One of the biggest things I see and hear from women who seem “lost” with their personal style is that they think they need to hone just one style and wear that one style EVERY day. As with most fashion rules, I call BS. It’s totally ok to have more than one style personality, in fact I endorse and encourage you to explore multiple style personalities. By doing so, you’re more likely to keep “playing” with fashion and less likely to find yourself feeling like you’re stuck in a rut.
Before going live with the below video, I put out the call to others to share their style personality or personalities and it was refreshing to see so many respond with “several”. The main thing with that response is to not see it as a negative.
Who said we had to find a style personality and stick to it forever and ever? It’s ok to have more than one and it’s ok to change them. If we’re lucky, our lives and long and varied as we roll through different “seasons”. I’m not the same person I was in my 20s or 30s. There are bits of me which are the same but there are more bits that are different.
If we use our clothes to show who we are to the world, then style personalities will always be varied and change as we change. Apart from seasons of our lives, there are other factors that will always be at play when it comes to our style personalities.
Your work/play lifestyle is a biggie. Mine looks a whole lot different from when I was in the trenches of early parenthood. I definitely dress for me, a more confident me, a me who has more time to herself, time to keep working on who she wants to be!
Your mood – how you FEEL – is everything when it comes to your style personality and what you wear. You might harness colour to give yourself a lift; you might adopt a minimalist style because it feels calming and takes away that feeling of decision fatigue that can overwhelm us on a daily basis.
Dressing for an occasion or event will always need to be factored in but it needn’t deviate from your style personality. For sure, go extra but still make outfit choices that feel like you.
The two big things I’d love you to take away from this chat (and something to explore after you’ve done the wardrobe organisation work I’m always banging on about!) are:
- It’s OK if you have multiple style personalities
- It’s OK if you feel like playing and changing the style personalities you know you have
My style personalities
Monday-Friday, I’m all about minimalist dressing, a style that relies heavily on a foundation of quality basics. It reduces my decision fatigue ahead of a busy working week. I choose my outfits on a Sunday, hang them up and they’re ready for me to work back with shoes and accessories.
Outside of work, I’ll lean heavily into my inner boho queen – I still happily blame Nina Proudman for that style personality.
And for evenings, or just because, I’m all about glitz, glam and sequins.
Here’s a few recent looks at those three style personalities.
Minimalist: Spell shirt | Outland denim jeans | FRANKiE4 Footwear flats
Boho: Boteh dress | FRANKiE4 Footwear slides
Glitz, glam and sequins: Styling You The Label top and shorts
Style personality work
Below are some questions I pose to you in my book, Unlock Your Style. **Enter UYS at checkout to save $10, now $5 plus postage.**
Use them as thought-starters if you’re feeling a bit lost with your personal style. If you’re game, share your answers in the comments.
Remember, be kind on yourself. It’s ok if your style is a work in progress. That just makes the process more fun.
How would you describe your style to a friend?
List five things you like about your current style?
List five things you’d like to change about your current style?
Do you understand who you are better than you did 10 years ago?
Is what you’re wearing a reflection on who you are right now?