5 Unexpected Ways to Find your Personal Style
Have you struggled to figure out your “personal style”? You like a little bit of everything and your closet is a hodgepodge? Or maybe you don’t know what you like at all? In this video I’m going to give you 5 unconventional ways to hone in on your personal style.
The first step of creating any wardrobe is knowing your style, right? Without knowing your personal style, buying clothes is kind of like building a house without any blueprints. Crazy, right?
But how do we figure out our personal style? There are a lot of exercises that I go through with clients, but today I want to talk about a few unexpected ways you can find hints about your unique brand of style.
If you’re new here, I’m Missy of Simplified Wardrobe, an Ethical Personal Stylist & Capsule Wardrobe Curator. I help ambitious, eco-conscious womxn who want to look great, feel confident, and simplify their lives.
Find more information about personal style, capsule wardrobes, and color analysis over on Instagram. You can also download my free 10-page Guide to Defining your Personal Style.
5 Unconventional Ways to Uncover your Personal Style
Number 1: What’s your favorite city?
Do you love the lively New York scene? Or maybe you prefer the sandy beaches of Cabo? Or the cobbled streets of Paris? Thinking about why you love your favorite city can help determine your style vibe. If you love the hustle and bustle of New York, you might have a sleek, modern style. Or if you prefer the artsy Brooklyn scene, your style is likely more Creative. If you love the beach, your style is probably more laid back or perhaps more colorful and tropical. If you like the romance of an old city like Paris, your style is probably more romantic and traditional. Again, it’s important to diagnose why you like the city to determine what it says about your style.
Number 2: What’s your interior design style?
Just like your favorite city, your interior design likes and dislikes tend to be pretty similar to your clothing likes and dislikes. If you’re really into sleek, minimal, modern furnishings, you probably also like sleek, minimal, and modern style. If you’re more into traditional with some shabby chic, your style is likely more traditional, with some feminine, laid back, or even preppy elements. Do you love bold? Feminine? Eclectic? Vintage? Think about the words you’d use to describe your perfect interior as well as the shapes, styles, colors, patterns, and materials you like in your home and see if you’d also like those things as clothes.
Number 3: What’s your drink of choice?
Are you a beer girl? A wine snob? Do you savor a nice, dry martini? Or do you prefer a fresh and tangy lemonade, ideally sipped on a veranda? These choices can point to your style as well. Someone who loves a more traditionally laid back beverage like lemonade or sweet tea likely has a more laid back style. Similarly, if you’re picky about your old-fashioneds, you probably have a more traditional or sophisticated style. A fun drink points to a more creative style, while a sophisticated drink points to a sleeker style. This doesn’t have to just be alcoholic beverages, of course. If you don’t drink but you take sweet tea over diet coke any day of the week, that tells you something too. Try to describe your drink preferences with descriptive adjectives and see if you identify with any of those words as your ideal style.
Number 4: What’s your favorite flower?
Do you drool over fresh, white lilies? Or maybe you love a big bouquet of long-stemmed red roses. In fact, a trick I like to use for brides when they can’t decide on their wedding dress style is to ask them about the rest of the decor—especially the flowers! If your ceremony is all white roses and babies breath, you’re looking at a more traditional style. If it’s succulents and ranunculus, you’re a boho babe. Softer pink petals are more romantic, maybe even whimsical. This doesn’t just apply to wedding dresses, either. Fresh white lilies in a modest, sculptural vase scream modern minimalism. Whereas a mason jar of sunflowers is more boho.
Number 5: What’s your power animal?
This is one of my favorite party games. Ask all of your friends to pick their favorite animal and three things they love about that animal. For example mine is a tiger. I love tigers because they’re powerful, beautiful, and they sleep a lot.
I’ll wait…
Got yours?
Okay great.
Now, the three things you chose about your favorite reveal how you want people to perceive you. Pretty wild right? For me, I want to be seen as powerful (yes), beautiful (who doesn’t), and sleeps a lot (I love nothing more than sleep, so yes again.)
What about you? Do yours apply? Sometimes not all three really work, but usually at least one or two are spot on. There are definitely ways I can dress that can make me be perceived as more powerful and more beautiful. I’m not sure about the “sleeps a lot” part. I guess I theoretically want to look awake, relaxed, and refreshed, which makes sense. I love color analysis because you really can look like you got a great night’s sleep (even if you didn’t) just by what colors you wear near your face.
Also consider what other aspects you admire about this animal and whether or not you want those aspects to apply to you (and your style) as well. Do you want to be unconventional? Elegant? Cute? Friendly? Colorful? Approachable? Magnificent? Awe-inspiring? All of these are possible with your fashion choices.
You want to dress better, but you don’t want to go out and buy an entirely new wardrobe. Maybe you have some pieces you like, but for some reason, putting together outfits you love is hard, and you always feel like you’re not doing it right. Here’s how to use what you have to be more stylish.