Defining Your Personal Style
Style is an individual’s way of expressing themselves, whether that’s through clothing, their writing style, the way their home looks, or even their way of speaking. In regards to fashion, “style” refers to someone’s personal style, or the way someone expresses themself through aesthetic choices like clothing, accessories, hairstyle, or the way they put an outfit together. Someone who is stylish may or may not follow fashion trends, but they always stay true to their own aesthetic. Personal style is about your sense of self rather than absorbing trends. Personal style is a timeless interpretation of your true self.
If you aren’t sure what your personal style is, don’t worry. You get to decide for yourself.
First, evaluate your image.
Look at your clothes and the way you pair them. What message does your clothing send? What image does your look project? Is this the image you’d like to project and the way you want to be perceived?
Does your style outside match who you are on the inside? How do you feel or want to feel when you’re wearing an outfit you love? Put it into words: Confident, Elegant, Empowered, Comfortable? If you’re not sure, take some time to think about what your look says and what you want it to say before you move forward.
Go through your clothes.
Marie Kondo that ish. Obviously things that are stained, torn, worn out, or don’t fit have to go. Next, get rid of the things you don’t love, don’t match your vibe, or you just don’t wear. I have a whole blog post on this— check out How to Clean Out Your Closet for more tips! But really truly only keep things in your closet that feel like you. Holding on to and even wearing things you don’t love will make you feel misaligned.
Figure out what you like.
Look at what’s left in your closet and pay attention to the things you’re drawn to when you’re shopping. What themes do you see repeated in your clothing? Lots of frilly feminine dresses? Clean lines? Things that are easy to wear?
Figure out what looks good on you and makes you feel confident. What colors, patterns, and proportions make you feel your best? Try things on and pair them in different ways with other pieces in your closet
What message do you want your look to convey? Strong, Feminine, Classic, Bohemian?
What kind of activities are you dressing for? Work? Going out? School drop-off?
Wear what you actually like.
Don’t shop for a minute. Take some time with the clothes you have. Play around with the clothes you have and love before adding new elements.
What are your go-to outfits? What silhouette’s are you most often recreating? Wide leg pants with slim tops? Flowy dresses with boots? The things you are reaching for most are going to be good indicators of what you feel best in. There’s nothing wrong with doubling down on styles that make you feel confident.
Don’t feel like you have to follow every trend (or any of them!). Being trendy and being stylish are two very different things. You want your personal style to reflect who you are, not the coming and going trends.
Don’t let other people dictate your style choices. Other than general societal norm type of guidelines like dressing appropriately for work or staying within a wedding dress code, you make the decisions. Don’t copy influencers or celebrities, and while Pinterest is great for inspiration, I don’t advise that you lean too heavily on your pinspirational outfit picks. The point of personal style is that it’s yours, not copied from somewhere else.
At the end of the day, you are the one who is going to wear the clothes and you are the one that is presenting yourself to the world. Wear what you like and what makes you feel confident, regardless of what anyone else thinks. Your style doesn’t have to be perfectly defined and your outfits don’t have to always be exactly “on-brand”. People are dynamic, and your sense of style is allowed to be, too.
