How to find your personal style
The key to finding your true style and looking great isn’t just following the latest trends but staying true to yourself. You can develop your style by creating mood boards, searching for inspiration, and the fun part? Experimenting with fashion! Finding one’s unique style is a slow, time-consuming process, but rewarding.
Discovering your personal style can be confusing and overwhelming. But once you figure out your personal style, getting dressed becomes so much easier and fun and can save you money. Because let’s face it, there comes a point in our lives where we invest in clothes that over the years, get accumulated in our closets.
What is personal style?
Style refers to a person’s unique way of expressing themselves through clothing, music, or writing style. A ‘stylish’ person may not always follow the latest trends. They usually have a clear idea of what works for them and they stick to it and stay true to their aesthetic. It is all about developing a sense of identity rather than simply absorbing runway trends.
Finding your personal style isn’t something you can achieve overnight. But with the right tips and strategies, you can learn what works for you and what clothing you can adhere to.
Look at your own closet
Doesn’t it sound familiar when it’s a busy day and you flip through your closet hangers for the umpteenth time and you are getting more frustrated by the minute? Trust us when we say that we have all been there. With time, one can get bored with their wardrobe and a total wardrobe overhaul is not possible as it can be expensive.
The solution is to fall back in love with the clothes in your closet. There are several things you can do to make the items in your closet feel brand new. Shop for staples like a white T-shirt, denim, and statement blazers. You can also mix and match the clothes in your wardrobe or wear them in layers.
Find your inspiration
If you look closely, inspiration is all around us. You can start with your friends and family whose style you admire. Notice how they dress and find your ground by recognizing what empowers you and stick to it. Spend time on social media and observe how your favourite celebrity or influencer dresses up. Fashion blogs are full of inspiration. Find a blogger whose style and aesthetic interest you and with whom you resonate. Fashion magazines are another great source. You can gather a tip or two and incorporate them into the way you dress.
Create a mood board
Before you start curating your wardrobe, it is important to define your style. A mood board is a tool that communicates your concepts and ideas. It is an amalgamation of images, texts, etc., that is intended to give direction to a concept. Once you have gathered your inspiration, compile the images, materials, texts, etc., into a mood board.
It is natural to feel that your mood board is all over the place. But you might notice some common factors like dresses, ruffles, polka dots, etc., that give the vibe you are looking for. Refer to these the next time you go shopping.
Create a capsule wardrobe
One approach to understanding your personal style is to have a limited number of mismatched, interchangeable neutral pieces that go well together with almost everything. This is called building a ‘capsule wardrobe’. It is a mindset switch that helps you get dressed in countless ways by styling them in multiple ways.
These are made up of a limited selection of super versatile pieces that you absolutely love. A little black dress, a simple T-shirt, or a denim jacket are some of the few pieces that you might already have in your closet. The idea is to keep such timeless pieces that will never go out of style and replace the items which don’t work for you. These items may be simple, but they will help you show off your unique style. Read more about capsule wardrobe here: https://zola.in/blogs/zola-zine-the-blog/style-mismatched-pieces-and-create-a-capsule-wardrobe
Experiment
As you build your capsule wardrobe, keep adding unique pieces to your wardrobe that show off your personality. It is a fun process as it involves a lot of experimentation. It is in this stage you will understand what works or doesn’t work for you.
Play around with pops of colour, textures, patterns, or even bold accessories. With a lot of trial and error, your wardrobe will turn into something that will represent you. Personal style is all about playing with fashion and discovering what makes you feel best.
