Playing Dress Up, Step #1: Define Your Style

source

Are you feeling a little bit lost when it comes to getting dressed in the morning? Do you have 2 shirts and you don't like either of them? Or are you overwhelmed by the amount of clothes and styles in your closet? The first step for getting an awesome wardrobe is to figure out what you like. I'm going to share a few ways to make a style inspiration board, as well as tips for what to put on the board.

No, the first thing you should do is not go shopping. Some of you might be sad about that, others might be happy because you are dreading going into a dressing room. Not to worry! The first thing you get to do is cut out some pictures. :)


Here are a few ideas on how to compile a style inspiration board:

1. Pinterest

I already told you how much I love Pinterest. It is great for collecting ideas, sharing recipes, and it is also great for figuring out your style!

a. If you aren't already on Pinterest, get on! (Let me know if you need an invitation)
b. Create a board for collecting style ideas.
c. Pin pictures of style ideas that you like. You have 2 options here. You can either pin something from online (from a favourite blog, magazine website, or from google images) or you can repin something that is already on pinterest (use the search bar to find pictures. You can search for pretty much anything: polka dot shirts, simple outfits, Julia Roberts. And you will find pictures).
d. In the comments, note what you like about a picture (simple shirt, brightly coloured pants, a cool colour combination, etc.).

You can see my style pinboard here.

 2. Magazines & Catalogs

a. Gather a stack of magazines (Lucky, Instyle & Vogue are my favorites) or order some (free!) catalogs (J. Crew, Boden, Land's End, Garnet Hill) and get out your scissors.
b. Go through the magazine or catalog and cut out the pictures you are drawn to. Try not to stop and think "wow, that model is a size 0" too often. Just find outfits you like the look of and cut away!
c. Either pin the pictures on a bulletin board or glue them in a notebook. I like the notebook route because of step d.
d. Jot down what you like (or don't like) about the picture. Do you love the floral shirt but hate the skinny jeans (me too.)? Write it down!

source

 How do you know what you like?

If you're feeling a little lost as to what you like, what your style is or just where to start, here are a few tips:


*Think of a movie or actress  that you like (Meg Ryan in You've Got Mail? Helen Mirren? The Mary Tyler Moore Show? Kate Middleton?)  Look for pictures from that movie/ of that actress.
*Find a fashion blog that you love. A few of my favourites:

What Would a Nerd Wear 

The Sartorialist

Kendi Everyday

Sidewalk Ready

*Think of an outfit you remember wearing and loving. What did you love about it? Was it comfortable? More casual or more dressy? Was it a bright colour or all black? Write it down!
*Think of a friend whose style you like. Ask yourself the above questions about your friend's clothes! Then ask your friend to go shopping with you. :)

*Don't judge your own style. If you keep seeing pictures of girls in jeans and tshirts but you're thinking that's probably not stylish enough, then let yourself like casual clothes! If your wardrobe is full of baggy sweaters and tennis shoes but you've saved 12 pictures of high heels, you might really like dressier clothes and want to lose the flats for awhile. Allow yourself to be you, because no one else can be.

source

As you step back and look at your board, you should slowly start seeing some themes. Jot down whatever it is that you notice. Here are the things that I noticed on my board:

*striped shirts
*plaid
*messy hair
*simple outfit combinations
*big scarves
*comfortable clothes
*simple dresses
*trench coats

Some other things you might notice:

*long hair
*short hair
*casual shorts and t-shirts
*super high heels
*lots of colour
*lots of black and white
*classic
*preppy
*ecclectic

This stuff will really help you when you are actually standing in your closet or in a store making decisions about what you like and what you should wear. Next up, we will be cleaning our closets (don't worry, it's more fun then it sounds)!

Feel free to post your Pinterest style boards in the comments so we can see them!