wow, this is a neat little topic. loving reading everyones' replies.
My evolution was kind of hindered based on the fact that there are about four stores in my area, no good places to buy vintage/thrift/whatever, nothing to inspire you, nothing at all.
0-8: My mom dressed me. Girly, put-together stuff.
8-11: Limited Too shopper, I tried to wear what my best friend wore but it never worked because I was fat and awkward and shy and the clothes were ugly in the first place.
12-13: I realized I loved being a girl. Started to fall in love with skirts, eyelet, stuff like that, but most of the time shopped at American Eagle and Gap and looked pretty boring, cheap jeans, plain standard solid color long sleeve tops, sneakers or standard brown unisex-looking shoes.
14: I went through a bohemian phase. I was really big into the whole "free spirit" thing. I loved my clothes then, but looking back, I looked silly. Ah well, it was a process.
15: I started to dress a bit flashy, trendy, trying to break out of my shyness. Showed much more skin. I also discovered internet shopping, providing accessibility to clothes I had never seen anything like in my life. Began to read magazines like Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, and get a general interest in fashion...
16: At first really trendy and flashy, but really girly too. I showed lots of skin. But my personality was never sl*tty or overbearing so I think this came out better than I immediately recall. I really started to get into designers and real fashion, and then I fell in love with fabrics, and quality clothing. I started realizing I really love classic femininity, like lace, silk satins and chiffons, bows, ruffles, etcetera. At first it was awkward because I was so in love with the "ladylike" look Vogue was saying was going to be really big, and so I may have took it too far, looking like I was going to a business meeting when I was really just heading to school. But I started buying more for quality than anything and really definining my personal style.
17 (aka, now
Very feminine, I'm so inspired by and buy lots of vintage from the victorian period up to the 1960s, but I keep it modern by throwing in some denim here and there or something. I'm all about rich silk velvets, smooth, wonderful silk satin, floaty, ethereal chiffon, princess-line 60's tweed coats, a great tweed pencil skirt, vintage glamour, just totally embracing femininity and sensuality. I still show some skin (hey, you're only young once), but do it much more subtly and avoid the trashy route completely. I know exactly what I love now and am very comfortable with my own sense of style. I can't see my style changing much from this point, because it's been at least six years in the making, the whole feminine thing has always been me. Sure it'll "grow up" a bit, but it's still going to have the same key elements.
My evolution was kind of hindered based on the fact that there are about four stores in my area, no good places to buy vintage/thrift/whatever, nothing to inspire you, nothing at all.
0-8: My mom dressed me. Girly, put-together stuff.
8-11: Limited Too shopper, I tried to wear what my best friend wore but it never worked because I was fat and awkward and shy and the clothes were ugly in the first place.
12-13: I realized I loved being a girl. Started to fall in love with skirts, eyelet, stuff like that, but most of the time shopped at American Eagle and Gap and looked pretty boring, cheap jeans, plain standard solid color long sleeve tops, sneakers or standard brown unisex-looking shoes.
14: I went through a bohemian phase. I was really big into the whole "free spirit" thing. I loved my clothes then, but looking back, I looked silly. Ah well, it was a process.
15: I started to dress a bit flashy, trendy, trying to break out of my shyness. Showed much more skin. I also discovered internet shopping, providing accessibility to clothes I had never seen anything like in my life. Began to read magazines like Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, and get a general interest in fashion...
16: At first really trendy and flashy, but really girly too. I showed lots of skin. But my personality was never sl*tty or overbearing so I think this came out better than I immediately recall. I really started to get into designers and real fashion, and then I fell in love with fabrics, and quality clothing. I started realizing I really love classic femininity, like lace, silk satins and chiffons, bows, ruffles, etcetera. At first it was awkward because I was so in love with the "ladylike" look Vogue was saying was going to be really big, and so I may have took it too far, looking like I was going to a business meeting when I was really just heading to school. But I started buying more for quality than anything and really definining my personal style.
17 (aka, now
Very feminine, I'm so inspired by and buy lots of vintage from the victorian period up to the 1960s, but I keep it modern by throwing in some denim here and there or something. I'm all about rich silk velvets, smooth, wonderful silk satin, floaty, ethereal chiffon, princess-line 60's tweed coats, a great tweed pencil skirt, vintage glamour, just totally embracing femininity and sensuality. I still show some skin (hey, you're only young once), but do it much more subtly and avoid the trashy route completely. I know exactly what I love now and am very comfortable with my own sense of style. I can't see my style changing much from this point, because it's been at least six years in the making, the whole feminine thing has always been me. Sure it'll "grow up" a bit, but it's still going to have the same key elements.
I feel like my own person today.
Great thread to make my first post!
) More and more international travel so kind of picked up things everywhere. Of course supplemented by high street staples! Topshop featured heavily as did Camden Market finds. Began to get into hand crafted garments like recycled tweed skirts, hand painted t-shirts, lots of funky accessories. Then started to dabble in vintage.....attracted by the chance to not look like everyone else. 
I seem to admire elements of most designers but probably identify most with the fun and cute (MJ, Jessica Ogden, Karen Walker) constrasted with the avant garde (Yohji, CDG) .
While there are def times when I do try to look my best (and sometimes circumstances conspire against you so it still doesn't happen), other times there are simply other things that take priority. The job, the pets, the house, volunteer responsibilities, friends, relatives ... I well remember the days when I had nothing better to do than take meticulous care of my nails--they were gorgeous 
Those days be gone B)
