how to find your personal style.
follow these links to read part two and part three in this series.
i like to think of myself as a how-to blogger. i'm not necessarily a style blogger, or a beauty blogger, or a craft blogger, or any other "type" of blogger. i know that makes me a lifestyle blogger. but isn't a lifestyle blogger just someone who blogs about how to do life? that's what i think it is and this is my lifestyle blog, so what i say goes. kablam.
in the spirit of how-to blogging, today i wanted to dig a little deeper into my post about using the konmari method. one of the things i mentioned in that post is how i learned that i’m a big fan of neutral tops paired with basic OR colorful bottoms. after cleaning everything out, the bulk of my wardrobe now consists of black, grey, beige, white, stripes and green shirts. in the past, i would use this realization as an excuse to go shopping for more shirts, because i obviously NEED that adorable purple top from banana republic since i have no purple shirts.but what i've realized that i don't need any purple tops, because i don't have any purple tops.was that confusing? here's what i mean. because i've gone through my wardrobe and narrowed it down to only what i love + wear, if i don't already wear a color, then chances are, i'm probably never going to wear it. it would be a waste of money to buy anything but what i know i'll love and wear. and we don't want to waste money do we? no, we do not. once you find your personal style, everything from shopping to getting dressed gets easier, and i think we can all get on board with that.i'm going to start out with the first, and in my opinion, most important step: cleaning out and organizing your wardrobe. it's hard to identify your style amidst the clutter of an unorganized wardrobe, so this step is going to help you see what you have + love, and allow you to identify your personal style more easily.
how to find your personal style
(clean out your clothes)
- use the konmari method. if you're into the idea of a capsule wardrobe, but the idea of making a new one every season is exhausting, then this might be the method for you. go back and read my original post for more details, but the general idea is that you go through all of your clothes at once and you choose what clothes to keep based on if they bring you joy or not. so at the end of the exercise, you should be down to only clothes you love and wear, and you're starting with a clean slate.
- use the backwards hanger method. this is a very common method to get rid of clothes you never wear. you turn all the clothes in your closet so the hangers face one way. when you wear an item of clothing, you turn that hanger around to face the opposite way. then at a specific date in the future, three months/six months/etc., any hangers that you haven't turned around to face the opposite way are the ones that you should get rid of. the idea is that if you haven't worn a piece of clothing in that amount of time, chances are you are never going to wear it, and it should just go.
- keep a "not interested" bin in your room. this method is great if you're a little nervous about "giver's remorse". you keep a bin in the corner of your room, and whenever you come across an item of clothing that you aren't interested in, or you find that every time you put an item on you end up taking it off and not wearing it, you put it in the bin. instead of taking the clothes to give away right away, you just keep them in the bin, and then every month or so, if you haven't missed an item or needed any of the items in the bin, you give all of them away without looking at them again. the idea is that it gives you time to change your mind, but once you've hit the limit you've given yourself, you commit and give it all away at once. i like this method a lot, and i've used it myself many times in the past.
- get rid of things that aren't in good condition. if you are really hesitant about getting rid of any clothes, start small with this tip. forget about figuring out what you want to wear, and what you actually wear. go through your clothes and just get rid of items that are stained, have holes, or that don't fit you the right way + aren't the right size. you can be certain that you aren't ever going to wear these things, and can feel okay getting rid of them. it won't completely reset your wardrobe, but it will get rid of the clutter and make the rest of your clothes easier to see.
once you've cleaned out your clothes, you will be at a place where you can assess your wardrobe easily, and you'll be able to start identifying your personal style more specifically.
next week i'll continue this topic and explain how to identify patterns + themes and how to give your personal style a name...which is more important than you might think!
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