This was the question from one of my lovely readers who is struggling with her style.
How to Find Your Style
Personal Style and Signature Style
Personal style is a strategic way of looking at your wardrobe and how you pull your look together. Personal style relates to all the different elements that you put together. Your personal style may be more singular or may be more varied, depending on your personality. It's how you use the personality dressing styles based on your personality traits. It will influence your choices, what you do and don't love to wear. Even if you have a very varied personal style, there will still be some garments and accessories and looks that really don't appeal to you. If you're not sure of how your personality traits influence your style and what your core personality dressing style is, take my quick quiz to find out!
Signature style is really what gives your outfits a distinguishably you character. Your signature style could have a sculptural element to it or contain a specific component in every outfit (such as always wearing animal prints like Jill Chivers, or Anna Wintour's patterned dress, classic bob hairstyle and signature sunglasses.
There are some people whose style is much more like a signature style, it's very identifiable. Women such as Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis; Audrey Hepburn; Anna Wintour and Ellen DeGeneres. You don't have to have a signature style, it's not a necessary part of being a stylish woman.
There could be a lot of people who have a similar personal style to you - they wear similar silhouettes or colours - but it's rare to find someone with the same combination of personal style and signature style as you. This is why just copying someone else's style without adapting it to you and your personality means that you don't feel stylish in the way that you may have hoped!
Both of these concepts are important is it makes getting dressed and pulling a look together for any situation, whether it is picking the kids up from school or going to a client meeting easier.
Finding Your Style
I'd suggest going to your wardrobe and finding your five favourite outfits that are probably quite different from each other. Start listing out everything you love about them. Notice the elements that you love - colours; shapes; patterns; textures; fit and structure. Then write down how they make you feel and look when wearing (eg. smart, different, stylish, slim, tall, successful, versatile etc.). Do you notice a pattern? Are all your favourite clothes comfortable? Are they all different or a little creative? Do they all have a feminine waisted shape? Are they versatile - you can dress them up or down? It's really important to discover what works for you in your life and with your personality, then you can replicate this success.
Then go to your wardrobe and find some garments that you just don't wear. These could be things that you look over; garments you put them on and take them off or outfits that you just don't feel comfortable in for some reason. I want you to put them on and notice the elements you don't like. Do you hate stuff that is completely plain, or that has frills and flounces or that feels constricting etc. Often it's easier to think of what we dislike first. Write down everything, it's all valid. This is really useful information you're gathering. You'll start to figure out what is 'You ' and what is 'Not You'.
You may determine that you have a broad personal style so no obvious signature style elements BUT, you may notice something in common when you start to list out the elements of the clothes and outfits that you love - something that binds what appears to be different styles together - a common theme that you've just never noticed before.
Don't feel that you have to limit yourself. Some of us find self-defined uniform or that self-defined style incredibly freeing because it gives real borders and boundaries but for others, this feels constraining and really uncomfortable. They need to change it up or they will feel boxed-in and bored very quickly. This is why I recommend reading this post before you throw it all out for a minimalist wardrobe, as I know, as fabulous as the capsule concept is, it's not right for everyone!
Spend a bit of time doing some research in your own wardrobe and your likes and dislikes. You'll start to find what the things that are more you and what are the things are simply not you.
If you're keen to delve more deeply into understanding your personality style, then join my 7 Steps to Style program, as inside you'll discover in-depth how your personality influences all your style choices and it is so often the deciding factor in whether or not you love or loathe an item or outfit and why you don't wear 80% of your wardrobe (and how you can stop making those same shopping mistakes over and over.
It's Time to Evolve Your Style
If you're feeling stuck in a style rut and not sure which way to turn, Evolve Your Style is the perfect staring point on your style journey and find your style. It's a self-guided program designed to have you looking and feeling amazing in only one month. It will take you by the hand and lead you to begin developing improving your personal style by trying small daily style challenges that work with the way your brain works to break old habits and make new ones. You'll also get access to bonus masterclasses are available for you to watch on-demand - Figure Flattery; Working Your Wardrobe and Contrast and Colour are all topics covered!
So if it's something you've been thinking about and you want to improve your style, then jump on board and start to Evolve Your Style in a positive way today!
Further Reading
Asking the Question to Find Your Personal Style Statement