How to Stand Out with Your Personal Style
I think most of us would agree that when we get dressed we want to feel and look great. Getting dressed is something that most of us do on a daily basis and we want our appearances to accurately reflect our personalities and tastes. Of course, life is a series of good days and bad days and how we feel in our clothing each day is just one small part of that roller coaster journey.
There are those days when magic happens in your closet and the most beautiful outfits are created from that space. But there are also those days when we may lack the confidence to wear what we truly love. Having the self confidence to walk out into the world wearing the clothing that makes your soul smile comes from being comfortable in your own skin. But self confidence, just like fashion, can be fickle. It will wax and wane all throughout our lives, but focusing on your personal style is a great way to maintain a consistent level of self confidence. Clothing really does have that kind of power.
So what can you do to really hone in on your style to make the best stand out statement and accurate representation of your authentic self? Keep reading for five easy tips to get started on your journey to great personal style.
1. Define Your Personal Style
The first part of the process is knowing your personal style and how to define it. What do you like to wear? What styles and colors really speak to you? What feels good on your skin while illustrating your personality?
There are no right or wrong answers to these questions and it is perfectly acceptable to place yourself in a style category all your own. For example, I like bohemian, goth, vintage, hippie, classic, girly, 90’s grunge, biker, and preppy styles. These are all very different genres and so I have combined them into one style classification which I call chameleon.
Personal style is exactly that…personal…and you are free to define your own personal style in whatever terms suit you.
2. Be Yourself
When choosing and defining your personal style, however, it is imperative that you stay true to your authentic self. Don’t become a slave to trends simply because everyone else is doing it. Instead, consider ways that you can bring your personal taste to the forefront of your style.
Also remember that personal style is not only about the clothing that you wear. Your personal style is also reflected in the way you style your hair, the kind of makeup you wear, and even your preferences in body art like tattoos and piercings. If body art has been something you have long considered, I recommend speaking to an artist whose work is appealing to you and ask questions, lots of questions, about things like which barrier gel they recommend, what types of designs they specialize in, and how much experience they have. You don’t have to limit your style to just the clothing you wear. You are free to express yourself in an endless variety of ways.
3. Wear What Makes You Feel Good
But let’s get back to the clothing that we wear. Have you ever put on an outfit, looked in the mirror, and wondered who the heck that person is staring back? It’s happened to me on occasion when I try an outfit that just isn’t me. I could wear it anyway but life is too short to not feel great in your clothing every time you get dressed.
Why spend another day unhappy with your appearance? Choose quality wardrobe pieces that always make you feel great, such as these beautiful dress shirts for women. If you feel fabulous in what you are wearing, it definitely reflects outward. You will smile more and we all know that a smile is the very best accessory we can wear to really make an outfit shine. Our clothing should make us feel vibrant, alive, and visible so definitely pay attention to your emotional reactions to your clothing as well. Our emotions often reveal our true selves so don’t ignore what they are trying to communicate.
4. Make a Statement
Once you know who you are, it is very fun to make a bold statement about yourself through your personal style. Regardless of your style genre, whether it’s classic or quirky or somewhere in between, there are endless ways to make a big bold statement with your outfit choices. Investing in quality statement pieces that will last a long time in your wardrobe will ensure that you can make a statement whenever the feeling moves you. Just be sure to stick to your budget and invest in pieces that you can afford. Shopping second hand is always an alternative for those on a stricter budget as well as the more environmentally conscious.
5. Have Fun with Fashion
Most important of all when it comes to personal style is to have fun with your clothing. Of course, we all have days when throwing on a fail safe all black outfit combination is what will work best. But on the days when you are feeling more creatively inspired, grab hold of that opportunity to focus on more unique ways to style your wardrobe pieces. Mix prints and combine unlikely colors together. Take pieces from a variety of style genres and create a new and unique genre of fashion for yourself. It is your personal style, after all, and you have the freedom to create it in whatever way you desire.
Getting dressed can be viewed as a necessary tedium of daily life, but it can also be a way to express yourself and let the world know just how freaking amazing you are with one glance in your direction. So free yourself of the pressures of trying to impress others and dress your beautiful self in such a way that lets your soul shine.
How do you express yourself through personal style?
Keeping it on the edge,
Shelbee
Joining these Link Parties.
Outfit Details: (All things are old) Kaftan-Burlington Coat Factory / Earrings-Michael’s / Shoes-Payless
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
I am a midlife woman, wife, and stay-at-home mother of 2 boys and 2 cats. I have a passion for helping other women feel fabulous in the midst of this crazy, beautiful life.
20 Comments
Jacqui Berry
Well this looks amazing on you Shelbee, definitely your colour. Thanks for sharing your post. Jacqui xx
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Jacqui! This kaftan is such a great piece for really hot and humid days. The fun, bright colors are the bonus!
xoxo
Shelbee
Dee | Grammy's Grid
Cute, looks comfy too! Thanks so much for linking up with me at the Unlimited Link Party 31.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Dee! I really appreciate that!
xoxo
Shelbee
Patrick Weseman
Looking nice and I do none of that. LOL. I just do what I do.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Ha, thanks, Patrick! But the way you do what you do is one of the best parts about you! You keep on doing exactly that, my friend!
xoxo
Shelbee
Daenel T.
Oh, Shelbee, that kaftan is beautiful. I totally agree with your tips for finding and celebrating your personal style.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Daenel! I bought this kaftan a few years ago for around $10 and now I really wish I had bought a few more. It is so fun and it’s great on super hot days.
xoxo
Shelbee
Nancy
With all of the above! I totally agree with all. I never can understand why someone doesn’t dress the way he or she likes. I have a girlfriend who doesn’t care at all about her outfits. But she does feel good when she makes a effort once in a while . So why don’t do that every day right?
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Nancy! There are lots of people who really don’t care about fashion and what they look like, I think. It is baffling to me as well but that’s only because personal style is important to me. But it just isn’t as important to others and that’s okay. I just wear my funky outfits and stand out in the crowd of the people who don’t much care about clothing! I hope your weekend is going well, my friend!
xoxo
Shelbee
Karren Haller
Hi Shelbee, you must have a huge closet, this is an amazing caftan, the color is great on you.
Thank you for stopping by this week. Always be sure to share on #omhgww.
Have a great week!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Karren! I have a closet room actually! Haha. And it is overflowing in the worst way right now. I need to do a clean out!
xoxo
Shelbee
Karren Haller
I was going to say “Room closet” but did not want to be persumptious, lol I have 3 closets but recently carted away the back of my car of clothes that someone else can use, nothing fancy for sure.
Take care
xo
Karren
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
That’s funny, Karren! I had a big walk in closet in our last house and then we moved into our current house which was built right around 1900…when they didn’t put very many closets in homes at all let alone big walk in closets! So we converted the smallest bedroom into my closet. Hehe. It actually isn’t much bigger than my previous walk in closet. But it works to house all my things! I do need to do a clean out soon as well though. Have a fabulous week!
xoxo
Shelbee
mireille
I’ve gotten a lot more confident the past 5 years (taking pics of myself for the last 3 has helped) and seeing how all of us have different styles that suit us. We do not have to copy each other to look fashionable but we sure can learn from each other! And clothes can be so much fun!
http://www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Oh my gosh, Mireille, blogging has been so instrumental for improving my confidence! There is an entire decade of time when I wouldn’t allow my photo to be taken for any purpose! Now I feel like I am constantly taking my own photos. I do love how differently we all express our personal style and can be inspired by one another without copying or changing who we are and what we love. Clothing is so much fun and I am finally embracing it as a perfectly acceptable hobby as well!
xoxo
Shelbee
Sheila (of Ephemera)
I love the bohemian style of this caftan on you, Shelbee – so “you”! And really, feeing “you” is always the goal, right?
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about style profiles or styles that we gravitate to – I realized that go-tos that I used to love (cute, ruffly) are not really my jam anymore, but as I grow into my badassitude (totally a thing), I am leaning more to Big Boss Lady and Rock & Roll styles to reflect how I feel about myself. I am also very chameleonic in my preferences, but honing in on what actually appeals to us can be a really useful exercise to narrow down our closets and purchases.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Sheila! I love your insight into our changing tastes. I am constantly evolving and shifting and changing and find that I ditch certain trends but will often return them a few seasons later. Actually, I generally shift my style preferences on a seasonal basis. What was my jam last summer is not my jam this summer but was probably my jam 5 summers back. I am grateful that I have enough space to store (aka hoard) all of the different styles that I like to keep on hand for my chameleon like ways! Fashion is my hobby and so I have started viewing my closet room as a craft room or a tool shed. And nobody judges craft rooms or tool sheds for having too many supplies so that’s my story now! Haha.
xoxo
Shelbee
Michelle
Great post, Shelbee! For so long, clothes were simply utilitarian for me. It’s probably because I spent 15 years wearing scrubs as medical lab tech. From there, my jobs wanted business casual. Blah! Then when I became a financial advisor, the dress code was “Think Wall Street,” which led me to suits. My jobs always dictated what I wore. It was when I started following fashion bloggers that I started having fun with my wardrobe.
Oh and I love your dress!
Michelle
https://mybijoulifeonline.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Michelle, thanks so much for this lovely comment! My fashion story is quite the opposite of yours…I have always been super creative with the way I dress and vowed from a very young age that I would never have a job that didn’t allow me to be creative with my outfits…so no jobs that require uniforms! All the years that I worked on Wall Street, my job dictated a certain level of business attire, but I pushed the boundaries every day. By doing things like going bare legged in a skirt suit with open toed sandals (Gasp, the horror! That was actually still frowned upon, at least on Wall Street, in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s.) But I definitely appreciate the style freedoms I have now working solely from home!
xoxo
Shelbee