There's never been so many options for what to wear, whether it's for your personal or professional life - so how can you quickly and easily choose what to wear?
In this article, I'm going to show you how to define your personal style in 3 easy steps so that getting dressed for work becomes less stressful, but with outfits that make an impactful statement and feel like you.
DEFINE YOU PERSONAL STYLE : STEP 1
Defining your personal style all starts with understanding who you are.
The first part of this is to identify what you like and dislike.
Anything can be on your list - it could be certain fabrics, styles, prints, lengths, colours, just to name a few.
Next to each column, you also want to note WHY you believe or feel this way.
When you ask yourself this, you start to dig a bit deeper into what makes you, and there'll be a reason or a story behind each one.
Maybe someone told you that you can't wear a certain colour or a certain style doesn't look good on you. Ask yourself, was that a valid statement? If it was, great, but if not, maybe it's time that you give it a go.
Something that can also be really helpful for this step is to look at your wardrobe right now - what pieces do you really love, do you feel fabulous in and do you gravitate towards?
Most likely, you will find that there are similar characteristics between those pieces so identifying what they are is going to help you identify your style.
DEFINE YOU PERSONAL STYLE : STEP 2
Now that you've spent some time reflecting on who you are, it's time to build your Style Vision Board.
Images are a really powerful way to represent the personal style that you would like to have.
You want every image that you choose to align with your likes that you have already identified and represent a style that inspires you and that you aspire to have.
One of the best tools to use for this step is Pinterest.
You can create a board, search for images, and then collate your selections together in the board.
There's a great variety and amount of styles and looks that you can search for - whether it's relaxed office wear or wrap dresses for the office - put in what's relevant to you based on your likes and preferences.
Or you might choose to search for images of a female in the media or in the business world whose style really resonates with your likes and who you are.
Besides Pinterest, you can also use Google to search for images or if you want to get really creative, grab some magazines and cut out images to build a physical vision board.
Something to remember during this step: forget about perceived limitations you may have, particularly around body shape. So by that I mean, if you see an image that really aligns with you, but perhaps the person in the image has a totally different body shape, don't get caught up in a story that you can't do that style. Any style can work on different body shapes - it's just a matter of understanding the cuts and silhouettes that flatter you.
I want you to stay focused in this step on building the visual representation of the style and the look that you aspire to have, and what really resonates with your tastes and preferences.
If you'd like to talk with me about your current style situation and how I might be able to help, book in a call with me here.
DEFINE YOU PERSONAL STYLE : STEP 3
The third step to defining your personal style is to apply words to your style.
So by this step, you've defined your likes and dislikes and you've created a style vision board.
Looking at both your list from step one and your collation of images, what words describe the overall look and feel?
There could be up to five or ten words that you may think relevant, but selecting the top 3 really hones into your style.
Start with jotting down as many as come to mind, and then review them and consider what really resonates with you.
It might be words such as sleek, minimalist, soft, contemporary, fun, clean, classic, elegant.
Your words are what are going to guide your outfit choices and your future shopping purchases. They are an anchor point to remind you of the personal image and style that defines you.
Now that you understand how to define your personal style, it’s time to put this into practice!
If you would like some help, I specialise in working with female professionals and leaders one-on-one to create a signature look that reflects their brand and makes them feel confident in any situation. As a certified Personal Image Consultant and Stylist, I offer virtual styling services as well as in person.
If you're interested in learning more, book a call with me today to explore what working together looks like.