Why do we change our style throughout our lives?

What if some clothes simply kept traces of the people we once were?

Sometimes you open your closet...

...and come across a piece of clothing you used to love.

You look at it for a few seconds.

You smile.

You wonder why you kept it.

And most of all...

Why you don't wear it anymore.

Yet, the garment hasn't changed.

So...

What has changed?

We are not exactly the same as yesterday

We sometimes like to imagine that our personality is immutable.

That what we like today will always be what we like tomorrow.

Yet, life subtly transforms us.

Encounters.

Travel.

Responsibilities.

Successes.

Hardships.

Each experience leaves its mark.

Often imperceptible at the time.

But, over time, it can change our priorities, our view of the world... and sometimes how we present ourselves to it.

This doesn't mean we become someone else.

It simply means we continue to write our story.

Some clothes become silent witnesses

All clothes go through a story.

But some eventually become silent witnesses to it.

A jacket bought for a first job.

A hoodie brought back from a trip.

A shirt worn on the day of an important meeting.

Over the years, these pieces change roles.

They are no longer just clothes.

They sometimes become the only way to still hold a memory in your hands.

It's not their value that changes.

It's the value we give them.

Changing does not mean disowning oneself

It's tempting to believe that having found one's style means never changing it again.

As if there was a definitive version of ourselves somewhere.

Psychological research tells a different story.

Our personality shows some continuity.

But our experiences, our priorities, and the narrative we build about our own lives evolve throughout our journey.

It is therefore natural for some preferences to evolve as well.

Changing style does not mean turning our back on who we were.

It can simply reflect a new way of expressing the same person.

What nostalgia truly seeks

Sometimes we look at an old photo with tenderness.

Or find a piece of clothing we haven't worn in years.

Do we really regret that jacket?

That pair of shoes?

That haircut?

Not always.

What touches us is often less the object than the memory associated with it.

The garment becomes the silent witness to a period of our life.

It reminds us less of what we wore...

...than of the person we were then.

Nostalgia doesn't necessarily invite us to go back.

It simply reminds us of the journey we've made.

Style is a living language

We sometimes spend a lot of time looking for our style.

As if it existed somewhere, already complete, just waiting to be discovered.

What if things were different?

What if style wasn't a destination...

...but a language that evolves with us?

Our tastes change.

Our desires too.

Some pieces disappear from our daily lives.

Others arrive without us knowing exactly why.

None of this makes our story incoherent.

On the contrary.

Each period simply adds a new chapter.

Continue writing your story

At AMIRAL KASUAL, we don't believe that a successful style is a fixed style.

We believe it accompanies people throughout their journey.

Without seeking to erase who they were.

Without imposing on them what they should become.

Because ultimately...

We don't always wear the same clothes anymore.

But each of them sometimes accompanied a sincere version of ourselves.

Changing style may not be about starting your story over.

It's simply about continuing to write it.

Why do our styles change throughout our lives?

Perhaps because our clothes don't just follow trends.

They also accompany the chapters of our existence.

And if some remain at the back of a closet...

It's not always because they no longer fit us.

It's sometimes because they continue to tell a story that we choose to keep.

Ultimately, our style never completely erases the people we once were.

It simply adds a new chapter to the people we are becoming.

 

BE WHO YOU ARE

— AMIRAL KASUAL Magazine

References

This article draws on research on personality development, narrative identity, autobiographical memory, and nostalgia. The references below are provided for readers who wish to delve deeper into the subject.

• McAdams, D. P. (2015). The Art and Science of Personality Development.
• McAdams, D. P. (2019). First We Invented Stories, Then They Changed Us.
• McAdams, D. P. & Olson, B. D. (2010). Personality Development: Continuity and Change Over the Life Course.
• McAdams, D. P. & Pals, J. L. (2006). A New Big Five: Fundamental Principles for an Integrative Science of Personality.
• McAdams, D. P., Shiner, R. & Tackett, J. (2019). Handbook of Personality Development.
• Sedikides, C. & Wildschut, T. — Works on nostalgia and self-continuity.
• Northwestern University — Presentation of Dan P. McAdams' research on narrative identity.