How did you find your style?

[LairOfTheDetermined]

I am clearing out worn out of stuff, not worn stuff, and too small unlikely to ever fit again stuff. And i have realised that my clothes are a complete mishmash of randomness. That generally gets thrown together in a random manner and generally looks unstyled unloved. FFS I am over 30, I have no idea what sort of style i like, or even how to pull off a style that is unniquely mine. Its time i discovered one and smartened up stopped looking like a lost soul.

How did you find your style? What sort of things did you use to help you? How do I start to figure out a style?

Ultimately i'd like a wardrobe where most pieces mix and match nicely and are more suitable to my age and gives the look that i am in control of my wardrobe and not the other way around.

Help.

in the style of the lovely tigger

CluelessintheLairOfTheDetermined.

I don't think that anyone has one, single, definitive style (that sounds boring to me), though I do think that there are adjectives you can apply to your style that are also a reflection of your personality eg:

• romantic
• elegant
• rock and roll
• glamorous
• urban
• intellectual

Of course, you might also be:

• chav
• vulgar
• loud
• sexy

Anyway, try to start off by describing yourself, and then try to identify clothing brands that you think meet that description.

Handy hint: in good department stores, similar brands will normally be grouped together. If you find yourself going all over the shop to look at things, you are probably going to end up looking a mess.

Another hint: try to buy whole outfits at a time rather than single items.

I´m mid 40´s & still looking

I think few people have a definitive style, most of us are still searching too.

What I have found helpful though (even though its probably a bit stalkerish) is to emulate friends or celebrities that I admire. If I see an outfit on someone that looks really well put together I will often have something similar in my wardrobe I hadnt thought of wearing like that IYSWIM.

I also love the Wearing it today blog that stylist Laura Fantacci does, she has a definite style (like me she loves her stripey tops and statement necklaces) and you see a theme running through loads of her daily outfits.

Ive found that sticking to a colour palette really helps me with the mixing/matching thing (maybe choose 2 neutrals that work for you black&grey or navy&camel for example then adding a few tops and accessories in brighter colours). Ive also found if I felt really good or had compliments on an outfit I'd maybe buy more things in the same vein. I def believe that if you find something you like you should buy it in 2 colours!

wear what you like and feel comfortable in. see what combinations you usually put together and see if you can echo them. also pretty much everything Bonsoir said :)

ps. Think Bonsoir is spot on, dont buy one item at a time! Outfits every time!

congrats reality btw! missed your POAS amidst all the GetOrf is she/isn't she :)

It's all about shape for me - 80/90% of clothes will not suit me as they are made for different shapes.

I'm hourglass so I wear v-necks and fitted but 'skimmy' jersey fabrics. I don't wear stiff fabrics of any kind apart from the very occasional pair of jeans.

And I don't wear 'cheap' fabrics or buy in cheap shops as I like my stuff to last better.

It's way easier to shop if most of the shops you don't really go in or when you do you can discount most of the clothes.

So appraise your shape, what is going to suit you?

reality. But does your wardrobe look ok to start off with or are there pieces where you have to wonder about the purchase?

My current wardrobe is a mishmash of stuff that has obviously been bought in isolation. Or hoodies, polo-shirts and jeans.

Oh and what Gillybobs just said rang true for me this morning - I bought a White Company dress in the sale 3 weeks ago but only wore if for the first time yesterday.

it immediately became by favourite dress as it really suited me so this morning I logged on and bought it in a different colour ('otter', I had the navy) £30

SatNav.

Hi,
I am just beginning to find my 'style'and I am in my thirties. I used trinny and susannah ideas, ie, am pear shape, so yes to :neck details, polos, wide legged trousers, and straight leg jeans, no to v necks, not skinnie jeans. Browns and red and beiges suit me. So now I start to buy things which will 'go' with other stuff, a few basic polo necks, nice fitting jeans, etc. This way, things match, and I can layer, and by wearing what suits, I dont look as flabby as I feel. Once you find a shop which suits you (Mango is great for Pear ladies), then do a blitz in the sales. Good luck.

When I am my usual weight (had a baby at the end of last year), I have a very curvy figure, 36-23-37, so I need tailored clothes that are fitted to show off emphasise my waist, otherwise I look like a sack of potatoes.

My style is more 1950s

• fitted shift dress with cropped cardi
• full skirt and fitted shirt with belt
• pencil skirt and fitted jumper
• low cut trousers (or the swim around my waist)
• skinny belts around long cardigans

In winter - tweed/ pencil skirts and cashmere/ merino mix knitwear with boots

In Spring - low cut jeans, fitted shirts with a nice blazer and scarf

In Summer - linen trousers, sting vest and colourful cropped cardi

In Autumn - wrap dresses and boots

Obviously, I mix and match, but I found my 'style' early on or my mother would ridicule me!

I've experimented alot over the years and, but I always get drawn back towards the same look. If I think back to all my favourite outfits over the last 15 or so years they always have something in common(dresses or skirts, little cardis,thin scarves, boots). The other big thing is colour, I've tried most of them but again always come back to the same ones as I know that they suit my skin tone and make me feel good. I've only really found my style recently 'though and I'm nearly 40.

and I've also turned into my mother - if I find something I like and it looks good, I'll buy it in multiple colour-ways if available.

I'd say my style is very eclectic. A typical day outfit for me in winter would be a chiffon tea dress teamed with biker boots and opaques, and a typical summer outfit (day) would be a prom dress with full underskirt, cinch belt and ballet flats.All teamed with funky jewellery, I wear both silver and gold. I like to stand out, and I tend not to follow trends, and I wear what I like and looks good on me.I have a LOT of leopard print, lace, pink in my wardrobe also but I can assure you I am definitely not a chav!

I think style is also linked to how you feel about yourself and your body. When i'm in a thin not as fat phase I am more confident and will wear colours, more fitted things, simple and classic looks. However when carrying my 'winter weight' (does anyone else always put 10lbs on from Sept - Jan and then spend spring dieting...every flippin' year its the same, foolish....)anyhow, during this phase I am in black, tunics, layers, lots of detailing...anything to deflect the eye from the 10lbs...

What everyone said, plus - go and sit in a café where you can watch people passing by (probably in a shopping centre at this time of year). Think about the impression people make on you as they go by - which of them brighten your day because they look good, and what is it about what they're wearing that rings a bell with you?

some people latch on to a style from an early age and other people never find it.
as other said, try to identify which classic looks appeal to you most.
i always favoured retro looks that suited my hourglass figure, with a touch of punk/edginess, and that has influenced what i wear and buy since i was about 15.
I also learned from Trinny and Susannah when they were first on air, and found shapes that suited me. (though smaller boobs post-baby mean I can wear things I used to look too top heavy in!)
it's SO much easier to know what you like and just keep buying slight variations of it.

Thank you all for the advice. I realised earlier that part of the problem is that post baby, post 30 i am a completely different shape to pre baby and 20 something. I am a funny shape too which makes getting clothes that fit properally difficult.

However, must run an errand in a large shopping center this weekend. Normal would dash in and rush out again, but will make the effort to have a nice cuppa and piece cake and people watch for ideas.

will also try to identify how i see/want to see myself in more positive terms.

I don't want to evangelise about this as I've already mentioned it on another thread, but post-baby I was a style mess and very lacking in confidence.

I asked people to club together that Christmas and buy me a 'Colour Me Beautiful' appointment. I went to see a very friendly consultant who confirmed which colours suit me and showed me some new make-up ideas. I think it cost £130 or so, but I found it very worthwhile.

I went back to see her for a 'style' appointment where she then looked at my body shape and recommended styles that would suit me, where to draw attention to my shape and where to hide bits. She phoned me up afterwards to recommend some clothes she'd seen in the shops.

On the strength of the time spent with her, I was able to clear out swathes of my wardrobe (autumnal colours, be gone!) and it has made shopping eaasier, as there are shops and entire rails of clothing I can now ignore.

So it's an up-front investment but I do think it has saved me from expensive mistakes from then on. Good luck! x

P.S. Other style/wardrobe companies are available!

I think I have a style in the summer (a bit hippy with long flowing skirts) but in the winter I am always in jeans and v-neck jumpers. I get very bored of this in the winter! This winter I've been experimenting with jumper dresses. Not sure that is a style though, just an item of clothing!

I think it's important to figure out which basic colours suit you which can be difficult. Most people have an idea of what should suit them but it can be suprising when you realy look. Stand in front of a mirror and hold up a piece of fabric right up to your neck. Then look at your face. Try to really see what it does to your face (not what you think it does). Then try with different colours.

I did this in a shop and discovered that khaki looks awful on me. I'd often bought it thinking it was nuetral and should suit me as I have dark hair but with my pale pinky toned skin it looks awful. Other people always say they think it will suit me too but once I really looked I discovered that it's about the worst colour I can wear!

I am in my 30s and think that you have to accept your body shape before you can find your style. I am 5ft, a size 10 and curvy. However, I spent my 20s wishing I had a figure like Kate Moss

I tend to stick to simple colours and styles. Black, navy, grey, white and beiges all feature heavily in my wardrobe. I also have some pinks/reds in my wardrobe as these are colours that work for me.

I too am a big fan of the stripy top with a coloured scarf or necklack. I have dark rinse jeans in various cuts - slim, skinny flares, boyfriend.

For smarter days, jersey works well for me. Dresses and tunics with thick opaque tights. I add a fitted cashmere cardi and a statement necklace or scarf.

Summer tends to be cotton knee length dresses, loose linen trousers and fitted vests / Ts and cardis.

I decided that this year I would buy quality over quantity as I like to have things that will last more than a few washes

Although I feel my most comfortable in slightly hippyish, quirky clothing - I do have to look very smart for work.

One thing which I consider to be my "style" and I carry through work/leisure is costume jewellery.

I wear vintage brooches(sp?) & necklaces with my worksuits so I always feel a little bit "me" even though I wouldn't normally wear that that type of clothing.