How To Find Your Personal Style

When your job title is Personal Stylist people might think that I come in and tell people what their style should be. Sometimes that’s what people expect when they hire me.

But what I actually do is help people find their personal style. I help my clients figure out what style is most comfortable for them, what clothing helps them feel confident, and then how we can enhance their natural choices so they look effortlessly put together.

So many of my clients want to look like they’ve put some thought into their outfits, but not too much thought! They don’t want to feel fussy, or like they’ve tried too hard. When Daytime Chicago on WGN called and asked me to share my tips for how to define your personal style I jumped at the chance to bring together the Annie Frances Style Consulting team to show off our various personal styles!

To prepare for the segment I asked Courtney, Erin, Kelly, and Jocelyn to describe their personal style for me and text me an outfit they’d gravitate towards on a typical day. Once I had their outfits in mind I did shop for a few pieces and brought a few from my own collection. Each gal LOVED the additions and ended up taking them home to add to their closet.

Kelly is a mom and works at a school when she’s not helping me out! She said “I like to mix up tailored and edgy stuff as my personal style.”

She showed up at WGN in a tailored outfit with fun elements and plenty of depth! Her sweater vest added an instant polish to the outfit. I’ve talked about my love of vests before but let’s spend another minute on them here because I also added a vest to Erin’s look.

A vest, whether it’s a knit or an open blazer or cardigan style adds that coveted third element to the look which elevates the outfit. Plus they don’t add bulk to your arms so you can still swing on your coat easily!

Jocelyn is my social media strategist and describes her style as “minimal with a pop of edge.” She arrived at the studio in a fabulous pair of thrifted leather pants with a kick flare and a ribbed tank. I lent her my sheer beaded top to layer on top.

What I love about this look is that even without a jacket or vest there is depth and interest because the beaded top is sheer. This allows the tank underneath to add that layered look. The top could also be worn under a blazer or under a sweater vest if your style feels more classic than edgy.

Amy and Tonya asked where this outfit could be worn and our first thought was out for date night but as I kept thinking about it off air (because thinking on air is tricky!) this could be worn to the office when styled more classically with a blazer or you could pair it with a skirt or wide leg pants for a fundraiser.

A top like this is the statement of the outfit so you don’t need to add a lot to it. A necklace would take away from the beauty of the beading. A statement piece is another thing clients get tripped up on. You want an element like this top to stick out but be a part of the look overall.

Next up is Courtney who is a mom and she works at her kid’s school and she’s joining my team this year. She described her style as “a little preppy, a little sporty, effortlessly chic.” Courtney loves pretty little details which can bring a monochromatic or minimal look up a level. Things like belt buckles, detailed buttons, and hints of color in her sneakers all made her outfit look more polished.

Erin is my copy writer who also writes romance novels and raises her kids. She describes her style as minimalist/solids with layers. For her look I added a blazer style vest but I loved that her top had a ribbed texture to it.

Texture is another way to add depth to an outfit. We saw the tweed jacket on Kelly’s look which adds a pattern and texture to the outfit. And because the pattern is small it pairs well with her striped button down shirt. And since the striped top is broken up by the sweater vest there was room visually for the tweed pattern.

I always start with practical, shop your closet first solutions for my clients. We saw Erin’s wool socks with her clogs which was necessary that day since it was twenty below outside! If you’re uncomfortable, or in this case, cold, you won’t feel good in your clothes.

Your personal style is about finding what makes you feel confident, empowered, and the most like you! So, how do you find your style?

Start In Your Closet

Look through the clothes you already have. What are you drawn to? What do you like about those pieces? Which items do you pass over every morning? Why?

Answering these questions will get you started on your personal style journey.

Find Inspiration

Pinterest is the most accessible way to find style inspiration. You can search by age, size, and body shape. If you’re drawn to a certain trend you can search for different ways to wear it. Start collecting the outfits and styles that appeal to you most and see if you can recreate them from items in your closet.

Erin mentioned that she loves when outfits are just the clothing items laid out. It helps her realize that she has all those individual pieces and now she knows how to put them together.

Always Add a Third Layer

This is the easiest way to elevate a look from blah to polished. You’ll look put together and unfussy and with practice this will become second nature.

How do you add a third layer?