How to Discover Your Personal Style in 6 Simple Steps

Do you want a look that reflects your personality and enhances your style? Are you looking to buy clothes that you will actually wear? No more spending hours shopping without knowing what to buy?

I'm here to help you.

As a fashion enthusiast, the question of clothing style is essential to me and deserves some attention.

Indeed, finding your own style isn't just about being comfortable in your clothes; it's also a way to gain self-confidence, to feel beautiful, and to save significantly by purchasing clothing that you will actually wear and enjoy for a long time.

Today, I’m sharing a straightforward guide that will help you, with practical tips, to identify your personal style and find clothes that you will truly enjoy wearing.

To find your style, start by examining your wardrobe to identify the clothes you genuinely love and wear regularly with enthusiasm. Next, try to find common features among them: this will serve as a foundation for your inspiration searches. You can do this by analyzing the style of a personality you admire and creating collections of your favourite pieces on Pinterest and Instagram. From there, you can sort through your closets by donating or selling clothes that don’t reflect who you are. Finally, determine the key elements of your style (prints, types of clothing, fabrics, accessories): these will guide you during your next shopping trip!

Want more details? Keep reading to find out:

• How to define a style and what it means in terms of fashion,
• An easy method to analyze your wardrobe and declutter your closets,
• Effective tips for defining a style that suits you,
• Advice on finding clothes that you will really love during your shopping trips,
• And finally, more information on the bohemian chic style that embodies the spirit of our site, Bohemian Life, so you can see if it might suit you!

What Does It Mean to Have a Style?

To discover your fashion personality, it is essential to first understand what this entails and to break down the misconceptions about what constitutes a style:

• It’s a way to express who you are, whether it’s through your clothing, writing, or home decor. Your style reflects your personality and tastes: it is unique.
• In the world of fashion, an individual uses their aesthetic choices in clothing, accessories, hairstyles, and especially the way they select and assemble the elements of their outfits to reveal who they are.
• A style is timeless. Someone with style doesn’t necessarily follow the latest trends, but their way of dressing is always coherent and adheres to a consistent aesthetic. Having a personal style means being able to choose your clothing based on your character and preferences; it’s not about blindly following fashion.

In the following lines, I will introduce you to a simple and effective method to help you discover your style, which means to:

➡️ wear clothes that you love and that make you feel good,

➡️ know in advance what clothes you can wear multiple times without ever getting tired of them.

Step 1: Assess Your Wardrobe

To start, you’ll need to open your closet to look at your clothes, accessories, shoes... Choosing a style is a very visual process, which is why I encourage you to do this practically by laying out all your clothing in front of you.

Some signs that suggest you’re still searching for your style…

Start by sorting and taking a look at the clothes you’ve barely worn or haven’t worn at all. Sometimes we buy clothes for the wrong reasons:

• Because it’s really affordable,
• Because they were on sale and the discount was appealing,
• Because it was what was on the mannequin,
• Because a friend encouraged me to try on that piece of clothing.

Do you see yourself in this? If so, it might be time to define your style so you can finally buy clothes that you'll wear many times. By assessing your clothing personality, you'll also save money, as you won't clutter your closet with items that you hardly wear, or even those that are still brand new!

How to Find What Truly Fits You?

Now that you've identified the clothes you don't really like, focus on the ones that you do:

• that you have worn many times,
• where you always feel good,
• that boost your confidence when you wear them,
• that you can easily match.

Once you've identified them, sort them out and arrange them so that they are all visible, such as on your bed. You can then carry out a small analysis by asking yourself the following question:

➡️ What do these garments have in common?

To respond to this, take a close look:

• The types of clothing: pants or skirts? Shirts or t-shirts?

• Patterns: solid or printed? Animal prints? Floral designs? Polka dots or plaid?
• Fit: loose or fitted? Long skirts or short?
• Materials: natural (cotton, linen) or synthetic (polyester)?
• Colours: warm? Cool? A dominant hue?
• Brands: all different? Is one brand standing out in particular?
• Accessories: what type? What material? How do they enhance the rest of your outfit?

From these findings, you can already start to see a style that truly aligns with your tastes and preferences.

Step 2: Get Inspired by Your Role Models

Next, I suggest we take inspiration from some remarkable individuals to help us go further.

➡️ Among the celebrities or influencers on social media, are there any people whose style you admire? Is there someone you’d like to emulate in your daily life?

For example, in my case, it includes:

• Vanessa Hudgens
• Vanessa Paradis
• Kate Moss

Vanessa Hudgens / Vanessa Paradis / Kate Moss

Once I was able to identify them, it was enough for me to ask myself what they had in common to understand that they actually share a chic bohemian style, which really aligns with my tastes.

👉 Sometimes there are people you admire and appreciate for their remarkable style (Diane Keaton, Helena Bonham Carter). However, that doesn’t necessarily mean you want to dress like them. The idea is to find individuals whose wardrobe you’d love to borrow, people you feel a connection with.

Step 3: Visualize Your Style!

The technique described in the following paragraphs is truly worth your attention. It draws inspiration from the methods used to design the interior of your home and applies them to fashion. In just two simple steps, you'll be able to create a genuine shopping guide that will help you choose clothing that suits you perfectly.

Create Your Own Moodboard!

Spend some time on social media, especially Pinterest and Instagram, which allow you to create collections. Then, make a collection titled "Personal Style" and add your inspirations along with outfits that you like and can see yourself wearing.

Here's how to proceed:

Afterward, feel free to revisit it and declutter. Keep only the clothes that you truly love.

Analyze the Results

Once your collection starts to become a bit more substantial, it will be time to do some reflection. For this, you can ask yourself the same questions as when you analyzed your wardrobe, in order to successfully identify the fabrics, cuts, types of clothing, or prints that frequently appear. Don't hesitate to take notes!

Use this collection as a shopping guide. Before purchasing a piece of clothing, ask yourself if it will help you achieve the look you're going for.

Step 4: Sort It Out!

Once your collection is complete, you will be able to use it to organize your closet or wardrobe.

Donate or sell a piece of clothing if it doesn't fit the style you've established.

Don't get discouraged if many of your clothes don't fit... this is often the case when you're trying to find your style. It's better to get rid of a lot of clothes that don't make you happy and wear the same outfits more often while you revamp your wardrobe, rather than filling your closet with clothes you never wear.

Step 5: Choose a Few "Signature" Pieces

While analyzing your collection of inspirations, try to identify the recurring elements, meaning those that appear multiple times and easily coordinate with the rest. This could be a type of shoe, a bag style, an accessory (hat, belt), an animal print, or even a simple piece of clothing like a plain white t-shirt.

Think of these garments as landmarks for building your wardrobe. They are what will make an outfit feel like you and fit your style when you wear it. When you go shopping, try them on during your fittings.

Step 6: Use the Rule of Three

Our wardrobes and style tend to get lost and fade away because we don't always take the time to think about what we're looking for when shopping.

A simple tip when purchasing something is to always choose items that you can wear in at least three different outfits.

For example, a t-shirt with a zebra print, for someone who has a more rock and roll style, could be worn:

• With a leather jacket and black jeans,
• With a short leather skirt,
• With a long tulle skirt,

Of course, some clothing items can't always be worn in three different outfits. However, those that can will help define your style and become the key pieces in your wardrobe.

Spotlight on ... Bohemian Chic Style

To help you better understand what a style is, I’d like to provide an example: the bohemian chic style. This trend inspired the creation of our website, Life of Bohemia.

The bohemian chic style (also known as hippie chic or boho chic) has its roots in the 1970s, during the cultural and social revolution led by the hippie movements. It was all about breaking free from the constraints imposed by society, and clothing naturally became a means of this liberation.

The legacy of this trend today is a very feminine style, characterized by:

• loose fittings and lightweight clothing,
• natural and pastel colours (white, cream, light pink…),
• long dresses and tunics,
• lace inserts and embroidery,
• floral and botanical prints…

Bohemian fashion is very versatile and can be tailored to your tastes and personality. It flatters most body shapes with its flattering and harmonious cuts.

👉 If you're looking for more details, I recommend reading this article, which will explain to you in detail the secrets of the bohemian chic style. 😉

👉 I also invite you to check out the Boho Via online store to get a glimpse of our collections. If you fall in love with any of the clothing, don’t forget to add them to your inspiration mood board!

Bohemian Long Dress

I hope this article has helped you to define your style and understand your tastes and personality. No matter what, trust your instincts and only buy clothes that you truly want to wear! 😉

To explore further, check out our fashion tips on our bohemian blog!