How to Find Your Style
Once I had these amazing pleather pants! I loved those things and wore them all the time, until a friend told me that they were not in style and looked bad. I never wore them again. This story is pretty representative of my relationship with clothes for a long time. The clothes you wear can be a representation of your personality and values. In school I always wore clothes to fit in and to hide. Honestly I hated my clothes because I wore clothes that people said complimented my figure. I did not feel comfortable or confident in them because they were not representative of me. After graduating from high school, I came to this crossroad with my personal style. I realized that I could choose to wear clothes that complimented my body and my personality. So I started over and rebuilt my wardrobe with pieces that I liked and felt like me. Here is how I did (and continue) to find my style:
Step 1: Minimize your closet. Go through all of your clothes and ruthlessly eliminate clothes that don’t fit or you do not wear. As you go through this process be completely honest with yourself and try your best to actually minimize your closet clutter to items that are practical staples, bring you joy, and reflect where you would like your wardrobe to go. Have three piles of clothes: keep, donate, and maybe. The keep pile is self-explanatory. The donate pile can be also broken up into a few sub-sections; clothes that belong to other people, clothes that need to be thrown away, and clothes that indeed can be donated. The maybe pile is clothes that you do not wear but can not part with just yet. Put the maybe pile in a trash bag or a bin and put it under your bed. Do not touch those clothes for a month! If after that time, you are less tied to the pieces, donate them but if you missed them, bring them back!
Step 2: Live in your bare bones wardrobe for at least a month. This will help you determine pieces that you actually need and want!
Step 3: Research styles. While you do not have to commit to one entirely, knowing what elements of different styles you like will help you to further define your own personal style!
Step 4: Determine specific pieces that you would like to incorporate into your wardrobe. Do not go to stores not knowing what you want! This makes it more likely that you will choose items based on fads, what's available, and other people's opinions, not what you actually want or need. Very intentionally incorporate clothing back into your wardrobe.
Step 5: Have seasonal refreshes! Redoing steps 1-4 on a minor basis every season will help you to have more continued satisfaction and contentment with your wardrobe. And, if done correctly, could make your wardrobe more functional, sustainable, and life-giving!
Finding (or changing) your personal style can be the most delightful thing you can do for yourself! It truly can be a fun and empowering act of embodying your personality!
