Most clients, when they get in touch with me for the first time will start their email with something along the lines of ‘help! I don’t have any style!’
My response is always the same; everyone has style, some just need help defining it – and that’s what I’m here for.
There are three pillars of personal style that I work with – once you understand how each of them apply to you, you’l have all the tools you’ll need to put together your dream wardrobe.
The three pillars are:
- Style Personality
- Body Shape
- Colour
In this post I’m going to look at Style Personalities and how you can define yours.
Feeling great in your clothes isn't always about what suits you - it's about what makes you feel like 'you', what expresses your personality and gives you confidence...
What Is A ‘Style Personality’?
During my sessions I work with six different style personalities, these range from an eclectic, quirky Creative through to the timeless, understated Classic. Some of us identify more as a Romantic, others a Natural.
We rarely fall into just one Style Personality category, usually we’ll have a dominant style personality and then a few others thrown into the mix – and this is the beauty of clothes and style – there’s no right or wrong.
Understanding your style personality is key to helping you build your dream wardrobe as it will give you an identifiable aesthetic to focus on. When you know exactly what type of signature style works for you, not only can you be more deliberate with creating wardrobe that works, you can also happily pass over anything that doesn’t without feeling like you ‘should’ have it in your wardrobe because everyone else does.
Below I've listed out a short description of each of the style personalities I work with - take a look at the descriptions, check out the mood boards I've created over on Pinterest and decide which works best for you...
Creative
Eclectic and sometimes quirky, the Creative dances to the best of their own style drum, caring little about what is/isn’t in fashion and more about what they love and makes them feel great.
Creatives usually have a brilliant eye for combining unusual patterns and colour combinations together that work for them, but probably wouldn’t work so well on anyone else. They love finding unusual pieces in vintage stores or charity shops and will often customise their clothes or keep things for several years knowing they’ll come back to it at some point.
Creative celebrities; Fearne Cotton, Sarah Jessica Parker.
Creative brands/stores; Vivienne Westwood, Anthropolgie, Free People.
Image Credit: Free People
Dramatic
Dramatics LOVE clothes and follow trends carefully – often wearing something because it’s the latest ‘thing’ regardless of whether it particularly suits them or is comfortable.
You can usually spot a Dramatic fairly easily; they’ll be dressed in a fabulous outfit that is likely to turn heads and will often consist of bright, bold colours, statement jewellery/shoes or some other fabulous conversation-starter. Dramatics often love a show-stopping designer piece if their budgets allow (their wardrobes will be bursting!)
Celebrity Dramatics/Influencers; Trinny Woodall, Blair Eadie Bee, Beyonce.
Dramatic Brands; ASOS, River Island, Gucci.
Image Credit – ASOS
Romantic
Feminine and ethereal, Romantics love anything with delicate detailing, sparkle, embellishments and bows.
They adore the whole process of getting dressed up and will rarely be seen without their hair and make-up looking immaculate. They will often favour skirts/dresses over trousers and feel fabulous in heels as well as being drawn to more delicate and lighter colours as apposed to anything to dark or bold.
Textures like cashmere and lace will also appeal – anything that soft and tactile with a touch of femininity will get a Romantic’s seal of approval.
Celebrity Romantics; Nicole Kidman, Kylie Minogue.
Romantic Brands; Vita Grace, Sezane.
Image Credit: Vita Grace
Classic
Classics prefer an understated, timeless look and once they find what works for them they will rarely deviate from their chosen style formula.
Favouring more of a neutral palette everything from their jewellery to their footwear will be carefully co-ordinated. Classics hate to feel messy so anything distressed/ripped or over-sized will generally be passed over.
Celebrity Classics; The Duchess of Cambridge, Michelle Obama.
Classic Brands/Stores; Hobbs, Holland & Cooper, Russell & Bromley.
Image Credit: Hobbs
Natural
Comfort and practicality are the key deciding factors as to whether a Natural will or won’t buy/wear something.
Naturals like to get dressed in the morning and then not think about what they’re wearing for the rest of the day, You can expect to find jeans/trousers and flats make up the majority of their clothes in neutral colours. In keeping with their no-fuss attitude, their hair, make-up and jewellery will all be simple and minimal the majority of the time.
Natural Celebrities; Kate Winslet, Katie Holmes.
Natural Brands; Hush, Sweaty Betty.
Image Credit: Hush
City Chic
Effortless and stylish, everyone loves the City Chic aesthetic.
A City Chic spends time working out what suits their shape and colouring, invests in good-quality, well made pieces and then updates their wardrobe seasonally. They like to look current but aren’t necessarily concerned with being ‘on-trend’.
The key to the City Chic aesthetic is the attention to detail; little touches like a great watch, fabulous pair of sunglasses or gorgeous handbag will take an otherwise simple outfit and really give it the ‘wow’ factor.
City Chic Celebrities/Influencers; Rosie Huntington-Whitely, Tess Montgomery, We Are Twinset
City Chic Brands; Reiss, Mint Velvet.
Image Credit: Reiss.
You may identify completely with one of the descriptions above or you may like elements from a few – I find we’re usually all a mix and even the examples I’ve given above aren’t necessarily solely that style category.
For example, the We Are Twinset girls (who I mentioned in my last post) are Natural City Chics – they love comfort and practicality for their busy lives as working Mommas but incorporate the polish and elevated feel of the City Chic aesthetic through the colour palette and attention to detail they incorporate into each outfit (great accessories, statements shoes/bags).
The fun part of this is you can choose a few and play around, it’s likely you style tastes will change and evolve as time goes on but being mindful and deliberate about the overall look you want to create is truly liberating in so many ways.
Pop over to Instagram and tell me which categories you identify with the most and for more inspiration check out the boards I’ve created over on Pinterest here.