Hey there friend,
Let’s talk about how to find your style. When you put on an outfit that matches who you are on the inside, your confidence is through the roof! That’s the beauty of personal style:)
Here are some of the most popular questions I get from social media. “Where did you get that shirt?”….. “Where can I buy those shoes?”….. “Where did you get that hat?”
I’m not the type of person who “goes shopping”, so to speak. I’m the type of person who knows exactly what she wants, and I look for only that one piece. I never get in the car to go to the mall and just go shopping.
When I do shop, it’s primarily online. I will go to a store from time to time if I already know that store carries what I want. Or I go to Discovery Clothing, once a year and buy a bunch of clothing! I bought 37 items last time I shopped there! I got dresses, t-shirts, yoga plants and flannel tops!
Check out my recent purchase here:
When it comes to my style, at this point, I know exactly what I’m looking for.
I want to share with you some tips on how to find your style….
Step one, you need to start with inspiration:
The number on reason people don’t like what they have in their closet or feel like they have nothing to wear is because they really don’t know what “look” they are going for in the first place. If you’re someone who doesn’t quite know how to find your style yet, or maybe you’re looking to upgrade your look, then you definitely want to start with some inspo!
My first suggestion is to create a board on Pinterest. Make it a secret board, and just spend an hour or so, and look through Pinterest to find looks, accessories, outfits that are inspiring to YOU. Find looks that you would love to have in your closet, specifically something that you look at and say, “Oh, man.. I wish I could wear that,” or you look at it and say, “Hell yeah, I love that look.” Put all that stuff on a board to have for easy reference.
After you make the board, I want you to take a close look at it. You should be able to see a common thread, a common vibe on that board. When you look at your Pinterest board, you should look at that content and be very confident in, “Yes, this is my look. This is the look I’m going for. This is my style right here. I’m gonna feel so gangsta when I’m rocking this look!”
Step two, You need to clean out or edit your closet:
You have to cut out the crap. Stop holding on to those jeans that you’re going to fit into one day. Stop holding on to that shirt that still has the tags on it because you haven’t worn it in two years, but you feel bad about buying it and not wearing it so you keep it. Get rid of it. Start fresh. Give it away to someone who needs it: women’s shelters or a needy family at your church.
I promise you, there’s someone else who can benefit from those jeans and that shirt or that sweater that you’ve been holding on to more than you.
Give it away. Pay it forward and move on. Get rid of the stuff that doesn’t fit your personal style so that you can really step into the confidence of having a personal style. Then whenever you walk into your closet, you’re going to know, “No matter what I put on today, I’m going to feel “confidently me” because the clothes that I’m wearing actually reflect who I am.” That’s important.
Step three, find your staples:
Staples make your personal style a reality, and there should only be a few.. five, maybe six staples that you’ll have in your closet. Here are my staples:
1. Dresses that I can wear most of the year. I typically incorporate my warmer weather dresses into fall and winter with a cropped jacket and booties. This way most of my dresses are versatile all year long.
2. Heels (I add them to a pair of yoga pants and a t-shirt or a dress and hoops for a night out.)
3. Hoops. I wear them on most days. I have silver ones, gold ones, heart shaped ones, oval ones and diamond coated ones.
4. Colored jeans! My fav are a magenta color that are actually jeggins which makes them SUPER comfy!
5. Hats/fedoras, blingy denim caps, trendy winter hats. I add wigs under my hats for variety.
Now here’s the thing about staples… I know, without a doubt, if I throw on a dress, hoops, booties, and my fedora and I can make those pieces work as an outfit themselves. Or I can throw any one of those individual items into another outfit and make it work! That’s the beauty of staples!
Some of my other staples are a floral duster, pencil skirts, jumpsuits and a few favorite accessories. You get the idea. You don’t need 200 different things in your closet. You just need to have a few really great staples that reflect your personality. A lot of style experts say, “Oh, you need to have staples like black dress pants, a little black dress, boot cut jeans, black pumps, and a white button down shirt” and to that I say..Naaah, nope, not up in here! Boring!
Those staples would look ridiculous on me. Plus they’re boring! The staples you need to have are the staples that reflect YOUR personal style.
Step four, Consider you accessories:
Accessories can make or break an outfit, but here’s the thing… people go wrong with accessories because they just get what everyone else is getting. Now, listen, if you want to blend in, then you go and you blend in. That’s totally fine. But if you’re someone who wants to be able to wear a plain black tank top or a black T-shirt, a pair of jeans, tennis shoes, and have it stand out… then you’re going to need some accessories.
The key to accessories is picking pieces that are unique to you.
What I always recommend to my clients when they “need” a new look for a party or special event is this: recycle and old dress, and get a statement necklace or bold purse to shake things up a bit or buy a new pair of shoes. You’ll wear the new accessory or purse a lot more than you would if you bought yet another dress! Some of the dresses in my closet that I still wear are over 10 years old!
It’s actually one of my personal nightmares to be wearing the same thing as someone else.
But bottom line, accessories can make or break and outfit. If you are someone who’s starting with a very simple, basic wardrobe like basic jeans and T-shirts or pants and T-shirts, then accessories are going to be the most affordable way to make that outfit stand out!
Most important, though, you want to remember to have FUN with it! It’s not about a size, it’s about confidence, and you always want to have that in the forefront of your mind. When you put on an outfit that matches who you are on the inside, your confidence is through the roof. That’s the beauty of personal style… just by putting an article of clothing on, you can 10X your confidence, and by wearing an outfit that reflects who you are on the inside, people can get an idea of what you’re like and understand your personality without you having to say a word.
I hope this helped you out my friend! I’d love to know, what’s one thing that lit you up or inspired you in this article? Please respond in the comments below. Let me know!
XXX~Gina
