If you take no other piece of advice from us, take this — you need to have your own style. It’s okay to be influenced by other things. We can admire the styles of Kim Kardashian, Scarlett Johansson, Helen Mirren, Jennifer Aniston, J-Lo, and more — but we want to make sure that we have our own style at the end of the day.

Fashion is something that you should feel proud of. When you get up and get dressed, you should want to wear the things in your closet. When you follow trends so hard that things fall out of style so fast that you never enjoy them, what’s the point of even following the trend in the first place? You need to always keep this in mind when you’re trying to get things done, because nobody wants to find themselves with a closet full of expensive things that they don’t really want to wear anymore.

Yet that doesn’t really answer the question that you’re really thinking about, does it? You want to really know how to rock your style from scratch. How do you build your style from the start?

Well, as mentioned before you need to think about what type of style you want in the first place. Some people like to echo the old fashioned glam of Hollywood, while others want the fun of the 80′s grunge movement. It’s completely up to you, but you’re going to have to start somewhere. Yes, your friends can even help you, but again — don’t copy, because that’s going to just leave you with no room to grow.

You want to build a style that says you truly know what you want in life. It’ll make you more confident, which can lead to better opportunities in life. Your style is going to change over time as you develop new tastes, so why not get started today?