PERSONAL STYLIST TIPS: THE BASICS OF PERSONAL STYLING - HOW TO DISCOVER YOUR UNIQUE STYLE
Personal style is often something my clients feel is “out of reach” or only for those with their own team of stylists to help them curate expensive, large, uneconomical wardrobes. But what if I told you this isn’t what personal styling is about?
Your unique style is something you can curate, enjoy and discover, with a few simple tips and insights. As a personal stylist myself, I have gone through a few style changes. When I was in Italy, in a fashion house, then when I became a Mum, following that when I launched my own business, and when I celebrated certain milestones. These may be moments for you where you feel you need to mould your wardrobe slightly, but that doesn’t mean your core unique personal style changes.
In this article I wanted to share with you a few tips to help you discover how to create your own personal style, and make a wardrobe that you love.
Why is a unique style something to embrace?
Do you have a wardrobe that feels scattered, unauthentic or filled with garments you feel you should love but just don’t quite sit right? This is a wardrobe that doesn’t reflect your personal style. You may have to wear a uniform, or feel that you have to follow certain expectations in your own life, so you’re making investments in clothes that others impose upon you, rather than your own.
A unique style is something that can help you find the stores, clothes, outfits, patterns, and shapes that you feel your best in. It will reflect your personality (as is in the name!) and you will finally feel “yourself” in the pieces you put together. The transformation and relaxation this can give you is priceless. I promise you, when you discover your own unique style, your wardrobe and confidence will fall more in place than before. Just like finding a hobby you love, a personal style that is truly yours will bring you joy and comfort.
Start by finding inspiration
The easiest way to start finding your personal style is by finding others who have a style you love. Look on Instagram, find celebrities, and utilise Pinterest to collate a storyboard of inspiration for your style.
Being able to quickly look at a collection of those you find inspiring in terms of fashion, then helps you consider how you can reflect this in your wardrobe.
If you’re finding it difficult to do, speak with a friend and ask them to share who they feel are the top celebrities that are similar to your personality. This can then help you search for similar people to get more ideas!
Backwards picture search/Link to Know
You may have seen that plenty of Instagram “influencers” share in their content to “click the link in my bio” to shop their wardrobe. This is done with an app called “Link to Know”. The great thing about this app is you can search based on styles, trending, and even follow creators you like. This gives you the opportunity to physically shop their wardrobe so you can replicate your own creations. This is great if you find it difficult to create outfits on your own.
Another way to do this is to “backwards picture search” on google, by inputting a picture to Google and using the shopping option. Apps like Asos also have this option in their search function too, and they will use the picture you have uploaded and suggest garments that the AI can see.
Consider the personality you have
One of the first things I do with my clients during a colour and style clinic, is finding out all about their own personality. We go through different styles like abstract and romantic (there are lots of different ones!) to then make a board that reflects them. There may be mixes of the different styles with one main style at the top. This can then influence the pieces that you’ll feel your best in.
You can find out even more about the different style personalities, and how to define them, in our blog post, here, or book a colour and style clinic with me to work together.
This personal style base can then work for your outfits, while you can curate outfits that work with your daily needs such as work and family, without feeling outside of yourself.
Find the colours and patterns you love
When you find colours and patterns that make you joyous, your wardrobe will be filled with pieces you love! Colour has a strong relationship with mindfulness and happiness. Whether you love deep rich colours or bright ones, find the colours that make you feel joy.
It may feel a little overwhelming to pack your once neutral wardrobe with colour and pattern straight away, so take it in stages! Accessories, handbags, even nail varnish, can be an inexpensive solution for you to start.
If you want to find the colours that would work best for your skin tone, book in for a Colour Clinic, and we can do this together. This will also provide you with your full fabric book of the colours that work together, including your base colours, neutrals and accent colours. This will help you put colours together in your wardrobe and create outfits that work in synergy.
The most important thing that fashion should do for you is make you feel great. On days when you may feel low, an outfit should be easy to pull together, because you have a wardrobe that feels truly “you”. If this isn’t how you are feeling right now about your wardrobe, I’d love to support you.