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There was once a time when a lack of effort felt like a status symbol. The most casual girl in the room was the coolest—her plain white tee a sign that she didn’t care what you thought, no matter how carefully curated that breezy ‘fit actually was.

And therein lies the crux of the issue. I’m certainly not here to fight with a casual outfit—denim and a white t-shirt are classics for a reason. No, the issue is this fear that gen pop has developed of throwing a ‘fit; of being seen as trying, or god forbid, trying “too hard.”

But nonchalance is dead, being “chill” is out, and this fall is all about trying for the things you care about and making sure everybody knows it. Showing up as yourself, and being proud of what that looks like.

Now, if that does look like a plain t-shirt and jeans for you—great. But if that’s become an accidental default that you want to dump, this is how to kick nonchalance out of your closet.

Find your color. Color analyses have been running rampant on social media, and while I’m not totally convinced everyone can be dropped into one of those preset categories, I do believe that absolutely everyone has a color that they can absolutely own. The one that makes their eyes pop and skin glow. So figure out if red makes you feel glam, or if blue brings out your eyes, or if orange makes you feel unstoppable. Find your color, and start incorporating it into your closet.

Wear the skirt. Remember in middle school when your friends would text asking you to wear a skirt with them? Well, that’s the logic we’re applying here. It’s not necessarily about wearing a skirt—it’s about locking in on that outfit that you feel like might be too much, and wearing it anyway. Throw out the thought that you’re overdressed. So what if you show up dressed better than everyone else? We’re no longer saving outfits for certain occasions. We’re just wearing them.

Do not trust Coco Chanel. When she said to look in the mirror before you leave the house and take off one of your accessories, she was wrong. Add another one. There aren’t enough charms on your purse. Your wrist needs another bangle. I like the silk scarf you tied to your belt. Those red heels are amazing. Your beaded bag looks so good with that sparkly top. There’s no easier way to express personal style than through the way you coordinate your accessories. They give an outfit life—they take it from an outfit to a look.

Plan outfits for someone else. If you’re having a really hard time stepping out of the box with your outfits, then change your perspective. When you’re putting together an outfit, take yourself out of the equation. Style an outfit that, if you saw someone else wearing it, you’d stop and think my god, she looks good. Grab that maxi skirt you’d never usually go for but always loved the look of. Try that color that feels too bold your typical style. Try cool layers, mix and match patterns—put together the Pinterest board outfit of your dreams. And then put that outfit on your body and get out of the house.

Think through the photo method. Killing nonchalance takes a full mindset shift. So when you’re putting together your outfit, ask yourself—would I want a photo of this? Is the outfit that you’re putting on worth remembering? Do you like it that much? Is it so completely you that you would want printed, permanent evidence that you left the house wearing this? If the answer is yes: perfect! You’ve done it. If the answer is idk whatever, let’s try again.

The point of all of this isn’t to put together crazy, out-there outfits every time you leave the house. But at the end of the day, not everyone’s true, honest-to-god, dream personal style is basic and casual. It’s easy to get trapped in that basic and casual loop, and for those who want to break free, I’d love to make it a little bit easier. Finding the style that works for you, that feels like you—that allows to show up wherever you’re going as your authentic self—that’s all we’re trying to do here. Nonchalance is out, and it’s time your wardrobe start reflecting that.