Defining Your Core Style Elements
Look At What You Have
There are three categories to bucket your clothing items into:
Basics
These are items that pretty much go with everything. There’s nothing really special about them but they are still foundational to your wardrobe.
These are going to be: jeans and denim items in neutral colors (tops, bottoms, shoes, bags) basic t-shirts and shirts simple jewelry
Refer to the Wardrobe Detox module to learn how to build out your Basics wardrobe.
Signature
These are the items that define your signature style. This is going to evolve over time as your tastes change, the trends change and as you change. You may not have a clear idea of what your signature style is yet, but you do know what you really like to wear.
Your signature items are what you would wear most days.
Don’t forget to take stock of accessories, like shoes, bags and jewelry.
Take note of what you love about each item? Is it the color? Shape? Material? How does it make you look or feel? These are clues to your signature style.
Refer to the Wardrobe Detox module for inventory worksheets.
Statement
These are items that take your outfit from ordinary to truly you. It’s the secret sauce to looking pulled together and stylish.
Statement items are going to be very different for you compared to someone else. It’s up to you to decide what is considered a statement item. They can be added to an ordinary outfit to add that little extra wow or they can be the starring role of your outfit.
Your statement items will also contribute to your signature style.
Here are some examples:
- A statement necklace
- Stacked bracelets
- Bold earrings
- Bold lipstick
- An item in your power color (ex. A red jumpsuit)
- A unique/unexpected combination of colors
- A unique/unexpected pairing of ordinary items
- Fun shoes
- Fun hat
- Painted nails in a fun color
- Patterned pants, leggings or skirt
- Leather jacket
- An item in a unique material (ex. Shiny leather or sequins)
- Graphic t-shirts Bright colored accessory (bag, scarf, jacket, etc)
Some of the items I listed above may also fit in your signature category.
For example, painted nails may be something you do regularly, so it’s more of your signature everyday style. There’s no wrong way to categorize your items.
Go through your clothes for a 3-month season and decide which category each item belongs. Pay attention to which lifestyle category each item belongs to, as well.
You may have different basic items for work versus weekends, for example. What are you noticing? Do you have a balance of basics, signature and statement items? Or are you noticing that you have a lot of one and hardly any of another?
