Hey everyone!
So this video is about personal style and how to develop yours
and especially with capsule wardrobes
there's a lot of talk about personal style
because it can really help you focus and define your style
So what is personal style?
I loved in "The True Cost" how Orsola De Castro talked about clothing being our 'chosen skin'
And I think that's just such a great definition because
it is a reflection of you and what you are choosing to wear
and how you're choosing to present yourself
I see personal style as being a combination of three different things
Your aesthetic
your lifestyle and needs
and your general appearance
with aesthetic weighing the heaviest
and appearance weighing the least
So we'll start with appearance.
So appearance is basically what does or doesn't look good on you
Now, I am not a big believer in wearing your seasonal colours
or dressing for your body type or those kinds of things
I really think that you should wear what you like and what you feel good in
But I'm pretty sure we've all had experiences where
there are things that we like, that we think look really good,
but they just don't work for you.
So, no matter how much you love it, you just don't feel good in it
One example for me is dusty pink as a colour
like a really pale, light pink
I think it's a beautiful colour, I think it looks beautiful on so many people
But I just can't wear it
It just doesn't look good on me
And, even if I love the garment, I just don't feel good in it
We all have certain colours and styles of garments that work with our appearance,
that we feel good in and that's going to play a role in your personal style
Next is lifestyle and these are the clothes that you need and use in your day-to-day life
And you might have a very casual lifestyle
Or maybe you require business attire
Maybe you have small children and certain clothing requirements because of that
Maybe you're a very active person and require a lot of activewear and performance apparel
The climate that you live in also plays a very big role
So, if you live in a very warm climate,
you're going to require completely different clothes
than if you live in a cool climate
Or if you live in a pretty consistent climate
versus a climate that changes drastically from season to season
That's really going to affect your wardrobe
For example you might absolutely love the look of really warm cosy sweaters
But, if you live in Hawaii, they're not going to work so well for you
And finally there's your aesthetic
and this is the one people seem to struggle with the most with defining and developing
But it's basically your preferences
of colours, shapes, patterns, textures...all that kind of stuff
Even if you think you don't have any style at all
you probably have preferences about certain things
Whether you like blues more than reds
maybe a clean minimalistic look
or lots of layers and accessories
Those preferences are your aesthetic
and, even if you can't clearly define them, they're a part of your style
So then how do you find and develop your personal style?
I think they best place to start is in your closet
you can learn a lot from pieces that you like or don't like
Look at your "go-to" outfits
WHY are they your "go-to" outfits?
Be critical about it
Think about what you like about them. What you maybe don't like about them so much...
And focus on those three areas that I talked about earlier
Then look at the pieces that you rarely or maybe never wear
and why is that?
And think about those three different areas again.
There might be something where it fits with your aesthetic
but maybe it doesn't fit with your lifestyle
or maybe it's something that you feel really comfortable in
and it looks good on you
but it doesn't really fit your aesthetic
and that's why you don't tend to wear it as much
Through this process, start writing down the things that you know you like
Whether it's certain colours, shapes, fabrics...
Doing a diagnostic of your current wardrobe, I think sets a really good foundation
And if you want to take this even a step further,
you can access your home or your room from an aesthetic perspective
So why did you choose the things that you chose?
Are there certain colours you like being around?
Do you like patterns and textures; or maybe a much more cleaner look
Looking at the choices you made in your living space can also really help define your aesthetic.
The next step is to collect inspiration
And there is endless inspiration
You can...follow bloggers that you like,
watch movies where you really like the character and what they're wearing,
look at people on the street
I find collecting photos to be the best and most efficient way
to have a reference of that inspiration
and I really like Pinterest for doing that
Tumblr's also good or whatever works for you
But I feel like having a place with all of your style inspiration is really helpful
Anything that you see that you like, save it!
And you can re-visit it later to really think about what it is about it that you like
and would that actually be practical for you?
For example, you might see an Oscar gown
and think it's absolutely beautiful
and, it's not exactly practical for you to wear that,
but you might be able to realise what it is about it that you like
that you could maybe translate into your own style
So does it have to do with the colours or the patterns or the detailing or the shape of it?
And think about if there's a way you could recreate those elements in your own closet.
I think it's also great to be able to look through all of the images you collected
and look for reoccurring themes
So if you keep being drawn to similar things,
that's your style and that's your aesthetic
and those are things you obviously really like
If you want to, you could then even make a mood board with all of your favourite images
And that can help with creating a shopping list,
with outfit inspiration,
with continuing to just develop your style...
With all the clothing photos you've collected, I also think it's helpful to look for common basics
So maybe you're consistently collecting images that have a white t-shirt in them
That's a pretty good indication that a white t-shirt would work pretty well in your closet
Now, the photos that you collect don't just have to be clothing and style photos
You could save a photo because you love the colour combinations in it
Or maybe there's a photo that you just really like the mood and the feeling of it
and you think that that reflects your style
Those can also be really helpful and really great
if you're putting together a general style mood board
Another really important part of personal style is trusting yourself and being authentic
Don't feel like you have to follow trends just because they're trends
Don't wear something just because you think it looks good on someone else
Really find things that you like and that you feel good in
And I know it's super cliché to say
but confidence always looks good
If there's an outfit that you feel confident in,
that is going to show so much more than the outfit
If you're really struggling with your personal style,
then get some help! And there are different ways you can do this
This is a time where I would recommend those seasonal colour analysis or
dressing for your body type kinds of things because they can offer a really good starting point
But I will say take them as suggestions and not as rules
It's much more important to find things that you feel good in
and not feel like you have to or can only wear certain styles or certain colours
Another thing I would recommend is trying a lot of clothes on
And that can get really annoying and frustrating...
but it's a good way to see things on you
wear them, see how you feel in it
and really start to pick out the kinds of things that you don't like and the kinds of things that you do like
You can also ask a friend or family member for help
whether it's going through your closet or maybe bringing them shopping with you
sometimes having a second opinion can be really helpful
but it does depend on the person.
And if you feel like you really need help, you can also look into possibly hiring a personal stylist
There are people that will help you go through your closet,
help you declutter and organise, help you go shopping,
and just create, I guess, a plan for your style and your closet
It's not at all cheap, but it can be really helpful
and if that's something you feel like you could really benefit from,
then that service is definitely available
And I think having a capsule wardrobe is a really good tool
for defining and developing your personal style
because you focus on the pieces that you wear most often
and you build a wardrobe of garments that you love
and that you actually enjoy wearing, which IS your personal style.
And, as a final note, I really want to say that
you don't have to have a label or an easy definition to have a personal style
Things like minimal, retro, feminine, boho, preppy...
All of those labels work really well for some people
and work great for magazine articles,
but you don't have to fit one of those labels or a couple of those labels
to have a personal style
We're all unique and different and...
that's what makes your style
It's OK if you don't have a couple words to easily explain your style
And styles also evolve and change
and can change from day to day as well depending on
how you're feeling and the way that you'd like to look
I think sometimes people get a little bit caught up on those labels
and feeling that style is having two or three words that define
your wardrobe and your style and your look
and that's just not the case for a lot for people
So I hope you enjoyed this video and found it helpful
I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments on personal style
Is it something that you struggle with?
Do you feel like you have a pretty good sense of your personal style?
And, if you have a capsule wardrobe, did that help you further define your personal style?
If you're not yet subscribed, there is a subscribe button right up there
And you can see more videos on this channel about capsule wardrobes,
ethical and sustainable fashion, green living,
simplifying... That kind of stuff
And I will see you in the next one.