Do you know what your personal style is? You may be wondering if it even matters if you have a style? The answer is yes! Having a personal style (and knowing what it is) can actually save you time and money, simplify decisions, and even save the environment! How do you discover what your personal style is?
Discovering your personal style can be accomplished in 5 steps:
- Decide how you want to present yourself to the world.
- Look at what you already own that makes you feel great about yourself.
- Find your ‘signature’.
- Simplify!
- Forget fast fashion and build on timeless pieces.
The first step to discovering your personal style is to decide how you want to present yourself to the world.
When you think about how people perceive you, what are some keywords that describe those perceptions? How do you perceive yourself? Do you feel creative? Bold and daring? Quiet and thoughtful? Choose three words that best focus the image you would like to portray. Now think about some celebrities or characters who come to mind with those same words and think about their look. (It’s actually better to consider people you don’t know for this exercise because their appearance is the main basis for your impression.) Do you see any trends or themes in their appearances? Maybe you chose ‘refined’ and you see that most of the images are people in tailored suits.
Second, take a look at what you already own that makes you feel great about yourself.
What pieces do you own that makes you feel confident? Replicating the fit of your favorite pants is simple when you use a tailor to alter the fit of your clothing. Is there something that you are complimented on each time you wear it? This is a great indicator that it is part of your personal style because when you are being your true self you feel more confident and people will recognize that energy in you. This leads us right into the next step!
The third step to finding your personal style is to identify your signature.
If you don’t think you have a signature, a great place to look for clues is at gifts that people have given you or items they point out to you because they thought of you the moment they saw it. Maybe you love fancy buttons or little embroidered details? Maybe it’s a certain color? Do you love playful hemlines on your pants? If it’s your signature, you probably have at least two pieces in your closet with that feature and love to wear them. Adding your signature pieces will make even basic items fit your personal style. This gives you an opportunity to embrace sustainable fashion because you don’t need to chase trends.
Fourth, and this is the hard part, it’s time to simplify your wardrobe.
If you don’t feel one of those three words (from the first step) when you look at something in your closet, it’s probably time to donate it and set it free. Of course, you’ll always need a few staples, so hold on to that basic white t-shirt or classic black pants. We’re talking about the dress that has been in your closet for two years and still has the price tags, or the button-down shirt that never gets picked. If you can’t bear to part with it, take it to a clothing alteration service and have it tailored into something that suits you better! If it reminds you of a friend, maybe it fits their personal style better than your own and you could gift it to them. Whatever you choose to do, try to keep it out of a landfill.
The fifth and final step to discovering your personal style is to forget fast fashion trends.
By choosing to honor your personal style, you don’t need to try to keep up with the whirlwind of ever-changing fast fashion trends. This allows you to focus on quality clothing that is made to last and will be consistent with the image you chose for yourself back in step one. Go ahead and invest in taking them to a tailor for a custom fit and something you’ll be proud to wear all the time.
Sustainable fashion choices like this are better for your wallet, it simplifies your clothing decisions (which saves you time), and is better for the environment by not generating excess amounts of clothing waste that ends up in landfills. That sounds like a win for everyone!