Getting dressed every day is stressful. There’s a reason why Steve Jobs wore a black turtleneck every day and why some schools prefer uniforms. It’s just one more thought to add to your already-heaping plate. But having a solid personal style foundation can help! Your personal style is exactly that: personal. It’s a combination of who you are, where you’ve been and who you want to be. Finding it is just a matter of natural gravitation and experimentation. If you’re unsure where to start or if you even have a personal style already, read on.
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Step 1: Know your body
You’ll never feel confident in what you’re wearing if you don’t feel comfortable. I’m not saying you shouldn’t wear certain styles based on what society says, but more so about what you feel best in. For example, I just really don’t like the way I look in button-up shirts. It feels too stuffy, even when mixed with trendy pieces. So I avoid them and gravitate toward other styles.
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Step 2: Build up your basics
Unless you have unlimited access to designers or are flushed with disposable income (good on you!), you aren’t buying up every new trend each week. Besides, trends are hard to incorporate into your personal foundation because they’re always changing. Take a look at your laundry. What key pieces do you find yourself washing every week because you’re always wearing them? These are your basics. Take stock of what you already have, and see where you can fill in gaps with similar items. If you already have a certain style of tee or a brand of jeans you love, you won’t regret adding a few more pieces to your arsenal.
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Step 3: Ditch the dead weight
Remember those trendy pieces? I can’t tell you how many I’ve donated over the years that once seemed so damn cool. Get rid of anything in your closet that you haven’t worn in the past three months. Unless it’s specifically seasonal, if you haven’t worn it in the last three months, chances are you won’t be wearing it any time soon. When you have a closet full of pieces you know you love and know you want to wear, it makes solidifying your personal style that much easier.
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Step 4: Get inspired
If you’re starting from the ground up, it’s time to seek out inspiration. Go on Pinterest, fashion blogs, magazines and anywhere else you like to find style inspo. Create a big collection of pieces and looks you love, and then begin to narrow it down. Find the common denominators in the looks you saved. Did you save a lot of a certain color palette? Did you find yourself pinning a lot of blazers? Go into it with an open mind for inspiration, and you’ll be surprised how many common themes you’ll find.
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Step 5: Pick what you like
As a society, we have a tendency to rewire our brains from what brings us joy, to what is in style. Often they can be two different things. When you’re searching for inspiration, make a conscious effort to select things that pop out at you because you like them, not because your brain recognizes them as “stylish.” We do this so much more often than we realize, so it takes a strategic effort to overcome this habit!
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Step 6: Find your signature piece
Identifying a signature item is the final, and most crucial part of finding your personal style foundation. Think of it this way, if someone were going to dress up as you for Halloween, what would they wear? Would they have red lipstick on? Or a certain style of jewelry? Find a signature item that completes your look and makes it you.
