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Ladies, I have a few questions for you. Do you constantly feel like you don’t have anything to wear? Does getting dressed each day feel like a chore? Do you feel like your wardrobe doesn’t match your current lifestyle? Do you lack enthusiasm when putting outfits together? If you answered “Yes” to any of the prior questions, don’t worry. I’m here to help you find your personal style!
Grab a pen and a notepad, and let’s get to work!
What is Personal Style?
Personal style is the way an individual expresses themselves through whatever aesthetic that appeases them. Personal style can be expressed through clothing, accessories, hair, and the way you put everything together.
Finding your personal style is something that doesn’t happen overnight. Personal style is developed over time, based on your experiences, your lifestyle, and maturity.
Why Finding Your Personal Style is Important
You Will Develop a Greater Sense of Self
Developing a personal style is a life-long journey that every woman should embark on. Finding your personal style goes far beyond vanity. When you develop a personal style, you learn more about yourself and what makes you unique. Each one of us on this planet has something unique and beautiful to offer the world. Finding your personal style helps you to approach each day confidently and ready for whatever comes your way.
You Will Save Money
Finding your personal style also offers long-term financial benefits. When you are comfortable with your style, you won’t spend tons of money on trends that will disappear the next season. When you know your personal style, you can walk into any clothing store, whether it’s fast fashion, slow fashion, or luxury, and know automatically what you like and will purchase. You will buy timeless items that you will love and cherish for many seasons to come.
You Will Put Together Cute Outfits More Efficiently
When you know your personal style you will be able to create an ideal capsule wardrobe for your lifestyle. By creating a wardrobe full of items that you love wearing, you will be able to get dressed much faster in the morning. Also, you will have go-to items in your closet that can be easily paired with other items.
Tips For Finding Your Personal Style
1. Examine Your Closet
The first step to finding your personal style is to take time to examine all of the items in your closet. When you examine your wardrobe, it gives you an idea of your current style, items to incorporate or get rid of, and what inspires you.
Try on all of your clothes
Trying on all of your clothes in your closet may seem overwhelming, but it is a very important step! Trying on clothes already in your wardrobe helps you understand your personal style.
When trying on clothes, examine whether the item still fits or whether it looks worn or dated. Put items of clothing that are worn or that no longer fit in a pile to be given away. Also, if you have not worn an item in over a year, it would be best to add it to the donation pile. Keeping items that you are no longer eager to wear takes up unnecessary space in your closet.
Questions to ask yourself:
- Which items do I find myself wearing the most?
- Which items make me feel the happiest or the most beautiful?
Examine the Current Color Palette of Your Wardrobe
By categorizing your color palette, you can gain a better idea of colors that you love and look the best in. Color palette examples include: pastels, colorful, neutrals, and prints. If you notice that you have a lot of pastels in your wardrobe, it’s a good sign that you love a pastel, feminine color palette.
Questions to ask yourself:
- Which colors do I gravitate to the most?
- Am I satisfied with the current colors in my wardrobe?
- Can I build multiple outfits with this color palette?
- Which colors would I like to incorporate into my wardrobe?
Describe Your Style
Next, describe your style in three words. These three words are essential in characterizing your current wardrobe and how you are going to further develop your style. Example adjectives include: polished, bold, smart, goth, preppy, Parisian, colorful, mature, whimsical, bohemian, and etc. If I were to examine my wardrobe, I would describe my style as feminine, chic, and classic.
Think about Your Style as a Form of Communication
Personal style serves as a form of self-expression. You have the power to use your style as a way to convey to the world who you are as an individual. If you are a young professional, you may want to adopt a wardrobe that is youthful, yet conveys confidence, ambition, and strength.
Questions to ask yourself:
- What do I want my personal style to express to the world?
- Am I pleased with what my personal style is currently conveying about myself?
2. Examine Your Lifestyle
Your lifestyle greatly influences your personal style. It is important to incorporate items into your wardrobe that coincide with your day to day activities. If you are a new mom, you most likely want to wear items that are comfortable for moving around and caring for your children.
Lifestyles that Impact Personal Style:
- Where you live
- Your profession/career
- Your Hobbies
- Raising Children
- Retired
- Dating/Going Out
- Attending University/Grad School
Questions to ask yourself:
- Am I dressing for my current lifestyle or for the lifestyle that I aspire to have?
- Will there be any anticipated lifestyle changes that may impact my personal style?
3. Find Inspiration
After examining your wardrobe and engaging in style introspection, you should find inspiration for developing your personal style. Your personal style can be influenced by a number of different sources. It’s important to think about things, people, and experiences that inspire you to be the best version of yourself.
Questions to ask yourself:
- Who are my style icons? My style icons include:
- Which stores do I enjoy shopping at?
- What do I love the most about my city?
- What is my favorite piece of artwork?
- Are there people in my life whose style I admire? This includes friends, family members, or coworkers.
4. Create Boards Devoted To Styling
When finding your personal style, it is important to document your style evolution and things or people that inspire you along the way.
One of my favorite websites that I have used throughout the years to document style inspiration is Pinterest. Pinterest allows you to create boards and save images to the boards to look at now and later. I advise that you create a Pinterest board called “Style Inspiration” and begin pinning to the board images that inspire you. On Pinterest, you can search images based on your personal style (sexy, chic, classic, etc.), your style icons, seasons of the year, etc. I love Pinterest because it is a great tool to use when styling my outfits or when I feel in a style rut.
Shoptagr
Shoptagr is another tool I use to keep track of my style and items that I am interested in purchasing from multiple retailers. Interested in purchasing a Reformation dress, but not too fond of the price? Don’t worry, Shoptagr will let you know when a particular dress that you are lusting after goes on sale! Shoptagr also allows you to create Wishlists where you can save items from different stores. You can organize your future purchases by category and share your list with family and friends.
Be Your Own Hype Woman
While it’s great to seek inspiration from other people, it’s also important to be your own source of inspiration. Don’t forget to be your own hype woman! When you are feeling great about your outfit, take a photo and document it. Documenting your style evolution will make you feel more empowered and confident in your personal style.
5. Don’t Put Your Style in One Box
Although it is important to categorize your style with specific adjectives, don’t be afraid to step outside of your style box. Personal style is something that is constantly evolving. If you limit your personal style to one category, you may find yourself displeased with your style and its progress.
Most of my wardrobe consists of pieces that are quite feminine and frilly. However, I like combining feminine and edgy pieces to create a more androgynous and unique look. Without a doubt, I love the combination of leather and lace.
6. Experiment
Another key to finding your personal style is to experiment. Experimenting with your personal style helps you to not only become more comfortable with your style but allows you to find outfits that you love. When you experiment with your style, you can step outside of your comfort zone and learn more about yourself.
One of the best ways to experiment with your style is to shop secondhand. My article on the benefits of thrifting discusses how thrifting can not only help you save money but can inspire you to develop a unique sense of style.
7. Dress for Your Body Type
Another important, yet challenging aspect of finding your personal style is dressing for your body type. You can look good in your clothes and rock your personal style regardless of your body type. However, it’s important to dress for your body type, not the body type that you wish you had.
Each woman has something beautiful about them. You should aim to dress in a manner that highlights your best features. As a petite woman (5’2″, 110ish pounds), I usually wear high waisted pants or skirts because they highlight my small waist and make my legs look longer.
In addition, tailoring is essential in achieving the perfect fit for items that you love. If an item is too long, too big, or too small, don’t shy away from seeking assistance from a tailor.
8. Buy What You Love
Throughout the years, I have learned the importance of buying things that I love. When you buy items that you love, you will enthusiastically wear them over and over again.
You should buy clothing that you love, not what society or the fashion industry tells you to love. One of the best parts about finding your personal style is that you will feel less pressure to buy trendy items because you are confident in the items that you already own.
If you know me, you know that I love a good deal. However, I’ve learned that it is better to buy an item that I love and that happens to be on sale, rather than just purchasing sale items for the sake of it. Items with sale tags that you have lukewarm feelings for may end up settling in a neglected part of your closet. On the other hand, items that you love will be worn forever (or at least until your style changes again).
I hope that these tips help you and encourage you to start or continue your journey to find your personal style. Let me know in the comments how you would describe your personal style. I’m very curious to know!
Love,
Miracle With Grace