Ways To Cultivate Your Personal Style If You Have No Idea Where To Start

Everyone has had that dilemma where you are standing in front of your closet filled with clothes yet have nothing to wear. Out of all of these choices presented in front of you, nothing feels like you. The problem isn't necessarily that you have nothing to wear, but that you have nothing you like to wear. This issue happens when you shop without a personal style in mind. 

While it's good to stay up to date on current fashion trends to know what's going to be the "it" item of the season, you shouldn't let other's fashion trends dictate your wardrobe. If you solely shop items based on what is being used by others, you'll be left with a melting pot of different styles that do not represent you as a person. The entire purpose behind having a style is to visually show the world who you are. Blogger and CEO Carla Santana tells Elle, "Style is the easiest way to communicate how you feel and who you are without speaking. How you dress is an integral part of each character you're playing. It's inherent to that transformation."

Although finding a personal style is essential, it can be challenging to narrow your style between what you think is pretty and what speaks to you. Thankfully there are some ways you can identify your style without having to redo your entire wardrobe.

If you are starting to figure out your style, there are a few ways to figure out what your style is. One popular method that has gained traction thanks to social media is the 'Three-Word' Method. This method was created by New York-based stylist Allison Bornstein, who shared her methodology for determining your style on TikTok. Bornstein suggests looking at your current wardrobe and describing it in three words. The three words don't need to be related or make sense when paired. If your current wardrobe doesn't reflect the style you want, you can also use the three-word method to describe your aspiring closet.

Tibi founder, Amy Smilovic, tells Coveteur how her process is similar but dives deeper into describing who you are as a person. Smilovic explains that personal style is essentially showing the world your individuality. "It's not up for debate about whether or not it is a good thing to have personal style. It simply is, and that goes well beyond clothing." To accurately show the world who you are, you need to know what you are describing.

The purpose of the 'three-word' method is to not look at clothes as trendy versus not. It is a lot easier to create outfits when they serve the purpose of showcasing your personality.

While it's nice to know the clothing you like or have, it's also helpful to know the clothing that goes best with you. Knowing the clothes that match well with your body and color gives you more insight into which clothes you should reach for. Pairing this knowledge with the knowledge of what you want your wardrobe to look like, you get your style.

The Concept Wardrobe describes color analysis as finding the right color palette that suits your skin tone and undertones. The color analysis divides your tone into one of four seasons, which include: spring, summer, winter, and fall. Each of these seasons is then divided into three subsections. These subsections include bright spring, true spring, light spring, light summer, true summer, soft summer, soft autumn, true autumn, dark autumn, dark winter, true winter, and bright winter. Finding your seasonal color helps you find the colors that match well within your palette and complement features like your skin, hair, and eyes.

Having your proper color palette also helps you avoid decision paralysis on whether a certain color would work well for you or not. As Michael Pelts, programmer of colorwise.me, tells Nylon, "Color analysis eliminates the mystery and the painful process of trial and error when you're updating your wardrobe. It allows you to dress with confidence, knowing that every color you wear is a winner." When you have knowledge of which colors work for you, shopping for items becomes much easier.

Another popular concept to find your style is by determining the clothing that will highlight your body type and your wonderful features. The Kibbe Body Test was created to determine the best types of clothing that go with your skeleton, flesh, and facial features. 

According to fashion content creator Gabrielle Arruda, in the Kibbe body test, there are five body types; dramatics, naturals, classics, gamines, and romantics. Each of these body types has variations, including dramatic and soft dramatic; classic, soft classic, and dramatic classic; naturals, soft naturals, and flamboyant naturals; romantic and theatrical romantic; and lastly, gamine, flamboyant gamine, and soft gamine. Each of these body types and variations then are used to match you with clothing that best suits your body structure and emphasizes your individuality. David Kibbe, creator of the Kibbe body test, tells Bustle, "Style is a journey. It's not, 'take a test and learn your type.' It's how to use technique to express who you are, working in harmony with what's there."