How to Find Your Personal Style in 6 Simple Steps

Would you like to have a look that suits you and highlights your features? To buy clothes that you will actually wear? No more spending hours shopping without really knowing what to buy?

I’m here to help you.

As a fashion enthusiast, I believe that the question of personal style is crucial and deserves some time and 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 it can lead to significant savings by purchasing clothes that you will actually wear and cherish for a long time.

Today, I'm sharing a simple guide that will help you, with some practical tips, to discover your personal style and find clothes that you will truly love to wear.

To find your style, you first need to take a good look at your wardrobe. Isolate the clothes that you truly love and wear regularly with enthusiasm. Then, try to identify their common traits: this will serve as a starting point for your search for inspiration. You can analyse the style of a personality you admire and create collections of your favourite finds on Pinterest and Instagram. From there, you can sort through your wardrobe by donating or selling the clothes that don’t suit you. Finally, determine the key elements of your style (prints, types of clothing, fabrics, accessories): these will guide you in your next shopping session!

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 analyse your wardrobe and declutter your cupboards,
• Effective tips for defining a style that suits you,
• Advice on finding clothing that you'll genuinely love during your shopping trips,
• And finally, more information about the boho chic style that embodies the essence of our site, bohemian life, so you can see if it might be a good fit for you!

What Does It Mean to Have a Style?

To discover your clothing personality, it's essential to first understand what it entails and to challenge the common misconceptions about what a style can or cannot be:

• It’s a way of expressing who we are, whether it’s through our clothing, writing, or home décor. Your style reflects your personality and tastes: it is unique.
• In the fashion world, it’s a means for an individual to reveal who they are through their aesthetic choices in clothing, accessories, hairstyles, and especially in the way they select and combine the elements that make up their outfits.
• A style is timeless. Someone with style isn’t necessarily following the latest trends, but their way of dressing is always cohesive and adheres to the same aesthetic. Having your personal style means being able to choose your clothing based on your character and preferences, rather than blindly following fashion.

In the following lines, I will share 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,

➡️ Knowing in advance which clothes you’ll be able to wear repeatedly without ever getting tired of them.

Step 1: Analyse Your Wardrobe

To start, you're going to need to open your wardrobe to take a look at your clothes, accessories, shoes, and more. Choosing a style is a very visual process, which is why I encourage you to do this practically by having all your clothes laid out in front of you.

Some signs that suggest you are still searching for your style...

First, sort through and assess the clothes that you have hardly worn or haven't worn at all. Sometimes we buy our clothes for the wrong reasons:

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

Do you recognise yourself in this? If so, you might need to define your style so you can finally buy clothes that you will wear multiple times. By analysing your clothing personality, you'll also save money, as you won't be cluttering your wardrobe with rarely worn, or even brand new, items!

How to find what truly fits you?

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

• that you have worn many times,
• in which you always feel great,
• that give you confidence when you wear them,
• that you can easily match.

Once you've identified them, sort them and arrange them so that they're all visible, like on your bed for example. You can then proceed to do a little analysis by asking yourself the following question:

➡️ What do these clothes have in common?

To answer that, take a close look:

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

• The prints: plain or patterned? Animal prints? Floral designs? Polka dots or checks?
• The fit: loose or fitted? Long skirts or short?
• The fabrics: natural (cotton, linen) or synthetic (polyester)?
• The colours: warm? Cool? A dominant shade?
• The brands: all different? Does one stand out in particular?
• The accessories: what type? What material? How do they enhance the rest of your outfit?

Based on these findings, you can already start to see a style that truly reflects your tastes and preferences.

Step 2: Take Inspiration from Your Role Models

To continue, I suggest drawing inspiration from inspiring individuals to help us move forward.

➡️ Among the celebrities or influencers on social media, are there people whose style you admire? Is there anyone whose way of dressing you would like to emulate in your daily life?

For example, in my case, it includes the following:

• Vanessa Hudgens
• Vanessa Paradis
• Kate Moss

Vanessa Hudgens / Vanessa Paradis / Kate Moss

Once I was able to identify them, all I had to do was ask myself what they had in common to realise that they actually had a chic bohemian style, which really aligns with my tastes.

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

Step 3: Visualise Your Style!

The technique discussed in the following paragraphs truly deserves your attention. It draws inspiration from the methods used for interior design in 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 mood board!

Spend some time on social media, especially Pinterest and Instagram, which allow you to create collections. Then, create a collection titled "personal style" and add your inspirations, outfits you like, and those you can see yourself wearing.

Here's how to go about it:

Afterwards, feel free to revisit this and do some sorting. Keep only the clothes that you truly love.

Analyse the Results

Once your collection starts to become a bit more substantial, it's time to start reflecting. For this, you can ask yourself the same questions you used when analysing your wardrobe, in order to successfully identify the fabrics, cuts, types of clothing, or patterns that frequently recur. Don't hesitate to take notes!

Use this collection as a shopping guide. Before purchasing an item of clothing, ask yourself whether it will help you achieve the look you’re going for.

Step 4: Sort It Out!

Once you've built your collection, you can use it to help organise your wardrobe or closet.

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

Don't be disheartened if many clothes don't fit… this often happens when you're on a journey to find your style. It's better to get rid of many items that don't make you happy and wear the same few things while revamping your wardrobe than to fill your cupboard with clothes you hardly ever wear.

Step 5: Choose a few “signature” pieces

While reviewing your collection of inspirations, try to identify the recurring elements, which are those that appear multiple times and easily match the rest. This could be a type of shoes, a style of bag, an accessory (hat, belt), an animal print, or even a simple garment like a plain white t-shirt.

Think of these garments as anchor pieces for building your wardrobe. These are the items that will ensure your outfit reflects your personal style and fits you well. When you go shopping, try them on while fitting other clothes.

Step 6: Use the Rule of Three

Our wardrobes and style often end up being lost and diluted because we don’t always take the time to think about what we’re looking for when shopping.

A simple tip when you're buying something is to always choose an item that you can wear in at least three different outfits.

For instance, a t-shirt with a zebra print, for someone with a 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, not all clothing can be worn in three different ways. 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, let me give you an example: the bohemian chic style. This trend is what inspired the creation of our site, Life of Bohemia.

The bohemian chic style (also known as hippie chic or boho chic) originated in the 1970s, during the cultural and social revolution led by the hippie movements. It was about breaking free from the constraints imposed by society, and clothing naturally became the tool for this emancipation.

The legacy of this trend is now a very feminine style, characterised by:

• loose fits and lightweight clothing,
• natural and pastel colours (white, cream, soft pink…),
• long dresses and tunics,
• lace panels and embroidery,
• floral and botanical prints…

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

👉 If you would like more details, I suggest you read this article, which will explain to you in detail the secrets of bohemian chic style. 😉

👉 Be sure to check out the Boho Via online store to see our collections. If you fall in love with any pieces, don’t forget to add them to your inspiration moodboard!

Bohemian Long Dress

I hope this article has helped you to define your style and understand your tastes and personality. Whatever happens, trust your instincts and only buy clothes that you truly want to wear! 😉

For more insights, check out our fashion tips on our bohemian blog!