How to Identify Your Most Authentic Style

5 TIPS TO HELP DEFINE YOUR STYLE

In the world of fashion, 'style' is how an individual expresses themselves through aesthetic choices such as their clothing, accessories, footwear, hairstyle, etc. Identifying your personal style can be a tedious process. Style is timeless and unique for each individual. You may choose to follow trends or stay true to yourself and do your own thing.

Finding your personal style takes conscious effort and commitment. Here are 4 tips to help you identify your style.

Look through your closet

The first thing to do when going on the journey of reinventing your style is to think about the clothes/shoes and accessories that make you happy. What are your favorite items in your closet? Pull these pieces out and think about why they make you feel good and what they have in common.
Out with the Old, in with the new

Next, it is time to get rid of things you don’t like or serve your style purpose again. That pair of old sneakers you keep telling yourself will come in handy someday, it's time to let it go. Time to make room for new pieces that resonate with your style and you feel excited about.
Whose style do you admire- Find a fashion inspiration

When searching for inspiration, start with people whose style you admire. Look out for icons/celebrities/influencers and spend time understanding their style. Research fashion tips and inspiration from your favorite blogs. Remember that sometimes, your style icon could be someone from the past as well. The most important thing when choosing your style of inspiration is that the chosen style speaks to your taste and perhaps aspirations.
Create a fashion mood board

A mood board is an arrangement of images, materials, pieces of text, products etc. intended to inspire a style or concept. A mood board is a great tool for developing your style. Combine all the images you gathered from your style inspirations, create a mood board. Choose two or three images that stand out the most to you and also functional to your lifestyle or particular occasion. This will stand as your guide when you are out shopping.
Shop- Create a capsule wardrobe

Shopping can be a very exciting exercise but also daunting if you don’t have a guide to what you would like to purchase. Try not to get carried away whilst shopping. Now you have your mood board, use that as a guide to your shopping and crosscheck that they tick off the pieces on your style inspiration board. Purchase functional pieces and footwear first. These are items that you can mix and match to create effortless looks that speak to your everyday style. Opt for pieces that can work for different occasions for example, a pair of black adidas sleek lows that can be worn with denim for weekend musings or a dress for casual Fridays in the office. A pair adidas Stan Smith's paired with a well-tailored suit or trad for the Owanbe weekends etc. These items may be simple, but they’ll help you show off your unique style by providing a foundation for more exciting pieces.