When it comes to my personal style, I always thought I had it nailed. I knew what I wanted to look like and I was happy with it, case closed. But recently, I’ve been feeling completely lost when it comes to getting dressed and what I thought looked like ‘me’ no longer does. ‘But who cares?’ I hear someone shout from the back, but choosing my clothes and getting ready on a morning has always been something quite important to me. It’s quite therapeutic and I strongly believe it can set you up for the day, as when you’re wearing clothes you love, you tend to feel good and it has a positive effect on your behaviour and attitude.
Since clearing out a lot of my clothes, I feel like I’ve been left with a lot of pieces I love (of course) but no idea how to actually wear them. I know I wear a lot of the same things – ie. oversized coats, denim and boots – but part of me wants to really nail that style and also branch out a little. The thing about being in the blogging and personal style world is that you see gals looking absolutely amazing every single day and wondering why you don’t look the same. I think it’s because they have their personal style down to an art and the confidence it gives them definitely shines through, which is something I want.
This post is going to end up being a bit of a ramble – as I think my issue partly stems from a lack of body confidence and being unhappy with my shape, therefore unhappy with my style – but bear with me. I feel like I need to go back to basics and really learn what suits me, I need to look at the styles I keep going back to again and again and those outfits I feel the most confident in and I need to look at those girls who I admire so much and see what I can take from their style and apply to my own wardrobe. I always find myself going back to the same people when it comes to style:
Lucy / Fashion Me Now: I don’t think I can talk about personal style goals without mentioning Lucy. I swear every outfit she posts has me googling similar pieces or looking through my wardrobe to see if I already have them. She has great taste and wears the exact outfits I want to wear!
Emma / EJ Style: I’ve got more and more into Emma’s blog over the past few weeks and have spent a good few hours scrolling back through her outfits. She mixes high street clothes with high end accessories – just like me – so it’s nice to see what she comes up with. Plus her colour palette is the same as mine, so I know I can look on her blog or Instagram and find something I can take inspiration from.
Lizzy / Shot from the Street: I’ve mentioned this gurl in a recent blog post, but Lizzy is really someone I turn to time and time again. Her love for denim and a good pair of boots is equal to mine and I love how she’s a shining example of wearing basics the way (I think, at least) it should be done. I probably check her blog/Instagram more than anyone else’s, as she’s very *relateable* and I love every outfit.
Julie / Sincerely, Jules: I’m a long term fan of Sincerely Jules and I check her insta all of the time. Although she wears more statement pieces along with her basics, I love the mix of textures and prints which give that perfect “off-duty” slightly rock-and-roll/hippie vibe and her use of colour has me wanting to add more to my wardrobe.
Josie / Sick Chick Chic: Sometimes you just need a good dose of every day style and I always get that from Josie. She always goes for classic pieces – think breton stripes, a good pair of jeans, the Alexa Chung-esque trench – and looks effortlessly cool in the process. We’ve been blog-pals for a long time and I love seeing what Josie has bought next!
Looking at all of the girls I admire to in the style department, I think it’s clear to see the type of outfits that I tend to go for. Lots of denim, good ankle boots, skinny jeans, lots of leather details and a solid coat all seem to make up the looks I love, so, even though I have all of these pieces in my wardrobe, I’m going to go through it once more and decide what’s good and what needs to go. After browsing these blogs all morning (yup, I got sidetracked while writing this post) I’ve also decided to have a trawl online in the shops to see what I think I’m missing in my closet and what I need to add to reflect what I think my personal style should be:
I think my focus should be on the basics that make up my wardrobe (invest in some new white tshirts and oversized shirts), go through my denim collection and find the styles that suit me the most (skinny, flared, cropped), assess what designer pieces I want to invest in this yer (hello Givenchy boots and Gucci Dionysus) and then get to grips with putting it all together. I think I need to have a good look through my pinterest too for inspiration and hopefully I’ll start to feel more like me again.
I might document each stage on my blog when I’m trying to find the items above – ie, the perfect white tee or breton stripe – so if you’d like to see that, then do let me know!
What do you do to get your personal style back? Do you class yourself as even having a particular personal style?
Helen x
