Here's How to Completely Change your Personal Style

If you had to describe your style or fashion sense in three words, what would they be?

When you open your closet and are greeted by stacks of clothing, it’s easy to think that you’ve got your style locked and loaded. Still, in reality, all you have is piles of fabric that aren’t doing much for you.

This isn’t a drag by any means! Trust me. I’m going through this as well. I’m a recent college graduate (shout out to the class of 2020) and starting my first, full-time job!

Though everything is virtual, I still want to make a solid first impression through my presentation. I want to create a chic, tasteful, and classic wardrobe that still allows me to dabble in the fun and colorful pieces that made me fall in love with fashion in the first place!

I’m mainly looking to rebrand my style, so today, I’ll be sharing a few tips that make this process super simple!

Table of Contents

seek out style inspiration

Gathering images for inspiration is critical because it’s SO easy to form preconceived notions about a particular dress style. For example, we might think of “classic” style and associate it with knee-length dresses that aren’t form-flattering or those two-piece suits that older women seem to love.

However, there are so many modern takes on these styles that are super flattering on women in their twenties!

Pinterest is a fantastic place to find inspiration. I might even argue that it is the place to seek out style inspiration. You can create boards for different occasions, dress styles, price points, or even different locations! I have created a few myself for my readers that are seeking some inspiration!

if you need some help getting started, some things to consider are:

Who are the women who inspire you? You can choose images that are current or historical – what do they wear? By compiling all of these images, you might notice that you’re attracted to a particular era in fashion and that vintage shopping might be your best bet! Or on the flip side, that you’re enjoying a more current trend (though I wouldn’t recommend building your wardrobe based on anything super trendy like neon, for example).

some of my current fashion favorites are:

Jenee of Highlowluxxe
Monroe Steele of Fashionsteelenyc
Alicia of Hint of Glamour

Do your fashion favorites have anything in common?

The women I chose all play with the more feminine side of fashion. They incorporate pieces into their wardrobes that make a statement on their own but can still stand the test of time. Another thing they share is their use of color! Don’t get me wrong, we love neutrals in this house, but it’s good to have fun and use something more playful from time to time.

Take note of what your pins are saying to you! It will become easier for you to search what you want and even give you an idea of what stores are best for achieving your goals.

consider your lifestyle

This tip is going to make your wallet smile from ear to ear! Before you pull out your credit card, it’s essential to think about where you spend most of your time.

For example, most of us are working from home at the moment! Do you have a job that requires you to enter a lot of virtual meetings? Or do you just feel more motivated when you get dressed up? You might want to proceed as usual and purchase some cute office-appropriate workwear.

Wondering how to develop personal style? These simple tricks are all you need to know!

What is considered appropriate will depend on your employer! If you work in an extremely corporate space that requires you to wear a suit every day, you probably don’t want to stock up on things like jeans and casual tees.

If you’re spending a lot of time working out these days and not that much time outdoors with friends, you’ll want to consider stocking up on activewear over those night out outfits!

Ideally, you want to build a balanced wardrobe that caters to these primary aspects of your life because if they don’t, you likely won’t get enough use out of them

Become an intentional shopper by integrating your lifestyle into your purchasing habits! Visualize yourself as a future style icon and shop like her in the present.

When you’re playing around in Pinterest, you can create a board and pin images that you love, again, we’re just looking for trends and patterns!

Once you’re satisfied with what you’ve created, narrow down your selections! Not all of the things that we like are practical or appropriate for everyday use! If you’re going to be spending a considerable amount of money, you want to make sure that you can use what you buy!

some things to take note of

what colors do you find attractive?: neutrals, prints, patterns?
Any jewelry or accessories you keep saving? gold vs. silver, minimal vs. statement
What would you like to wear most? pants vs. dresses and skirts

Clean out your closet

We’re going Marie Kondo style!

Now that you have an idea of what look you’re going for get rid of everything that does not “spark joy.” You’ve figured out the commonalities in the things that you like, and it’s time to get rid of stuff you don’t. You can find a much better home for your pieces (that are still in good condition) than your closet, where they never see the light of day! Consider selling or donating these items!

Often, we hang onto things that we don’t necessarily like out of the fear that we’ll use them “one day” or because we don’t want to be wasteful by getting rid of something that we’ve only worn once.

Hanging on to these old pieces that you aren’t enthusiastic about might lead to closet aversion. This is the icky feeling you get when you look through your wardrobe and feel like you have nothing to wear even though there are piles of things there! At this point, you don’t even want to look through what you have any more!

By going through your space and dumping out these pieces that are no longer serving you, you will end up with a closet of pieces you love and will wear, so everything gets used.

Note to self: if it doesn’t match your vision for your future/ideal self – get rid of it!

Find your signature item.

Having a signature look is what makes fashion fun! A lot of people see clothing as a vehicle for narcissism, self-importance, and materialism BORING. Fashion is exciting! It’s a way of advocating for yourself and shaping your identity without words.

You get to decide what you want to be known for. It could be your hairstyle or a hair accessory that you always wear in different colors. You might even choose a specific item that you wear on repeat, such as a blazer or style of shoe.

By figuring out what your signature piece is, you create an outfit formula that will help you get dressed much more efficiently and save you so much time each day!

For reference, one of my favorite combinations is a white tee + blazer + gold jewelry + straight-legged jeans + mules

you will have a variety of each piece, but eventually, people will come to know you for your look!

Think before you buy

similar rules to the Kondo-Esque closet purge – when you’re shopping, hold your pieces in your hands and ask yourself if they #sparkjoy

Don’t buy an item that is super trendy unless it’s affordable. You don’t want to be stuck with an item that you paid hundreds for that is out of season and can’t be resold. These pieces will be left in the dark in your closet, creating clutter and dragging you back to square one!

When you’re shopping, if you can’t think of multiple pieces you can style with an item, don’t buy it! Don’t be afraid to sleep on your shopping decisions if you don’t know how you can incorporate them into your wardrobe!

Without doing your due diligence, you will find yourself continually making purchases to create outfits, which becomes a money suck. Instead, focus on purchasing multiuse items!

Lastly, if you shop with friends, don’t buy pieces just because they tell you something is cute! If it doesn’t fit the vision you set for your style or doesn’t make sense for you and your goals, leave it alone! Buy what works for you!

If you found this post helpful, don’t forget to share using one of the buttons below! I can’t wait to see where your style journey takes you!