How To Dress Like You in 2025
7 ideas to help you feel at home in your closet
Resolutions often take the form of addition or subtraction.
I’d like to go to the gym one more time per week. Or I’d like to cut sugar out of my diet completely. But my favorite kind are somewhere in the murky middle—impossible to quantify, more a feeling than anything. Today, I present to you the simple idea of dressing more like yourself.
Maybe personal style is something you have in spades. You’ve been curating a closet, no, a collection, of pieces for decades. Or perhaps you face your rack of clothes in the morning with something akin to dread. Dressing more like yourself is for everyone!
It doesn’t require a single cent. It’s a lifelong practice. And the best part? It’s fun! Or at least, I think so. Here are seven tips to get you off on the right foot. Follow along on Long Live in 2025 and I bet you’ll feel like a personal style pro in 365 days flat.
Identify patterns
It’s time to get honest with yourself. What types of clothing are you drawn to? It can help to look back on outfits you adore, ones you felt super confident in, but really, think about what you put on when you’re just working from home. Those silhouettes are worth paying attention to—they’re the backbone of your personal style.
I, for one, have always been most comfortable in a button up shirt. It’s like my second skin at this point. As a result, close to 80% of the long sleeved tops in my closet are button ups! Maybe your go-to is a turtleneck or a midi skirt or flared high waisted corduroy pants.
This from Frank + Eileen was one of my most-worn in 2024.
And I always recommend this J.Crew one if you’re a beginner.
You can find them in piles on eBay or your local thrift store, but maybe you hate button ups and this is a total wash!
Go through your camera roll
It’s good to get a little nostalgic if you’re hoping to WEAR YOUR CLOTHES. Sometimes I scroll a few years back to rediscover pieces I might have let fall into the recesses of my closet—like this faux fur coat I bought for $45 at Funky Finds in Des Moines.
I thought I was getting engaged this weekend and didn’t, if my smile looks a little annoyed. This was also a stretch where I was carrying my Speedy all the time. Just looking at this picture made me pull it out of my suitcase storage and dust it off. Former you might just be your missing muse.
Want to match? Here are some similar coats. The faux fur color is my favorite vintage detail. They just don’t make them like this anymore…
Green faux fur Max Mara for under $400…
The longer style of this coat is so cozy.
Or how about something streamlined and under $50?
Get rid of what doesn’t fit
Your “goal weight” clothes are holding you back. It’s true! When you force yourself to subscribe to this idea that you might lose weight and be able to fit into something that never fit you in the first place, you cap your creativity. And it’s not kind to yourself. This sucks. But I promise, you’ll feel so much better after dropping off the too small Levis at Goodwill.
Higher self exercise
I was in a breathwork class sweating under a sauna blanket in Williamsburg once. “Picture your higher self,” whispered the instructor into the pitch black room, over sobs and full bellied exhales. “Picture every detail. Think about what they’re wearing.” Immediately, my wandering mind locked in.
My Higher Self wears custom suits. She gets everything made to measure or vintage. Yours might opt for new season Prada head to toe. I’m not suggesting you employ breathwork to help refine your personal style, but I am asking you to think of yourself in the future—happy, healthy, massively successful. What are you wearing?
Wish list as North Star
When you don’t have a vision, it’s easy to make compromises.
I keep a list of expensive items I want to collect every year because, well, I want them in my closet, but more than that, because it’s something to measure $50-$450 purchases up against. One $300 shirt on TRR isn’t a big deal, but eight of them could add up to the tweed Chanel I’ve been lusting after for a decade.
When you’re tempted to make a rash purchase, revisit your dream list. I like to tie those purchases to accomplishments, so they feel like mini celebrations, and I can associate them with a lovely memory. The Speedy I mentioned earlier? It was a gift from my husband when I completed my MFA.
Accountability partner
I made talking about fashion my literal job, so I’m not really one to talk here, but I think it’s important to find someone in your life who cares about clothes, too. You need someone you can text an OOTD to and get a response like, “That’s sooooo you.”
My cousin Ashley and I float big purchases to each other, giving the other the floor to be the annoying voice of reason who says, “You never actually wear grey, though.” Ruby and I are talking about clothes all the time. This doesn’t have to be formalized. And to be clear, the Long Live chat is always here for this purpose.
Outfits to copy album
This is a new one for me. Instead of scrolling social, I’m trying to make my time on the apps more productive. If I see an outfit I like, I screenshot it and add it to my Outfits To Copy album. That way, if I’m stuck or just want to think about what holes might exist in my closet, I can consult the list. I do this on Pinterest and Tiktok, too. Sure, I could have folders in all the apps, but I like keeping the screenshots handy.
Here’s one I recently saved. I liked the all navy + maroon look. I can copy this with my own clothes and from the looks of it—the outfit might just make me feel like me.
Mom or Grant, if you’re reading this, I’d like this hat for my birthday.
If you’re a large, lucky you. This Kule quarter zip is $60.
These sweatpants give a similar vibe. (ERIKA20 for 20% off)
I’m doing a giveaway with a vintage tshirt I bought in Florida. More giveaways in 2025! Because it gives me an excuse to shop secondhand more! Yay! The rules are simple: write a comment describing an outfit that makes you feel like you below. I’ll pick a winner at random on Friday :)
Honorable Mentions
It’s that time of year. These are my favorite cough drops if you too are weary of what the hell is in normal ones.
Read this short story as a reset if you’re stuck writing something.
Maybe you don’t need to be budgeting! Listen here.
Thank you for reading Long Live. It means so much to me. You can shop my favs here, follow along on Instagram + Tiktok, and shop my Notion template. Get matched at EV Salon. And if you want to partner on a future Long Live, email evan@communite.co x
I’ve been leaning into uniform dressing the past few years and it serves me so well. The “base” that always feels me is jeans and black or white tee. I’ll zhuzh up with jewellery or lipstick, but my base uniform recipe always makes me feel confident and comfy.
Picturing what Future Me is wearing is so simple but so transformational. I can’t believe I’ve never done it before! Thank you for sharing this exercise.
My “feels like me” outfit is an oversized striped button down, first few buttons open and exposing gold necklaces and charms collected over the years. The top layer is either a chunky grandpa cardigan or a girlfriend blazer. Straight, slim jeans that fit like a dream. Vintage penny loafers. Vintage Cartier watch. Vintage handbag with nary a logo.