How to Define Your Personal Style

If you feel like you aren’t as stylish as you may want to be, you may think the best thing to do is to go out and buy yourself an entirely new wardrobe. Instead, you may need a mini journey to discover your own style. 

Whether you love dresses and caftans or the grunge or preppy look, finding your own style will not only allow you to know exactly what you do and don’t like but will also instantly boost your self-confidence. 

Find Out What You Like

You must first make clear decisions about what you do and don’t like wearing. Your style isn’t about weaning a particular clothing style or specific colours; it is about finding what you love and creating outfits using those items.

There is also nothing you have to wear with something else; therefore, figuring out what you like is arguably the best starting point. 

Look for Inspiration

The next thing to do is to look for inspiration. You can look at celebrities, fashion houses, movies, or even nature when it comes to colours; knowing what inspires you will give you some direction. 

Please don’t limit yourself when it comes to how much inspires you either; maybe there is a celeb who is incredible at accessorising or another one that does androgynous very well. This is the time to find the elements or looks that light in a fire inside of you. 

Know Your Body 

No matter your body shape, there will be things that suit you and some that don’t. This doesn’t mean you should limit yourself because you think you’re too skinny or too curvy for something; it is meant to be a way to change how your perspective on clothing. 

There are no clothes that are only for skinny people or only for tall people; knowing your body means you can adapt how you wear an item in a way that is unique to you. 

Choose a Colour Palette/Style

While this is optional, if you struggle with direction, you can make the process easier by picking a couple of styles or a colour palette you like. You don’t have to stick to these, but it helps you stay calm. 

Many style icons stick to a particular palette or style. Rick Owens may be a designer, but he is a prime example of someone who has created massive and varied collections of clothes, but all in black.

Discover New Stores

A great way to expand your wardrobe and style horizons is to simply shop at new stores. Most people find one or two stores that stock what they like and only go there when they need something.

While this is fine for some, this limits you in what you wear and look like; you will wear the store’s style and not your own. Instead, visit different stores, even if you think it isn’t for you; you never know what you can find.

Streamline Your Closet

Before you go out and buy any new clothing, the first thing you need to do is to streamline your closet. You have most likely gathered a small collection of clothes that you barely wear or even like. 

Take the time to sell or donate those items, and only keep what you want to build outfits around. This will also help you do something else on this list, which is to find out what you do and don’t like when you look at what you’re keeping and getting rid of. 

Learn to Mix & Match

True style icons are people who don’t necessarily wear something different all the time but can wear one item in multiple ways. This is the essence of personal style, as it is your way of wearing an item and not about what the item is. You can also do the same with colours, as mixing colours is one of the easiest ways to transform how an item and outfit looks. 

Taking a grunge-style item and wearing it with a boho outfit is mixing looks in a stylish and authentic way. Don’t look at pieces of clothing as what they are; look at them as what they could be or how they could complement each other.

Don’t Follow Trends

Following trends is the complete opposite of having your own style. While you can use trends for inspiration, you should still walk on your own fashion path. When you start following trends, you’re simply wearing what everyone else is wearing.  

Be Adventurous 

One way to find your own style is to push the boat out. As mentioned already, no clothes or colours suit only one body type or skin tone; you can wear almost anything if you know what to match with it and how to wear it to suit you best. 

Once again, we often get trapped into wearing certain things because we think it’s the only cut or shape that looks good on us; in reality, you have far, far more options than you may think, and you just need to go out and look for them.