As an image consultant, I am frequently asked “How do you discover your personal style”?

I believe we’re not always born with a sense of style but it is something that can be learned and for the majority of us it is something which evolves over time. Princess Diana was a great example of this. She went from a soft fairy princess type of look (e.g. her wedding dress) to a confident effortless look.  While Princess Diana’s style wouldn’t have suited all of us we can all develop a confident style and effortless look of our own.

There are many factors which influence our clothing choices from wanting to fit in with our peers, being forced (when younger) to wear an outfit you felt really uncomfortable in to others paying compliments or passing negative remarks on our wardrobe. All have an affect on how we develop our look.

And it’s not just in our formative years that we can experience these feelings of discomfort or awkwardness.

I remember buying a blouse not long after I’d trained in colour.   I was (at the time) desperate to be more feminine in the way I dressed and was so excited when I found the top.  Not only did it tick the colour box it had frilly cuffs and the front of the blouse was adorned with tassles!  While I loved the colour, every time I wore the blouse I felt really young and unsure of myself.  Needless to say it only made a couple of appearances.  It wasn’t until I trained in image and style that I realised one of the key components in discovering your sense of style is to understand your style personality and to focus on how your outfits make you feel.

As I learnt while training you can get the colour and style right but if the pieces your choosing don’t reflect your personal style you won’t feel comfy in your clothing and are unlikely to wear the pieces making them expensive mistakes.

One way I help clients express their true, authentic self is to understand their style personality.  There are five style personalities; Natural, Feminine, Artistic, Dramatic and Classic.

Some clients discover they are 100% one style personality while others are a mix of two or more. Where a client sits across two or more style personalities their primary personality is determined by which look they wear the most in a week eg;

• Classic style personality at work – working part time two days a week
• Natural style personality with a hint of feminine – five days a week

Natural

Classic

Feminine

Primary style personality – natural, secondary style personality – classic, with a hint of feminine.

Watch out for my next blog where I will be exploring the five style personalities in more detail.  In the meantime read my five tell tale signs to work out if what your wearing is reflecting your authentic style.

• Despite having a wardrobe full of clothes, nothing seems to go together
• You brought something because you liked how it looked on someone else
• You feel uncomfortable (or your behaviour changes) when wearing certain clothes
• You feel drab and invisible in your outfits
• You keep getting changed before you leave the house

If you’re struggling with one (or more) of the above there’s a chance the pieces in your wardrobe are not reflecting your authentic style.  To discover what’s keeping you stuck and learn what you need to do to boost your style know-how drop me an email to info@absoluteimage-uk.com and book your Free 30 minute discovery call.