How to Find Your Personal Style in 2023

A word from our friend Akeya:

I consider myself a fashionista, but last year I never had anything to wear. It took me a year to figure out a process and completely understand my style, but it was worth it!

If you struggle with finding things to wear often, today I am sharing helpful ways to discover your style!

1. Do a wardrobe analysis

I went through my entire wardrobe and analyzed all my clothes. I looked at the clothes I wore all the time and the clothes I never wore. I tried on the majority of my clothes to see how they fit or if I still could fit them. I wrote down what tops and bottoms I preferred over others. I made a donate/sell pile for the clothes I never picked up anymore.

Then I created a detailed shopping list of items that I loved that included wardrobe staples like neutrals t-shirt, jeans, tank tops, etc., because these items will pair with everything. I love wearing colors, so I made sure to make a note to buy items in multiple colors.

2. Figure out how you like your clothes to fit. Do not be afraid to experiment with different styles.

After you tried on your clothes, how did you like your clothes to fit? Loose or tight?

Think of the items that you wear every day and why you wear them. How do your tops and bottoms fit? Throughout my analysis, I noticed I liked my tops and bottoms to be more fitted. I frequently wore bodysuits and trousers, because they gave me a tailored look. While at home and/or running errands, I loved a loose sweater and mom jeans or leggings.

Understanding how you like your clothes to fit will alleviate the shopping process, so you do not have a closet full of clothes you never pick up. Also, do not feel trapped in a box, and be open to experimenting with different silhouettes before you feel you nailed your style.

3. Find Inspiration

A fun tip that helped me to find my style:

I followed people on social media whose outfits I liked. Fashion influencers are popular now more than ever, and it is easy to find someone with your style aesthetic. I also used Pinterest to save my outfit inspirations on a mood board. Pinterest helped me to look for specific styles to give me multiple ideas on how to pair and wear the items.

4. Check out your local Goodwill first for basics and trendy pieces

After spending years shopping fast fashion and seeing my clothes lose their quality over the years, I value natural materials more than ever. I realized investing in quality pieces that will last longer is key.

Not everyone can afford to pay for high-quality materials, so check out your local Goodwills before you splurge. I have shopped at Goodwill for many years, and I have found both quality basics and trendy items. A helpful tip is to read the tags of the garments to see what materials they are made of. Quality materials to look for:

Cotton
Linen
Tencel
Viscose
Cashmere
Wool

Sometimes those materials can be hard to find, so aside from materials, you want to see how durable the item is. These are good questions to ask yourself before you buy:

Will the quality last after one wash?
Are there any loose threads?
Does the material pile up?

5. Strut your stuff.

You did the work, now show it off! Give yourself patience and time to have fun with fashion. It took me a while to understand my style, but following these steps facilitated the process.

Don’t forget to donate your unwanted clothing items to your local Triad Goodwill!

Happy Styling!