A “personal style” can sometimes sound more aspirational than what you see in your wardrobe. If your wardrobe’s packed with clothes you never wear, you might decide you don’t have a style or perhaps it’s high time to get one! Nevertheless, you know what you like, and which clothes help you to feel happy and confident.
If you’re feeling like it’s time to develop your personal style, here are a few ideas to get you started.
Discover your personal style in a few simple steps
Your personal style is unique to you and the style you default to is instinctive. Perhaps you love streetwear, French chic or a sporty look.
Style isn’t fashion because trends come and go. Someone who’s stylish knows what they like, how they want to feel, and buys clothes they love—and which fit into their wardrobe to complement other items, and importantly fit their shape well too.
Most people never define their own style, but you can decide what you like easily. That’s the first step. Once you’ve done that, developing a wardrobe of clothes you love becomes easier.
Steps to consciously defining your style
Start with what you have.
- Look at your wardrobe. Pull out the clothes you wear most often and enjoy — i.e. your favorites. Why do you love them? What do the clothes have in common? It might be color, material or the way the clothes fit. Pull out your favorite accessories too.
- Take photos of your favorite clothes and accessories so you can create a mood board of clothes for work, weekends and special occasions.
- Next, find more of the kinds of clothes you like. Start with work and weekend wear, then special occasion clothes. Explore social media. Who wears the clothes you like? Print examples of your favorites and add them to your mood board.
- Check for gaps in your wardrobe; clothes you’re missing.
- What clothes or accessories inspire you? We all have a style of clothing or an accessory we would love to have. Add inspirational items to your mood board.
When you’ve created your mood board, you’ll have the essence of your personal style.
The next step is to try creating a capsule wardrobe for this season: essential clothing you love to wear, and pieces which work well together. Choose items from your mood board.
Over time, you can create a capsule wardrobe for each season: tops, bottoms and outerwear that you can wear interchangeably. By consciously creating your look and making deliberate purchases, you’ll start to feel more confident and definitely, more stylish!
If you don’t have time for this approach or you would like some expert guidance, our personal stylists can help — online styling and personal shopping is available too.
Creating a capsule wardrobe of clothes you love
A capsule wardrobe ensures that you’ll always have something to wear — an entire wardrobe that all works well together. It helps you to avoid costly impulse buys which you might wear once and never again, or perhaps never wear, because they go with nothing you own.
When you avoid impulse shopping, you’ll be able to shop for quality items you love, and feel wonderful in.
Start with the clothes you wear to work. Count how many bottoms and tops you have. Chances are good you’ll need to go shopping, but before you do, think about starting with neutral colours.
Neutrals like black, tan, dark blue, and camel sound uninspiring, but think of them as a blank canvas — backgrounds you can enliven with a brighter top, or colourful accessories.
As you did when defining your style, take photos of your initial capsule wardrobe. Now you have your wardrobe on your phone, so you’ll never shop blindly again.
Make a list of items you need, and the colours you want.
But again, if you don’t have time for mood boards and choosing a capsule wardrobe or maybe you’re bored by your usual choices and want something new, consider someone who can bring a fresh eye: a personal stylist.
Solve clothing dilemmas with a personal stylist
A personal stylist may seem like a luxury, but can save you time, was well as money.
If you’re bored with your wardrobe, or feel as if you need to increase your scope and make new choices, a personal stylist may be the best investment you ever make.
Let’s look at the advantages of a personal stylist.
1. When you have no time to shop, a personal stylist can help.
If you’ve ever spent half a day trailing around various stores and hated everything, your personal stylist helps with personal shopping.
Your stylist knows where to shop, and importantly, can help you think outside the box. You may not be liking what you see because you’re missing the scope of how you can make clothing work for you to achieve fresh looks.
2. Over-stuffed wardrobe? Your personal stylist helps you to declutter.
Have you ever opened your wardrobe doors and felt overwhelmed? How do you know what to discard, and what to keep? A personal stylist removes the agony, shows you what works and why, helping you to achieve a wardrobe makeover. Trust me, this will feel like a good cut and new hairstyle! If you think you have a number of items you love, try wardrobe styling – our stylists will show you how to create fresh looks from what you have, and get advice on what you need.
3. A life changing event? A personal stylist helps you to dress for a new you.
A life changing event can be thrilling but can also demand a new wardrobe.
Whether you’ve taken on a new career, or recently left one, are in a new phase of life, or a new body shape, a personal stylist can help you redefine a new style that keeps you feeling confident and stylish in your own personal style.
Category: Personal Style, Style Tips
