Many years ago (aka 2004) just after I'd completed my image consultant training course and launched my personal styling business, I was out shopping at a local boutique.
I walked in the door and started looking around at what was available, immediately, I as approached by a sales assistant who said "I've got the perfect thing for me" as she thrust a grey marle hoodie at me.
I looked at her in surprise.
I looked down at my shoes, a pair of pointed-toe patent boots with a stiletto heel, then at my skirt, an asymmetrically cut, unusually constructed item and wondered, what on earth made her think "grey marle hoodie" when she looked at me?
There was nothing about my outfit that even whispered "sporty is my middle name".
I realised that she either knew nothing about style (most likely) or was trying to offload this hoodie to anyone who walked through the door (also possible).
I'm lucky that I knew about the influence of my personality on my style and could easily say "not for me thanks" but I know so many other women who are not so lucky, as they don't have the education in personality style to be able to identify what is and isn't them, and can easily get talked into buying something that then sits in their wardrobe unworn, week after week, year after year until it finally gets given away.
How Does Personality Influence Your Style?
What is Your Style?
This is something I get asked about a lot - how to figure out what your style is so that you can make the best purchasing decisions, as it goes way beyond body harmony (or figure flattery) information.
I trained a boutique owner in the skills of personal styling, who was keen to understand how she could help her customers find the clothes that were "them", as she told me, I show people items or they try things on and then they say it's not me but that can't tell me what me is."
Being able to communicate what you do want really helps you find the clothes and get the assistance you need.
To start defining your style you need to decide what it is about your personality you want others to pick up on. This is something I love to teach as it makes such a huge difference as suddenly all those mistakes in your wardrobe become clear.
What Are The Clothes in Your Wardrobe Telling You?
When you look at what you already own that you don't wear, what is it about these items that you don't like? If you don't know why you've made style mistakes then it's hard not to repeat those same mistakes over and over.
You may have bought a garment because it looks good on you, because it fits your body shape guidelines or it's the right colour palette for you, but if the style doesn't speak to your personality, then you'll never feel comfortable or confident wearing the garment.
It doesn't matter if you know your best silhouettes and shapes, hemlines, and necklines if you don't know what suits your personality. There are so many choices to make beyond figure flattery rules, from the selection of prints and patterns to kinds of fabrics, that are all related to personality style (check out this post on 10 ways personality is more important than body shap e).
What you're not wearing tells you so much about your style preferences when you know the right questions to ask.
There is no point in holding onto all the clothes you're not wearing, there is no magical item that will suddenly make them work, but it's worthwhile understanding why you don't wear them so you don't make the same mistakes again and again.
This is why I'm so passionate about assisting smart women to build the wardrobe of their dreams, because I know they don't want to keep on wasting time, energy, money and the planet's resources on clothes that don't make them feel confident and attractive. There is copious research that shows that your style impacts on your whole life and can have positive or negative ripples (depending on whether it makes you feel and look great or awful).
If you'd love to learn how to confidently select clothes that feel flattering and understand more about your style, I'd love to invite you to watch my free masterclass so that you can discover the reasons your wardrobe is in the state it's currently in and the changes you can make to improve it.
Your Personality + Your Style = Match Made in Heaven
When you combine the information about what suits you physically along with your personality and how you want to express it and your values through your clothing, you then can so much more easily curate that wonderful wardrobe that works for you every day.
It's so key to get all the aspects of your style sorted out so that you can get up, get dressed and get out the door each day with a confidence that allows you to go out and achieve your goals and dreams.
If you've realised that it's an investment in you to get your style sorted out - please to join my 7 Steps to Style program and get the style education you've never got anywhere else.
