HOW TO FIND YOUR OWN STYLE AND OWN IT

**” ALWAYS BE THE FIRST RATE VERSION OF YOURSELF INSTEAD OF A SECOND RATE VERSION OF SOMEBODY ELSE “- JUDY GARLAND**

I had a very interesting topic with a friend the other day. We were talking about what one’s style say about a person. By the end of our conversation I concluded that with the growth of social media influence and celebrity style icons it is getting harder and harder to find your own personal style without doing what I call the “copy” and “paste”. Do not get me wrong there is nothing wrong with being inspired by how someone dress or even surfing online places like Instagram and Pinterest to find inspiration to put looks/ style together. The answer to the question what your style say about you is simple when you know who you are and what you like. And that also is the foundation in creating your own style. In this blog I wanted to share tips on finding your own style and owning it. TIP 1 Fashion is fun and playful. It is also said that it has no rules , anything goes and finally there is no right or wrong. Oh well I kinda disagree with the last two statements. I think going back to the basics is always the best foundation. So my first tip is to go through your current wardrobe to review, evaluate and declutter what is already there. This first step builds on what you already have in terms of knowing and understanding your body type. But when you review and evaluate what you already have it helps you to get rid of all the pieces you bought because they were on sale, the trends you bought on the impulse because everyone is wearing and those that don’t fit but bought anyway because you spotted your favourite celebrity or influencer wearing them. TIP 2 Once you have decluttered your current wardrobe what is left will give you a clear indication of what your preferred style is. Separate all your clothes in terms of style , colours , pieces and individual garments. This step I like to call it “editing” and it will create the building block of your style. Say for an instance you are left with more dresses and skirts than jeans then your focus should be on building your style based on that. The same with the shoes , some people’s style is tailored to wearing only heels while others prefer flats or even just sneakers. TIP 3 This next tip is my favourite create a mood board , keep a scrapbook or whatever that takes your fancy. This will help you refine your style and create more detailed looks on your individual style. Your style mood board should include your colour wheels, your favourite silhouettes and other inspirations. This will change over time and you will keep changing your mind about certain things because fashion changes all the time. Even when you have nailed your style to the T fashion trends will always impact your style somehow so keep that in mind. And buy trends that will fit into your style than the other way round. TIP 4 When you have a busy lifestyle sometimes there is no time to pull pieces and style them on daily basis . My tip is on a free day become a stylist and put all your looks together which will save you time on those crazy and rushy mornings. Take images and play around with different styling ideas.It will also give you a clear knowledge of what is in your wardrobe, what you need to invest in and will keep you on your refined style. TIP 5 Always remember that luxury doesn’t mean stylish or in fashion. Your style need to fit your budget and lifestyle. You don’t have to wear all high end luxury pieces to own your style. Best idea is to save and splurge on certain items. You can decide on what those items will be once you have established your base/key pieces that makes your style. Remember quality is over quantity. TIP 6 Adopting a “uniform” style is not such a bad idea. I have found my own style in wearing only black playing with textures , cuts and silhouettes. A uniform look greatly inspired by the Olsen twins. This has taught me a lot about what I like, saves me time when out shopping and has created a certain aesthetic style and minimal look that I am growing to love day by day. So why don’t you draw inspiration from other bloggers or style icons which have also created their “uniform” styles . Look into style icons like Jenna Lyons and her signature look of relaxed tailoring and her statements heels. Remember that trends come and go so invest in classic pieces that are made well with good quality fabrics, that you can wear forever ( remember cost per wear comes to play ). Also less is more so invest wisely on your (multi functional ) pieces. Be smart about what trend pieces you buy and finally get yourself a good tailor.