Don’t look now, team, but we are three months into this new year! (Which means Sam’s Club will debut their 4th of July decor any day now.) If picking out clothes for the looming spring events season makes you feel anxious and uninspired, I can help. So, before you start shopping for Easter service, Mother’s Day brunch, graduation dinner, and all the other springtime festivities, let’s stop the “style spin out” before it even starts. Here is the single biggest reason you feel like you have nothing to wear and … what to do about it!
Let’s start with a little quiz. True or False?
You’d rather do yard work than go shopping. (If you said true, please come to my house.) Shopping for yourself shouldn’t feel like an overwhelming chore. Picking out clothes can actually be an empowering experience; you just need to learn what to look for.
You have several things in your closet that you’ve never worn. (Bonus points if the tag is still attached!) Buying clothes that end up just serving as closet decoration is a super common habit, so at least you’re in good company. But wouldn’t it be cool if you could decipher how much wear you will get out of something BEFORE you buy it?
You reach for the same outfit formulas day after day. (:: yawn ::) It can be a challenge to break out of your usual combinations. But when you do, getting dressed becomes a lot more fun. You are not boring, my friend. So stop dressing like it.
If you answered “True,” then I’m calling with the solution to your wardrobe woes. Your next style step is to … (drum roll, please) … discover your unique personal style!
(And I promise you have one.) Even if you gravitate toward more basic, neutral pieces, we all have our own style that makes us feel like ourselves and reflects who we are to the world around us. Getting clear on your style point of view can be a total game changer when it comes to getting dressed.
If you aren’t clear on what your style is, then every single store becomes a viable place to shop. Going shopping probably takes forever because you spend time wandering through stores (or websites) that don’t have anything you love. Once you know the types of pieces that inspire you, the list of stores to peruse becomes much shorter, so your chances of finding something you truly love increase!
If you can’t connect the dots on what you like and why you like it, you are more susceptible to buying things you’ll never wear. Clothes are like art. You can appreciate a lot of different types, but you generally hang only a few styles on your walls at home. The same goes with clothes. Just because you like a certain piece doesn’t mean you need to give it a home. Appreciate it for what it is and only add it to your closet if it truly represents you and works well with what you already own.
Knowing what your style is can also make mixing and matching outfits easier. For example, knowing that you like a style that is tailored and sophisticated with a touch of glamour means that you have a mental picture of what you want your finished outfit to feel like. Having a clear end game can help guide you as you create outfits. Plus, once you have some verbiage around your ideal personal style, you can search online for inspiration with more ease. So instead of searching “cute casual outfit,” you can search for “tailored and glamorous casual outfit.” The results will be much closer to the style you are trying to achieve.
So how do you discover what your personal style truly is? Enlisting the help of a professional stylist will expedite the process. But the truth is you can also work through this process on your own! Start by creating a Pinterest board or even an album on your phone of styles you are attracted to. You don’t even have to know why you like it at first. Just start collecting every photo you see of clothes you want to wear and store them in one place. Once you have enough inspiration photos (at least 15), study them. What do they have in common? Are the colors or prints similar? Do they have similar details? What is it that ties them together? Try to draw as many parallels as you can between these inspiration pieces. Focusing on the things these photos have in common will help you uncover what styles you like. Remember, there is no right or wrong answer here. Putting a little effort into your style self-discovery will help you save time, money and stress when it comes to getting dressed this spring.
Still want some help? Reach out to me on Insta @MarissaAlexandraStyle.
