AND AUTHENTICITY
April 2026
At Cultura.Moda, we often say: personal style is a living organism. It evolves and grows with us. We find it important to tell the stories of people who “made it” — not in an abstract sense, but in a deeply personal one: through clothing, through searching, through doubt — finding and choosing themselves.
Our first interview is with Tatiana Bandeira, a practicing personal stylist. She shares her journey, her observations of style in the Netherlands, and the insights that became pivotal points of growth in her profession.
IG: @bandeira_ta
I would describe my style using nouns rather than adjectives.
My personal style is experience, acceptance, inspiration, love, and subtlety.
acceptance
inspiration
love
subtlety
HOW IS YOUR VISUAL TASTE SHAPED TODAY?
Probably like everyone else’s — I visit museums, I love exhibitions. I watch archival runway shows and street style. And I absolutely adore magazines. I’m one of the few people who still buys them. I also love museum catalogues.
But above all, it’s people — and my ability to observe. Encounters matter to me, openness matters — when people are willing to share who they are.
Even when I simply pass someone on the street, I study how they express themselves through clothing, through gestures — how they sit, how they turn their head. This is what develops my visual taste.
I also love biographies. I read them closely, paying attention to every detail — whether it’s an artist, architect, sculptor, mathematician, writer, or actor.
Yes. One of my favorites is Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller. I would also recommend reading about Paul Cézanne.
Studying a person’s life — and through that understanding their taste, their style, their direction — how they became who they are, how they looked, how their inner and outer worlds interacted — all of this helps me shape my own visual language.
Absolutely. I stopped adjusting myself to expectations and simply became myself. I’m mixed-race, and from the beginning people projected a lot of assumptions onto me. For many, I was “supposed to” dance or do something “exotic.” It limited my sense of self, as if I had to follow those expectations.
WHAT WAS THE TURNING POINT WHEN YOU ACCEPTED YOURSELF AND YOUR STYLE CHANGED?
I went through a severe burnout. I had panic attacks — and they showed me that something had to change. It was a difficult period, but it marked the beginning of something new within me. When all that “noise” fell away, it became easier to be myself — not for others, but for me. I think people often shut themselves off from themselves. But understanding yourself is the same as loving yourself. When you accept all your nuances, you stop punishing yourself. This is exactly what I try to bring into my work with clients.
That I wouldn’t make it. That there are so many people like me — and who am I, really? But the biggest fear was that my work wouldn’t be needed. The personal styling market has grown immensely. And it’s not even just the market — Instagram creates this constant feeling that you’re never doing enough.
Social media — especially maintaining Instagram. It’s truly a separate job.
I think I belong to a slightly different generation. It’s difficult for me to constantly chase likes, build a community, and live in that rhythm.
But I’ve created a rule for myself: always choose the client first. Working directly with a person matters more to me than creating content. That’s my priority — and it helps reduce internal doubts.
HOW DOES THE CITY ENVIRONMENT INFLUENCE PEOPLE’S SENSE OF STYLE?
But because of this, people sometimes miss the potential of their wardrobe and their inner expression. They choose quick solutions and end up looking like everyone else. Lately, I notice this desire to “be Dutch” as a kind of stagnation in a certain visual identity.
There’s also this idea of false simplicity — as if you don’t need to “dress up,” just be yourself. But in reality, people do dress up, they invest time in it. It’s not just jeans and a hoodie. At the same time, there’s the opposite extreme — when people try too hard, overdo it, and it starts to look unnatural. Truly authentic, distinctive looks are actually quite rare.
Stylistically, I often see vintage, a bit of rock aesthetics, cowboy boots, flared silhouettes, leopard prints.
WAS THERE AN IDEA DURING YOUR STUDIES AT CULTURA.MODA THAT BECAME A POINT OF GROWTH FOR YOU?
Yes, one phrase from Katerina really stayed with me: “You can’t treat clothes as just ‘stuff’ — through them, we shape our relationship with ourselves.” I interpreted it this way: we cannot be careless with what forms our visual identity and helps us express our thoughts. Especially as stylists, we can’t choose clothing — for ourselves or for clients — as if it doesn’t matter. That idea reveals how easily we devalue what we choose.
IS THERE A TOOL YOU STILL USE TODAY?
Yes — working with historical eras. Studying time as a styling method expands your perspective. It helps you see more possibilities, even in simple pieces. One of the strongest lessons was when we went to a store and created looks inspired by different eras.
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