The Secret to Finding Your Unique Style
I think we all wish we could take a quiz to find our style, and while that’s all fine and dandy (who doesn’t love a Cosmo-esque quiz to define your personality), sometimes we need a little more nuance and detail to our personal style.
Most of us don’t fit into a specific style box, and a quiz would have to be massive to figure out all aspects of your style, if it were even accurate.
But, quizzes can be a good starting point. I recommend starting with my style quiz here if you are wanting to take that first step to finding your style.
I promised you 2 secrets though, didn’t I?
Yep, there were two things I did that helped me nail down my personal style and stop buying whatever caught my eye on a mannequin.
So, go take the quiz and then circle back here after you’re done. It’ll give you an answer to which of the broad style types you are like classic, edgy, feminine, etc.
You did it?
YAY!
Now, The Secrets to Finding your Style
Ask yourself, “Who Am I”?
I know, pretty introspective, right. But true style is about knowing who you are and what parts of yourself you want to reflect. “Who Am I” is a pretty broad question though, so I’m going to give you some starting points that will give you a good picture.
What does your week look like currently (activities to do, places to go, people to see)
What does your ideal week look like (activities/places/people you wish were/were not in your week)
What qualities do you want to express (integrity, creativity, intelligence)
What qualities do you want to avoid (lazy, boring, irrelevant)
What types of things do you feel best in (wide leg pants, maxi dresses, etc.)
What types of things do you feel blah in (skinny jeans, mini dresses, etc.)
Write your answers down to these questions on a piece of paper or in your phone. It doesn’t have to be extensive. It could be as simple as a sentence for each answer. Don’t think too hard about these questions or you’ll get bogged down in creating a fantasy version of yourself, versus figuring out who you really are.
After you’ve answered each question, write a 1-2 sentence summary of these answers, so it’ll be easier for you to remember. Here’s my example:
I am a creative and intelligent woman who spends her time in the office, volunteering once a week, and treating myself to a luxurious bath once a week. I feel most like myself when I wear wide leg pants with fitted tees, maxi dresses, and the occasional leather jacket. I am Laurie Loo.
I like adding that third sentence of who you are, kinda makes ya feel powerful.
This might seem a little silly, but it really helps to cement who you are in a more tangible way. We don’t usually take time to put ourself into words beyond what’s on our resume.
Doing this exercise gives you an easy to remember and powerful statement about who you are, and we’ll use it in the next step.
2. Take pictures
Pretty much every day you get dressed I want you to take a picture of yourself. Let’s just say every single day. Even if you just put on leggings and an old tee because it’s the weekend. We want a picture.
Do this for a week. You should end up with 7 or so pictures, maybe more if you’re feeling you want some different angles to really show off.
The most important part is that you dress as you normally would. Don’t make any style changes yet.
After you’ve got a week’s worth of pictures, you’re going to take 10 minutes to look at those pictures and do a simple exercise. Look at each picture and compare it to your synopsis you made earlier of who you are. Does this picture go with that?
Write down yes/no for each day of the week in a note. If you have some extra time, detail why it was a yes/no. For example, it was a yes because I was wearing my favorite fitted tee.
Analyzing your outfits like this will help you determine what is your style beyond any word or style type can, which is what we all really want. A unique style of our own.
What Now
After your first week of doing this, I would encourage you to do it again. You can either repeat a second week with no style changes (like trying a new accessory), or you can make some changes. It’s up to you.
If you’re feeling kind of confused on where to even start because your outfits consist of clearance rack items and outfit making is tough (we’ve all been there), then check out my Style Calendar.
It’s a 100 day guide that tells you what to wear each day, and in the process helps you figure out just what your style is.
That’s it! Pretty easy, huh? Just two introspective steps and you’ll have your own style that no quiz could ever name. But seriously, though. I think that calendar will help you. Sometimes finding your style is just about starting to get dressed, really dressed in the first place. Maybe all you need is a little guidance.