A Simple Way to Find Your Personal Style

by | Feb 23, 2018 | Refine Your Style | 0 comments

Dressing with confidence is all about balance. A simple way to find your personal style is to create balance by using the two-part fashion recipe. A fashion recipe defines your style with two simple words used on a scale to determine whether an outfit works for your personal style.  My fashion recipe words are Simple and Sassy. 

personal style

For me, “simple” fits with the fact that I am a fairly conservative dresser who likes classic styles. However, I also don’t want to be boring and that’s where “sassy” comes into play. I am probably 85% simple and 15% sassy. If I wear a 100% simple outfit, I feel like a schoolmarm whereas if I even wear 50% sassy, I feel like a fool and like I’m trying to look 20, which I totally can’t pull off! You don’t have to use my words. You can use any words you’d like. The point is to have two ends of a scale that you use to measure whether or not an outfit meets your personal style. 

Finding the right mix is about feeling like myself – comfortable and confident with what I’m wearing. Now please note that my definition of simple and sassy may not be yours. In fact, my definition of each changes with the event I am dressing for – my sassy for professional attire is very different than my sassy for a party. Regardless of the event I am dressing for, my version of sassy might be totally old lady for you and my version of simple might be way too funky for you. It’s all in creating your own definition – my version is just an illustration.

Using Your Fashion Recipe to Make Outfit Decisions

You may be wondering about how the two-part fashion recipe relates to your two-word style statement. The recipe can be used as a scale to help you make decisions that allow you to embody your style statement. My style statement, for instance, is Approachable Elegance. If I have a 100% simple outfit (for me, this means classic), I don’t look as approachable as I do when I add just a little bit of sass. A few illustrations…

  I wore the first outfit for a casual party and it has two sassy items – the plaid pumps and a cold shoulder sweater. Although that’s a lot of sassy for me, it wasn’t an overall sassy outfit, because the pumps are a very classic style and the sweater wasn’t super funky and chunky.

The pearl necklace in the second picture isn’t really simple, but pearls are classic. When I pair it with other classic pieces I don’t like it; however, when I pair it with casual pieces – like these distressed jeans, it adds the unexpected and becomes sassy. Speaking of unexpected, check out this post on 5 Ways to Feel More Stylish.

Finally, let’s start with a sassy piece. Leopard, in my opinion, is very sassy. I love these leopard booties, but I really only like to wear them with fairly simple pieces like the sweaters pictured below. Wearing such a sassy item with classic, understated pieces gives me the balance I strive for in my personal style. 

   

What’s Your Fashion Recipe?

Now it’s your turn to figure out your fashion recipe. What’s in your closet that’s “simple” and what could you pair it with to pump up the volume? What “sassy” pieces do you own that feel too bold for you and what might you pair them with to turn down the volume? If simple and sassy don’t work for you, what words might? If you really don’t know where to start with what words define you, read this post on 7 Steps to Create a Style Statement. 

I’d love to hear about your fashion recipe at how you use it in the comments!