Happy 2023 friends! Here’s hoping you had a wonderful holiday season and that you are looking forward to the year ahead. Last year I embarked on a personal style journey and I used my monthly Closet Confessions to help curate my wardrobe. Although it’s far from over, I have learned a few things to help you on your own adventure. Even if you aren’t necessarily feeling like this is something you ‘need’ to do – I have a feeling what I am sharing will still be beneficial.
Define Your Style this Year
There is no time like now to define your personal style. How is it that you want to show up in the world? What do you want others to say about you? Whether you choose to believe it or not, your personal appearance does impact the opinions of others and how they perceive you.
Thomas Edison said in all his efforts he never failed – not once; he just had to go through many, many steps to get it right!
It would be impossible to write just one post on personal style. Think of this one as a bit of a kick off – I’ll be sharing more information in the coming months. Of course you can always go back and read this post about dressing the best you! This is an ongoing journey and not a destination as your personal style will change and evolve over time. My goal is to help women be the best version of themselves and that means feeling relevant and modern. So let’s get started and make this THE year you get a better sense of your personal style!
How to Find Your Personal Style
Defining your personal style may take some time. Try to come up with 3 -5 adjectives you’d like used to describe your ideal style. What styles are you drawn to? What cuts? If you are having trouble coming up with words, think about what you are wearing when you receive the most compliments. What are you wearing when you feel most confident?
I struggled with this last year. There was no way I wanted 3-5 words to describe me! I looked back at my old blog posts and saw a myriad of styles. I also saw someone who didn’t look completely comfortable. In fact, I can look back at old photos and see who was inspiring my style. After some thought, I finally arrived at my words: Preppy, Tailored, Classic, Fun. Preppy actually surprised me but it honestly makes sense to me now.
Style Examples
Once you have your words, write them down! Post them somewhere so you can refer to them often and use them to help you with shopping decisions. I love fashion and lots of different styles but that doesn’t mean I have to wear nor own them. The need to define my style came in large part from the frustration I felt with having so many clothes yet nothing to wear. Rather than feeling inspired by my closet I felt sick.
Use Pinterest or Instagram to find style examples. Specifically look for women who are similar in size and age to you. In the past I have found myself drawn to women built nothing like me and in the end I looked ridiculous in the same styles. In my head I thought I was doing the right thing and then when I’d see photos, I’d realize my mistake.
These are some of the images that inspire me and I think you can see my style words are apparent:
Isn’t This All Superficial?
One of the questions I get asked is how can someone like me (a licensed mental health professional) buy into this idea of fashion and style? Isn’t it all just so superficial? What matters is on the inside after all, right?
The answer is yes, of course, what matters most is who you are on the inside. However, how YOU feel about yourself is how you present yourself to the world each day. Oftentimes we get this wrong. We THINK that a person who is all dressed up, perfect hair and perfect make up has it all together and feels great about themselves. But in many cases, this person does all of this to impress others or feel accepted. Compare that to the mom in jeans and a tee with no make up on and her hair in a ponytail. She is confident and feels good about herself; she is dressing for this stage of her life. So let’s take care to not confuse the two but instead think of ourselves and how WE feel.
If, when you look in the mirror or at photos of yourself, you feel disappointed, then there is something that needs your attention. If you are spending money and have a closet full of clothes but nothing to wear, then your personal style needs attention. Stay with me this year and let me help you get a handle on this. Hoping you’ll join me on this continued adventure!
- What I Wore in Greece
- Thanksgiving Recipes They’ll Love
- Greece is the Word – Friday Favorites
- Casual Holiday Look
- Thanksgiving Outfit Idea: Faux Leather Dress
