"Author, stylist, fashion editor, and influencer Caroline Vazzana has always loved fashion. After Project Runway debuted when she was 14, she immediately knew she wanted to do something similar. After graduating from college in 2014 with her degree in fashion design and marketing, she started her career at Teen Vogue and InStyle with the goal to be a magazine editor—but whispers about social media being the “next big thing” led her to posting her daily outfits on her Instagram.
Get 70% off select areas until March 31!
If Caroline’s name doesn’t ring a bell to you, I promise that her social media content would. Since going full-time with social media in 2016, her TikTok videos, which feature her colorful, maximalist style, have gone viral time and time again. She now sits at 1.1 million followers on TikTok with another 584k on Instagram.
Caroline’s content serves as a living, breathing reminder that fashion should be fun. Her instantly recognizable style feel completely singular; in a sea of “quiet luxury” neutrals, Caroline breaks up the algorithm with yellow fur coats and sequins paired with more sequins. I sat down with Caroline to chat about personal style—from finding it to honing in on it in a world where social media touts a new microtrend daily.
These are the tips she recommends for mastering your own personal style—and making getting dressed fun again.
1. Styling is like a muscle—you have to work it to get better at it
After a lifetime of wearing uniforms to school, college was the first time Caroline got to truly experiment with her style. “Every day, I was getting dressed up for class. And I think that’s when like the experimenting really started, because I didn’t know anything—I just really had never had to do it every day,” she explains. “And I think just like any great thing like fashion and styling: It’s like a muscle, and you have to work it to evolve it and get better at it.”
Experimenting with pieces in your own closet—like styling new-to-you color combinations or mixing patterns in ways you normally wouldn’t—will flex your styling muscle and help you figure out what speaks to you.
2. Experiment with styling before buying anything new
When you’re in a period of trying to figure out your personal style, adding something new to your closet can actually be counterproductive. “[Don’t] go out and buy a lot of stuff, because you’ll end up feeling overwhelmed and that can set you back,” Caroline says.
Before you buy a new piece, spend time experimenting with what you already own. Not only can updated styling make your existing pieces feel brand new, but it can also help you figure out what you feel your best in. For example, if you find yourself reaching for a hot pink coat repeatedly, it might be a sign that you feel best in color, and—when the time comes—should prioritize adding loud pieces to your wardrobe instead of neutrals.
3. Don’t turn to TikTok just yet
While TikTok and Instagram can be great resources for gathering fashion inspiration, Caroline explains that at the beginning of a journey toward personal style, there’s also a risk they can sway your opinions. “[You can] go to TikTok to scroll, that’s fine, but then you might leave feeling just absolutely defeated,” she says. “Like, wait—they told me not to wear yellow. They told me yellow is out forever. So maybe don’t start there. Go there once you feel a little bit more confident.”
In need of inspiration for styling a specific piece? Caroline recommends turning to Pinterest first. “Say you have a yellow blouse and are just so stuck—go on Pinterest and literally search ‘yellow blouse outfit inspiration,'” she says. “Then look at it and then think to yourself, ‘What do I have that’s similar?”
4. Expand your inspiration beyond social media
Mobe wife, balletcore, fisherman, quiet luxury—social media is pumping out trends and “aesthetics” more quickly than anyone can truly keep up with. “You even see videos that are like, ‘These are the five trends that you should not wear this season,'” Caroline says. “Nothing is ‘out’ unless I just don’t feel like wearing it anymore.”
Rather than only turning to social media to help figure out your style, Caroline recommends turning toward fashion-centered movies and TV shows to see what speaks to you. “I’ll just love throwing on a really fashion-focused movie because it makes me feel something,” she says. “It’ll bring me back to a time in my life through clothing and styling.”
“Put on cool movies and TV shows that are really centered on fashion, flip through magazines, go on Pinterest—really do research and like look at these things,” Caroline says. Next time you’re doing your nightly social media scroll, consider throwing on a TV show that features styling you love in the background—you never know what inspiration you might take from it.
5. Give yourself permission to ignore trends
It would be easy to assume someone like Caroline lives and breathes by seasonal trends, but she credits her personal style to taking them with a grain of salt. “I just don’t conform to trends or aesthetics” she says. “I’m not a ‘clean girl’ aesthetic—I never will be.”
Instead of diving into every trend and aesthetic, Caroline recommends incorporating the ones you like in small doses, and avoiding investing too much into microtrends. “I’m not against [trends,] but I don’t let any of it dictate my entire personality.”
“With any aesthetic or trend, if I like a part of it, I’ll try it out,” Caroline says. “I thought ‘Brat Summer’ was so fun, and I was wearing some neon green.”
Instead of letting anyone tell you what’s in—or worse, what’s out—Caroline recommends trusting your gut and what you feel your best in. “Cancel out the noise and just focus on what makes you feel good and what makes you happy.”
Maddie Galassi, Senior Fashion & Beauty Editor
Madeline Galassi is the Fashion & Beauty Editor at The Everygirl, where she oversees the fashion and beauty categories of the site. She brainstorms, writes, and edits stories across a broad range of topics including trend reports, product reviews, celebrity style, and more. She’s always keeping a pulse on the latest trends to create timely, exciting content for our readers.