Step #1: IMAGE - Part 7

Style 101

To read the rest of the series: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6

One's personal style is more that a few rags thrown together. Style is identity. It's both a social statement and a way of life. When redefining my own, I've focused on three aspects: shape, colors, and theme. 

Shape:

Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes, that we already know. However, we usually have unrealistic perceptions of their bodies (let's take a moment here to rant about media, society, and everything else that comes to mind). Or, in other cases, we just don't know how to work with what we've got. I used to fall into that category as well. I'll spare you the horror of my middle-school's (and frankly, some of high-school's) "amazing-and-totally-pretty-my-crush-would-sooo-like-me" outfits. (Sarcasm heavily intended) A simple tool I used to find my shape is InStyle Magazine's shape finder. It suggests pieces of clothing that can guide you at your next shopping spree.

Photo source: screen capture from InStyle

Color:

Colors play a big role in our appearance. Wearing the wrong color can make your skin look dull, and emphasize dark circles and blemishes. (And no one wants to see those) Whereas the right colors, should light up your face and accentuate the color of your eyes. You can always hold up garments to your face and evaluate them; but it's best to know where to start. Quick, easy, and astoundingly precise, this article from College Fashion helped me find my perfect colors. It gives you a diagram that leads you to your "season", and then goes into some more specifics, by giving you a list of colors based on the color of your eyes. 

Photo source: screen capture from College Fashion

Theme:

The "theme" - the vibe that your outfit broadcasts - is the embodiment of your preferences and personality.
The Etsy Taste Test can give you a broad image of your preferences. It lets you pick nine items, of a list of six each time. Once you're done, it gives you a list of many pretty things. When you look at them critically, and try to find common denominators, you find specific attributes of taste you can later incorporate into your wardrobe. I really like this one - I see it as a justification of my weird obsessions.

Photo source: screen capture from Etsy

Do you have any tips for defining your style? Share them in the comments!