How to Find Your Personal Style: 5 Tips to Build a Wardrobe You Love

If you’re figuring out your personal style one outfit at a time, same.

At some point, I think most of us have built a wardrobe around someone else’s definition of style. Maybe it was chasing trends, recreating outfits we saw online, or buying pieces because everyone swore they were wardrobe essentials.

So it’s no surprise there’s a disconnect between what we wear and what feels like us. Before we know it, our wardrobes reflect everyone else’s taste more than our own.

In this post, I’m sharing 5 tips that can help you find your personal style, so you can start building a wardrobe that feels like yours.

Your wardrobe has probably been dropping hints about your personal style all along.

It could be the dress you’ve owned for years and still reach for, the bag you get excited to style every time, your go-to Sunday outfit or even your Pinterest board where the same silhouettes, colours or aesthetics keep showing up.

My style epiphany happened while I was decluttering my closet. My leopard-print scarf had survived every wardrobe clear-out, I kept reaching for my hot pink tote over my black croc-embossed one for work, and my suede ankle boots with rhinestone embellishments were still my first choice for special occasions. I clearly love a pop of colour and textured accessories.

Patterns are easier to spot than you think. Once you notice what keeps earning a permanent place in your wardrobe, you’re already halfway to defining your personal style.

Window shopping has probably saved me more money than any budgeting app ever could. I’ve lost count of the the number of times I’ve walked into a clothing store, grabbed an armful of pieces, tried them on and still walked out without buying a single thing.

In hindsight, every “empty-handed” shopping trip gave me a clearer picture of what I genuinely liked and what didn’t suit my style.

Window shopping is about exploring pieces you’ve never owned and discovering styles that actually look good on you. Try on the wide-leg trousers you’ve convinced yourself aren’t your thing. Pick up the colour you’d normally walk past.

Sometimes a piece surprises you. When you do decide to buy something, start with one piece at a time. Make sure it fits your everyday lifestyle and not a hypothetical version of it.

You’ve done the detective work. Now it’s time to play. Once you’ve started noticing what colours, silhouettes or aesthetics you like, the next step is to actually try it out in real life.

That style you keep saving on Pinterest? Recreate a simple version of it using pieces in your wardrobe or while window shopping.

See how it feels when you actually wear it. If you find yourself reaching for it again and again, that’s your cue to slowly add more of it to your wardrobe. You don’t need to change your entire wardrobe or suddenly dress like a different person overnight.

When I discovered my appreciation for the sparkle on my suede boots, I bought a pair of bedazzled jeans. At first I thought they were a bit much, so I wore them at home about three times before taking them out. Once I got comfortable, they quickly became one of my wardrobe staples.

Not every experiment will be a success, and that’s kind of the point. The goal isn’t to nail your style on the first try, but to discover what genuinely feels like you.

If you’re sentimental like I am, this is probably the hardest part. As much as your old style served you, not every piece needs to come along for the next chapter.

Your closet shouldn’t be holding onto pieces from a version of you you’ve outgrown. As your style evolves, so should your wardrobe.

If there are pieces that haven’t stepped out of the closet in years, it might be time to let them go.

I still remember “The Great Purge” of my wardrobe. I was on the verge of tears over a pair of beige flared jeans while my sister looked at me like I’d completely lost the plot. I clearly gave her the ick.

Turns out saying goodbye to some old favourites made room for the pieces I actually couldn’t wait to wear.

I know the urge to fill your closet before soft launching your new style can be tempting but don’t sprint to the checkout just yet.

From experience, buying a whole new wardrobe in the name of a “new style” can actually pull you further away from it. When you’re still exploing, it’s easy to mistake a passing obsession for a lasting preference.

I ordered a fitted white and pink tracksuit for my morning strolls because I looked and felt good in my black one. I only stepped out with it once not because it was ugly, but the lightweight material clung to my body and emphasized areas I preferred not to highlight. I was so focused on the fit that I completely overlooked the fabric.

Now I know which piece will start the lineup on my next closet declutter.

Treat your closet like a VIP guest list. If a piece doesn’t fit your style, your lifestyle or make you excited to wear it, it doesn’t make the cut.

The bottom line? You don’t have to dress like every aesthetic you see online. You can draw inspiration from them, then adapt those ideas to suit your personality and lifestyle.

At the end of the day, your wardrobe doesn’t need to impress the internet, keep up with every trend or make sense to anyone else. It just needs to make getting dressed feel exciting and a lot more like you. So take your time, trust your instincts and let your style evolve naturally. The best wardrobes are built one great outfit at a time.

Until my next letter,
Hulda Cecilia
Her Sunset Letters