The secret to authentic personal style is taking clothing and making it your own. It’s about seeing a piece and styling it in a way that feels like you. For instance, you might purchase a blouse that the store has styled with a cardigan and skirt, but to keep the blouse authentic to your style, you switch things up and pair it with skinny jeans and a leather jacket.
The secret to authentic personal style is about seeing different aspects or pieces that you like and manipulating them to work for your life and your wardrobe.
Define your style:
This sounds silly because you obviously know what you like and don’t like, but set aside a little time to take inventory of the clothing you have and what you gravitate towards. Do you notice that you always gravitate towards leather jackets, (I do!) or do you find yourself purchasing a lot of variations of a certain print? Figure out what you have and love so that you can define it.
I would define my style as classic with an edge. I gravitate towards classic blazers and pencil skirts, but also love to mix things up with a leather jacket or some edgy jewelry. Once you define your style, you can more easily find clothing to build your wardrobe. Think of how much easier it will be to shop if you can define what you’re looking for.
Mix unexpected pieces with clothing items you know and love:
Again, this goes back to the concept of mixing and matching. You may be drawn to an unexpected item that is different from what you normally wear, and that’s great. But to keep your authentic personal style, wear the piece with go-to wardrobe staples.
I actually experienced this recently. I fell in love with a printed jumpsuit that is a little out of my comfort zone. It’s super cute and flattering, but felt a little out of the box for me. Thankfully it’s been a little chilly out, so I was able to throw on my cropped leather jacket. The jacket instantly added a bit of edge to the overall look and I felt way more authentic in it.
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The secret to authentic personal style is working with different pieces of clothing to highlight your personality and sense of style. Draw inspiration from how others style a piece and work with it to fit into your wardrobe and daily life. There aren’t rules about how to style different pieces, so have some fun with it! The most important thing is that you feel good in what you’re wearing.
These are good thoughts, and equally applicable to your male readership.
I prefer blazer, nice* dress shirt, no tie, microfiber dress slacks and dress boots. Recently I decided this would be the norm for me, and the subtle boost in confidence has been noticeable. Great article!
Love hearing that your clothing shift has given you a confidence boost Phil! So great to hear from my male readers, and thrilled that you like the article!