Streetstyle vs. personal style

Ever since I spent my Saturdays strolling through Harajuku with my friends, a crèpe cone in my hand and a roving eye on the stalls, I have enjoyed checking out fashion trends and fads and trying them on for size. Its fun, its funky, its like playing dress up everyday. And that, for a girl who wore a uniform until age 16, is pretty fun.

As anyone who studies streetstyle is quick to tell you, since the beginning of the 20th century young people have defined their identities through what they chose to wear or not. Flappers, zazoos, beboppers, hippies, punks... up until the latest youth culture development: Jerking (http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/11/20/fashion/20091120-jerking-feature/index.html). In all instances the clothes denoted ideals, rebellion and a response to the culture and society of the day. They help young people separate from their parents generation and yet feel part of a group, part of something. The dichotomy of longing to be part of a group and at the same time defining your individuality has been a main stay of the last century. A new social development that partly helps explain the growing amount of extreme individualists in Western cultures.

So, which of these subcultures have influenced my style? Well, obviously grunge was important. That representation of a disconnect between "teen spirit" and the surrounding consumer society was easy to identify with. Not only because I graduated from high school in 1992, but because, after the culture shock of changing continents once and high schools and countries twice in the last couple of years from school I felt completely isolated and angry. And wasn't that what grunge was all about? Plus it was comfortable - long bias cut black dresses, sturdy boots, lots of knit - what better uniform for a college student in London?

What remains of those first years of exploring how I should dress and present myself now that I had no uniform to fall back on? My love of black and gray, of warm knits, flat boots, dresses (but not minis, thank you very much) jeans with everything and a fascination with a certain cool, rock attitude - though that I have never really had (more nerdy than cool - that's me). Still, all this forms the basis of my style, along with a certain tendency to prefer the men's department, though I am no Patti Smith. (Ergo the H&M look above - all elements courtesy of the men's department).

All has been refined with age, as I began to accept both my physical characteristics (ie: I will never be Ms. Kate Moss nor do I need to aspire to that) and my personal evolution. Which is why this is a good moment to stop and review for a while. I have thoroughly enjoyed test driving many more or less wacky trends. Many have become permanent fixtures in my wardrobe. Some have had a short rotation period before moving on to the wardrobes of friends to who's style they were better suited, and still others found a new owner through the good works of Caritas. All ended up finding a good home, and that is something I am proud of.

What I wonder now is: Is the experimentation over? Does there come a time when we no longer need to play with our clothes? To use them to express ourselves?

Anyone got any ideas or insights on this?