Wearing what you love is always in style 

Style evolves over time — and that’s okay. Fashion choices someone felt confident in when they were thirteen might not be the same pieces they gravitate toward today. Instead of rolling our eyes at our past fashion eras, we should take it in stride, understanding that fashion exploration is meant to be a sense of joy and expression, not judgment and shame. 

Laura Tully, a personal wardrobe stylist and style educator based in Boise, focuses on three questions when styling a client: How do you want to show up for yourself? How can style be used as a tool to show up as the best version of yourself? How do you create a wardrobe that supports your lifestyle? 

“So much of style for me and how I work with my clients is really about showing up and owning who you are through the clothing that we get to put on our body in a way that really reflects this is me unapologetically,” she said.

That sense of unapologetic style freedom seemed to be the theme of the evening at the No New Vintage Night Market. The Linen Building was buzzing with shoppers excitedly combing through items of all different styles, spanning across several decades of fashion.

Amanda Grant, co-owner and creator of No New Vintage and the host of the market by the same name, notes her passion for fashion began at an early age. 

“I grew up a poor kid in a trailer park, but I was always so drawn to fashion and high-fashion people. I had to look at that and then go to the thrift and see how I could make that more attainable,” Grant said.

From silk slips circa 1920 to funky bell-bottoms and patterned dresses from the 1970s, Grant curates pieces from a wide range of style eras.

As an owner of a vintage shop, Grant has a front row seat to the ever-changing fashion cycle. With the fast-paced world of social media constantly dubbing trends “in” or “out of date”, Grant believes listening to anyone else’s opinion of your taste in fashion is a waste of energy. 

“It solidifies that there’s really no wrongdoing in fashion,” Grant said. “Anyone who tries to tell you ‘this is wrong’ is purely a state of opinion.”

At No New Vintage, Grant focuses on personal style and how a customer feels in the clothing rather than what is currently trending.

“When I style people, I ask them personal questions about how they feel. You know in your gut how you want to look and represent yourself,” Grant said.

One of the market vendors, June & You Vintage, showcased delicate dresses and nightgowns from the 1960s in vibrant shades. 

Costume designer and curator for the shop, Allison Dredge, highlighted the value of finding clothing you love versus simply following what’s trending. 

“The later generations don’t experiment as much because they are worried about being cringe,” Dredge said. “It’s making trends go so fast because everybody’s trying to be on trend, but then the ‘slight’ want to be cool.” 

Dredge shared that many people react to the 60s and 70s fashion she curates with comments describing it as “grandma-like” or “not on trend”.

“It might look dated or old or [like] what a grandma would wear, but it’s so colorful and so unique. You can style it any way,” she said of her curated vintage collection. “You don’t have to style it as intended, which is fun. That’s exactly what the antithesis of all this is. It should be fun.”

The feeling of the ever-critical eye of social media constantly monitoring makes expressing oneself unapologetically through fashion easier said than done. Tully noted the way social media platforms have contributed to a fear of experimentation in fashion. 

“Social media has warped the lens of how we feel free to experiment and be expressive,” Tully said. “There seems to be a ‘correct’ way to be in a particular time frame, and style isn’t really about a correct route. It really is about expressiveness. Clothes don’t create meaning until someone is wearing them.”

Just as clothes don’t create meaning, determining which clothing items are classic versus trendy is also subjective. Items we think of as undeniably classic; the denim or leather jacket, a white t-shirt, etc, may not be a part of an individual’s clothing rotation. Instead, they may reach for bright colors or unique silhouettes. 

“Personal classics can exist, too,” Tully said. “It’s not just about what’s universally classic; it’s what consistently makes you feel like yourself. That’s really a very powerful part in aligning your sense of style with how you want to show up.”

With many individuals, both online and in the real world, harping on what they deem past fashion flops, Tully said it’s important to acknowledge and celebrate fashion evolution. Closet cleanouts rack up millions of views on TikTok and “rate my past outfit fails” populate the Instagram For You Page when, As Dredge expressed, fashion should be about fun and personal expression — not a fear of failure. 

“Instead of laughing at the past versions of ourselves, what if we celebrated the courage to try something new?” she said. “That’s where that allowance [and] permission comes into play, because longevity in anything is not really a thing. That’s the beauty of growth and evolution and changing and pivoting and paying attention to what inspires you or what doesn’t.”