via We Heart It

Personal style is being able to instantaneously  find clothes that work for you.

It’s about reconciling your body, your skin tone, your hair & eye color, your personality, your lifestyle and your budget into a look that fits you and leaves you feeling comfortable and confident in what you’re wearing.

Working out what exactly your personal style can be overwhelming, but after awhile it does seem to fall into place; but there are some ways in which you can help the process along & these are some of which I have found most useful.

1. Asses Your Current Style
   This has a lot to do with reconciling what I mentioned earlier, your body, lifestyle, personality & budget; but in retrospect. Being aware of your current style will push you in the right direction. I know that I love rock-chic glamor, paired with comfortable pieces; & now I’m veering toward a smarter look (i.e blazers and silk tops).
2. Create a Personal “Look Book”
   This is fun, and you’ll wind up with an amazing resource of style inspiration. I’m not advocating copying another persons style, but you can learn a lot about your own preferences by observing the fashion choices of others.
3. Assess What You Need To Buy
   The more self-aware you become of your personal style (via #1 & #2) the more of an idea you should have of key pieces you want to own. Distressed denim, smart blazers and chunky heels are some examples of what I’ve veered toward from such processes. Dedicated shopping trips to “key items” will result in a more functional wardrobe veered toward your personal style (& not all the other mish mash).
4. Learn When Not To Buy
   If it dosen’t suit you, don’t buy it. It dosen’t matter how cheap and/or on trend it is. Two fundamental reasons, 1) you’re not going to get a lot of wear out of something that isn’t suited to you, and 2) having unsuitable clutter in your wardrobe confuses your personal style! Before purchasing, you should love how an item looks on you (regardless of how much you like the item itself).
5. Experiment
   Experimenting with new styles is so important to expanding your personal style. This kind of contradicts #5, dosen’t it? You must balance experimenting with preventing yourself from buying unsuitable clothing. That said, there’s a big difference between buying an outrageous hair bow that you love but are a little unsure about how to rock it, and buying a dress that you know makes you feel awful.
6. Wear Colors that Make You Comfortable
   I remember when I was younger I thought it was a good idea to buy items in many different colors. This is also why I winded up discarding an obscene number of tank tops. Some people can & will wear lots of colors, but if you find that certain colors always make you feel good then you should stick with them. Personally, I like monochromatic with pops of vibrant blues, pinks or greens. There are many articles online dedicated to finding your colours, try Fashion Help For Recovering Goths via Gala Darling for an excellent lesson in color theory!
7. Tailor Anything That Dosen’t Fit Right; Fix Anything That’s Broken
   & chuck anything that is still mangled after both of these have been considered! Some items need to be tailored to be werable, and some items just need to be fixed. This is about ensuring every item looks as good as it possibly can on you. It will also open up options via transforming previous un-werable’s into wearable’s. Blazers are the most likely candidate here – I have a perfectly tailored gray one in my wardrobe.
8. Maintain Your Hairstyle.
   Oh this may seem silly, but I can guarantee that you’ll feel a whole lot more confident and stylish when you love your hairstyle. It dosen’t have to be perfect, but it should make you feel great (& when you feel great, you look great…).

Lastly, remember that personal style often takes its time to develop and completely emerge & even then it’s very likely to change just as you do.

How attuned are you to your personal style?