I get this question a lot on my Instagram. Whether you’ve just had a baby, feel overwhelmed by trends, or are still trying to figure out what you like and don’t like, it can be tricky to zone in on your style. How often have you stood before your wardrobe, internally screaming that you’ve nothing to wear?
A large part of getting dressed is about how you feel, what you want to communicate, and what you have going on that day. Your style should reflect all this and include pieces you love and want to wear on repeat.
Lifestyle
This might be boring and obvious, but your lifestyle, what you do for work and weekends, and the time you spend doing certain things should guide what clothes you have in your closet.
I am not saying you can’t have fun with your work clothes or your weekend clothes or that they can’t blend, but a lot of the reasons why people struggle to get dressed are that they might spend a proportion of their money on going/eveningwear and not have smart enough/day wear. Or they might buy all the casual clothes and have nothing for the evening.
People, including myself, buy things influenced by trends but need to consider how they will fit into their lifestyle and if they will wear them on repeat. They end up sitting, gathering dust, and contributing to clutter, making it difficult to see clearly what to wear. Hence the staring blankly at the closet. It’s a vicious circle.
You need to break down your week/month, see where and what you’ll be doing, and ensure your wardrobe reflects that. A pie chart can help, and it divides your time and what clothes you have to see clearly.
It is like taking stock of your wardrobe—so you can see what you veer towards, what gaps you have, what you need to invest in, what you like in your wardrobe, what you don’t like, where you are spending your money, and where you should be instead. Take this pie chart as a random observation, which I made quickly.
It doesn’t reflect my wardrobe, but the dominance of skirts/bottoms might - you can see an imbalance of tops to skirts. So either you need to get a few more tops to go with the skirts you have or edit down the skirts you have; a question to ask would be, are skirts even your signature?
I gravitate towards statement bottoms, and when it comes to getting dressed, I struggle because I don’t have enough tops, something I’ve to convince myself to invest in.
However, the pie chart helps you visualise your daily/weekly activities and determine whether your wardrobe correlates with your lifestyle.
Signature
I don’t necessarily think I’ve nailed my style, and I have days when I stare blankly at my closet, struggling to get dressed. I guess I have signatures that define me, like leopard, sequins, and all the prints.
Once you take stock of your wardrobe, you’ll be able to see and figure out what your signature is. Look at any stylish woman; you’ll see a specific styling hack, an item they wear repeatedly, or a colour they gravitate towards.
What’s yours?
Figuring out your style or signatures takes time, so don’t rush. Enjoy the process. One way to find out your go-tos is to have a separate rail and add what you wear for the week/month. You’ll soon find out what your wardrobe faves are that define your style, and you rely on them constantly to form the backbone of your wardrobe.
Inspiration
Find out what you love from your wardrobe and other people's: magazines, Pinterest, and Instagram will help.
Make a board on Pinterest and search for items you already have in your wardrobe for style inspiration or pin celebrities' styles you love.
See why you think the outfit they are wearing is successful—is it the shape, silhouette, or because they added colour? What words would you use to describe their outfit? Examine them and see what sparks and excites you about the outfit.
Three Words
After analysing your wardrobe, finding your signature and getting inspiration - think about three words that come to mind when you think of your style - sporty, minimalist, colourful, feminine.
Stylist Allison Bornstein kicked off the three-word method. It’s a practical and helpful way of examining your style, giving you direction, and narrowing down the overwhelming choice of styles to fit into your three words.
It’s a framework to help you get dressed more easily. She uses a mix of practical and aspirational words to define your basics and the style flairs that make your wardrobe unique to you. I’d say my three words are - comfortable, playful, and edgy.
What are your three words?
Ignore trends
Yes, trends are helpful to know about and have on your radar - but they shouldn’t define your wardrobe or style. Instead, if you’re looking to invest in new pieces for the season ahead - ask yourself these questions:
How will I wear it? Do you have three different ways of styling it with your pieces?
Will you wear it again and again? Can you see yourself wearing it next year and the year after? Do you love it? Does it fit into your three words? Do you feel good wearing it?
Don’t forget about the little details.
Not just clothing can define your style; extra extras like jewellery, make-up, handbags, and shoes can instantly elevate an outfit and give it that extra edge, polish, or sophistication.
Don’t underestimate the power of accessories to make your clothing more versatile or to add a fun twist to make it feel more you.
Ask for help
If this all sounds overwhelming, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Excellent personal shoppers, colour analysts, or stylists are on hand to guide you, make you try different things, experiment, and have fun.
Because that’s what fashion is all about having fun, trying new things, and knowing that your style changes and evolves, and nothing is set in stone!