WHERE TO FIND PERSONAL STYLE INSPIRATIONS.

The journey to an authentic personal style can sometimes feel as though one is embarking on a treasure hunt, with a roadmap full of questions like the ones listed below. 💃 Inspiration source number 1 is quite charming, making number 4 cherry on  the top!

What's your personal style, story or fashion image? What image would you like to convey?" How do you want to feel when you put on an outfit? Are you more drawn to the modest, elegant and less skin style or the chic, vibrant and mini outfits? Are you more vibrantly colorful lover when it comes to visual appeals or more of minimalist, neutral? Been loving monochromatic looks a lot lately but I definitely enjoy pops of color.

The art of finding an authentic personal style, can, not only be a painful and confusing journey when one has no clue on how to go about it in a stress-free manner, but also lead to a loss of oneself, thus settling for a wishful and covetous  living, instead of stepping into ones ideal sense of style and living confidently with an authentic and wearable wardrobe.

Even though there are a lot of components that make up the ideal personal style, it all comes down to simply how one uses the clothing / garments available to him or her to manifest the ideal sense of fashion style, comfort, confidence and overall appearance.

Knowing one's personal taste is important as this entails the ability to relate fashion to yourself, needs, figure and preference by discriminating between fabrics, textures, lines, colors and overall appearance, until one finds that which works perfectly well on their body , thus enhancing confidence and mood of the day or moment. 

In a world where there is an overwhelming amount of opinions, choices, and influencers to emulate, one can easily be sucked into the scrolling and swiping mode, only to emerge more confused than ever! 

How does one attain strong fashion sense and a personal taste that conveys the confident air of a woman who knows who she is, and enjoys being herself, while making clothes work for her body?

1) Pick up ideas from Sewing Patterns and Catalogues

Now this is by all means my all time favorite! And I might be biased when it comes to this particular option but here is why.

a). By looking at different sewing patterns you not only get the visual idea to what the garment looks like but also the various ways to style one item. For example, if the said pattern is for a blouse, the models on the cover will be illustrated either wearing shorts, skirt, pant or blazer that compliment the style. You can also see the different accessories and shoes for a whole outfit without digging through pages and lifestyle of a particular individual.

b). The patterns always suggest the best fabrics you can use. By paying attention to the various fabric suggestions, you will potentially be able to identify how different a garment drapes or the structure required to hold the shape of a garment. With this kind of knowledge you can do a deeper research on garment care, couturier fabrics to look out for and expense. You will also be well equipped when it comes to shopping and looking through the racks and feeling the materials used on garments

c).  Color Combinations. Now this is another fun factor when it comes to using patterns in personal style journey. Some pattern illustrations are well detailed to the extend where one garment style is shown in various colors and with different color block options that can make a shirt a whole outfit. For example, a fuchsia blouse can be paired with a multicolored floral skirt that has at least the same color and others, thus creating a beautiful yet vibrant visual appeal/ flow. You can also find monochromatic ideas or how to pair analogous ( closely related colors). I love vintage patterns for this main reason!

d) Posing and best body postures. The last but not least advantage of utilizing vintage patterns in your journey to personal style refinement is that you will be able to notice some wonderful ways to not only pose on picture for perfect angles, but also proper body postures to appear more confident, feminine and elegant. Carry yourself with grace!

2) Pick ideas from well dressed Women you admire.

We all have come into contact with a well dressed woman that has to any degree given us the wow factor. Perhaps it was her shoes, hair style, makeup or clothing. There is absolutely no shame in learning form other women and even asking where they found a particular item. Just be sure not to try and become them because believe it or not, a particular garment may not look exactly on your body as it did the other person.

Take lessons and styling ideas but always make the clothing work for your body without forcing and hating on your curves, height, color , resources and so on. If the said well dressed woman is an influencer on the social platforms, do not spend all day scrolling through the life style photos. By so doing, you will end up tying to not only become them, but also hating who you are. This is a fact because , most of the content are edited, planned and curated to their fashion sense, personality and various means to shop where they do. Pick the lessons and inspirations and do your own thing!

3) Magazines, Catalogues, Window displays or mannequin styling in stores

Click on the picture to shop the look

Before buying a garment, consider the relationship between your preferred personal style and the item in question. Do you like what you see? Will the item spike a sense of confidence or will it make you feel self-conscious and tagging on your clothing? How does the color make you feel? Is the fabric visually vibrant and long lasting or will it require replacement within a month? How many times can you wear it or are there several ways you can style the item in question? Are the articles in question aligned with the vision of the woman of your dreams or how you wish to carry yourself?

4) Write the description of the Woman you want to be, detailing how she dresses, and only highlighting the garments that spike confidence, self love and the aura you are going for.

 Click on picture for this stunning vintage dress.

This step is by far my favorite! Although it makes sense to write a description of the person you want to be or put into words what clothing styles you are drawn towards, in order to find and embrace your authentic personal style, this step can be very challenging due to all the noise we absorb in our daily living and the negative self talk.

When you write it down, you will have some point of refence to come back to, and this process also enables you to visualize past the now. By so doing, you will attain mental clarity, define your colors, and divide the desired looks/ clothing in seasons. 

You have to give yourself the permission to embrace who you are or your own fashion voice style, and be willing to take in the consequences boldly with head held high. By so doing, you will notice that your courage will shift toward the positive side, thereby trusting yourself and choices more. Do not belittle your efforts. You are not doing too much . It is not a show  off to wear your favorite attire. The fact that you are alive is reason enough to pull up in your best looking version .

Until next time, 

Have a fantastic day or evening wherever you are, filled with vibrance, gentleness and elegance.