Transform Your Style, With These Three Simple Steps.

It's almost May and time to start planning the Spring/Summer wardrobe of your dreams. 

Our clothes tell a story about who we are, they reflect our personality and what’s important to us. Your wardrobe should be a mix of your life experiences, dreams and a snap shot of your current state of mind. The clothes we wear have the power to transform our mood, for example that sleek blazer that fits your body perfectly, gives you the confidence boost you need in the boardroom, that expensive tailored coat makes you feel strong and your favourite stilettos make you feel in control and sexy. Alternatively clothes can also make you feel down or uncomfortable, particularly if they’re ill-fitting or don’t align with your personal style.

If your feeling uninspired by your current wardrobe and/or if you have a wardrobe full of clothes but find yourself saying you have nothing to wear, it might be that your clothes no longer align with your personal style. The good news is that there is no better time than at the start of a new season to discover your personal style. If your ready for a change simply follow the steps below.

1. SELFIE CHALLENGE

The best place to start on your styling journey is your current wardrobe. The first thing on your list of things to do, is to buy a notepad and consider this as your styling journal. Your overall goal is to get an overview of your current style, how you feel about the way you dress and what needs changing. The next thing I’d like you to do is take a photograph of every single outfits you’re wearing for the next 2 weeks and document what and where you wore each outfit. To get the most out of this exercise try to pick 2 regular weeks that are a good representation of your lifestyle.

Once you’ve completed the selfie challenge, record your answers to these questions in your styling journal:

1. What was your favourite outfit that you wore during the last two weeks and why? How did that outfit make you feel?

2. on a scale of 1-10 (1 being really unhappy and 10 extremely happy), how happy were you with your overall outfits during these past two weeks?

3. Which was your least favourite outfit and why? how did it make you feel?

4. Describe your current style in three adjectives?

5. What types of silhouettes and fits did you wear most (skinny jeans, relaxed tailoring, mini skirts) why?

6. List your five most worn colours during the last two weeks?

7. Do you have a uniform look?

8. Do you want people to notice your clothes?

9. Looking at the photographs, how well do you think your clothes fit your body?

10. Our clothes tell a story about who we are, What message do you think your current look sends and what would you like it to send?

11. Is there anything you would change about your current style?

12. Overall, how comfortable were your outfits? how did the most comfortable outfits differ from the least comfortable, in terms of fit and fabrics.

13. What percentage of your wardrobe did you wear during the past two weeks?

14. what types of occasions do you have to dress for?

15. How well equipped is your current wardrobe for each of these occasions

16. What is your main motivation for working on your personal style?

2. SET GOALS

Take some time to reflect on your answers to the above questions, then write a summary of what your current style is and what goals you would like to achieve. To help you do this, consider these three questions:

1. What do you like about your style and current wardrobe?

2. What areas of improvement have you identified?

3. What new skills do you want to learn, in terms of your on your styling journal?

3. GET INSPIRED

I recommend that you spend an uninterrupted evening going through the blogs, magazines, TV and movies, online shops, Pinterest boards and Instagram and collecting images/cuttings of inspiration. You could even go and sit in a public place and people watch for inspiration. Your goal is to look for things you would wear in real life. When you find something you like, venture down the rabbit hole to find out who else is wearing it and the different ways it can be worn.

At the end of your search you’ll probably be inspired and have lots of outfit ideas and a rough idea of what your personal style could look like. It’s time to sit down, pay close attention to the individual pieces, colours, materials, styling and silhouettes that resonate with you and record your preferences under these headings in your style journal. You should attempt to refine and improve the list you’ve created in your style journal therefore, I recommend that you go into your favourite shops and try on as many pieces as you can. Your goal is to create an inventory of all the things you love plus lots of helpful tips on how you like to wear them. Using this and your stack of online and/or offline images create a Pinterest board or a good old-fashioned moodboard that expresses the overall feeling of your style.

Now that you have a better idea of what you would like your new personal style to look like, you're ready for the wardrobe detox. Stay tuned for our next post on how to clear out all of the pieces in your wardrobe that no longer fit, align with your personal style or are in poor condition in order to make make room for new pieces that suit your body shape, lifestyle and budget. 

GET IN TOUCH

Is shopping not your strength? Are the clothes in your wardrobe leaving you uninspired? Do you struggle to put together outfits that enhance your confidence? Allow us to help you create a new style profile and develop a capsule wardrobe, so you'll never have to worry about what to wear for work, special events, or daily tasks. Our style consultancy services are launching soon; register your interest.