. You don't absolutely need makeup, so that is okay, and again. Depending on the aesthetic is how you would probably decide whether or not to have a jacket to tie around your waist. If it is an alt/goth aesthetic, that is pretty cute.

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Add buttons and pins with logos of your favorite sayings or bands to hats, bags, shirts, skirts; almost anything.

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Put thought into your outfit, but don't become too obsessive. Remember that there are thousands of other ways to express yourself.

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Collect a lot of clothes, but make sure to go through and get rid of anything that doesn't work for you every now and then.

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Warnings

Don't damage your hair too much.

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Don't get any tattoos or piercings (especially tattoos) that you aren't 100% sure that you want. Also, it's always better to pay more for these kinds of things.

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Ease into the style, or else people will think you're a poser.

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