You’re already running late, standing in front of your closet for the third time this morning. You’ve tried on four different outfits, and nothing feels right- nothing feels like you.

You’ve tried following fashion tips. You’ve bought pieces because they looked good on someone else. You’ve even attempted those “capsule wardrobe” guides that promised the perfect wardrobe. But something still feels…off.

It’s not that you don’t have style- you just haven’t discovered your style yet. The one that makes you feel confident, authentic, and unapologetically yourself.

And finding your personal style is less about following rules and more about uncovering who you already are.

HOW TO FIND YOUR PERSONAL STYLE 101: WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT MATTERS 

Personal style is expressing your authentic self through what you wear- so that when you get dressed, you feel confident and like the best version of you.

What Personal Style Actually Is

Your personal style is the visual language of who you are. It’s how you communicate your personality, values, and energy before you even speak. It’s the intersection of:

• Your lifestyle: How you actually spend your days (not how you wish you spent them)
• Your personality: Whether you’re bold and playful, minimalist and refined, eclectic and creative, or anything in between
• Your body: What makes you feel comfortable and confident in your own skin
• Your preferences: The colors, textures, silhouettes, and details that genuinely light you up

Personal style evolves as you do. It’s not a fixed destination but rather an ongoing conversation between who you are and how you choose to show up in the world.

Why Finding Your Personal Style Matters

When your wardrobe aligns with your authentic self, everything shifts:

Decision fatigue disappears. No more standing in front of your closet paralyzed by options. When you know your style, getting dressed becomes intuitive (and even fun!) instead of exhausting.

Confidence skyrockets. There’s something powerful about wearing clothes that feel like you. You stop second-guessing yourself and start owning your presence.

Shopping becomes strategic. Instead of buying impulsively (and then never wearing it), you know exactly what works for you. You stop wasting money on pieces that sit in your closet with tags still on (and don’t worry- we have all been there).

You stop hiding. Maybe you’ve been playing it safe with neutrals or copying someone else’s aesthetic because it felt easier. When you find your personal style, you step into visibility- not because you’re trying to stand out, but because you finally feel like yourself.

As my client Kate said: “Susan took my vision to another level. She came armed with pieces I would never have thought to try on…I walked into two days of intense interviews feeling bold, colorful, professional and uniquely myself.”

FINDING YOUR PERSONAL STYLE: 5 EASY SELF-DISCOVERY EXERCISES

Finding your personal style is about self-discovery- paying attention to what actually resonates with you, not what you think “should” wear. 

Here are five exercises to help you uncover your authentic style:

Exercise 1: The Pinterest Palette

Create a private Pinterest board (or whatever platform you prefer for saving images). For the next week, pin anything that visually resonates with you- outfits, colors, textures, even vibes. Don’t overthink it. Just save what makes you feel something.

After a week, look at your board. What patterns emerge?

• Are you drawn to structured pieces or flowy silhouettes?
• Do bold colors excite you, or are you gravitating toward a specific color palette?
• Are there recurring details- like vintage prints, minimalist lines, edgy leather, romantic ruffles?

These patterns reveal your authentic aesthetic preferences, even if you haven’t been wearing them yet.

Exercise 2: The Closet Love Test

Go through your closet and pull out the 5-10 pieces you wear most often and genuinely love wearing. Not the pieces you think you should love or the ones that were expensive. I’m talking about the ones that make you feel like you and feel good.

Ask yourself:

• What do these pieces have in common?
• How do they make you feel when you wear them?
• What silhouettes, fabrics, or details do they have?

These are your style anchors, the foundation of your authentic personal style. Everything else in your wardrobe is meant to complement these pieces.

Exercise 3: The “If Money/Body/Occasion Weren’t Factors” Visualization

Close your eyes. Imagine you could wear anything tomorrow- no budget constraints, no dress codes, no worrying about what anyone else thinks, no body hang-ups.

What would you wear?
How would it make you feel?

This exercise removes the mental barriers (the “buts” and “shoulds”) and taps into what you genuinely desire. Maybe you’d wear bold colors. Maybe you’d dress more feminine or more androgynous. Maybe you’d finally try that edgy leather jacket or three piece suit. 

Write down what comes up. This is your style speaking to you.

Exercise 4: The Lifestyle Audit

Your personal style needs to match your actual life, not a fantasy.

Write down how you actually spend your week:

• How many days are you working from home vs. in an office?
• Do you attend formal events monthly or only once a year?
• Are you running after kids, commuting on public transit, or sitting in back-to-back Zoom calls?
• What do you do for fun? (Concerts, hiking, coffee dates, art galleries, cozy nights at home?)

Now, look at your closet. Does it reflect this reality? If 80% of your life is casual but 80% of your closet is workwear from a job you left three years ago, there’s a disconnect.

Align your wardrobe with how you actually live right now.

Exercise 5: The Color Analysis Discovery

This is where personal style and color analysis beautifully intersect. Your color season- whether you’re a Spring, Summer, Autumn, or Winter– reveals which colors enhance your natural beauty and vibrancy. 

Understanding your color palette eliminates guesswork. Aka you’re not buying that trendy olive green because it’s everywhere- you know whether it actually works for you.

Take my Free Color Analysis Quiz to discover your color season. Once you know your colors, you can build a wardrobe where everything not only reflects your style but also makes you glow (and makes it so much easier to mix and match). 

PERSONAL STYLE AND COLOR: WHAT WORKS FOR YOU

Let’s talk about the relationship between personal style and color- because this is where so many people get stuck.

You might love bold, vibrant colors but feel like you “can’t pull them off.” Or maybe you’ve defaulted to black and neutrals for so long that you’ve forgotten what wearing color even feels like.

Color is one of the most powerful tools in expressing your personal style. And when you understand which colors work for your unique coloring, everything starts to click.

Why Color Analysis Transforms Your Personal Style

When you know your color season, several things happen:

• You stop guessing. No more standing in a dressing room wondering if that blush pink makes you look washed out or radiant. You already know.
  
• You can finally wear color confidently. If you’ve been hiding in black because you don’t know what else works, discovering your color palette is like getting permission to play again.
  
• Your wardrobe naturally coordinates. When all your clothes are in colors that suit you and work together, getting dressed becomes exponentially easier. Hello mixing and matching!
  
• You find your version of trends. Love the “red trend” but not sure which red? Your color season tells you. A True Winter wears a blue-based red, while a Spring rocks a warm coral-red.

How to Incorporate Your Colors Into Your Personal Style

Once you know your color season, here’s how to weave it into your style:

• Start with your style anchors. Remember those pieces you pulled out in Exercise 2? Are they in your best colors? If not, start gradually incorporating them in with similar pieces in the colors that make you glow.
  
• Use color strategically. If you love neutrals, wear them- just make sure they’re the neutrals for your season. A Winter in soft beige looks washed out, but that same Winter in crisp white or charcoal gray is striking!
  
• Play with color placement. Not ready to wear color head-to-toe? Start with colors near your face (tops, scarves, jewelry) where they have the most impact on your complexion.
  
• Don’t abandon your favorites entirely. Have a color you love that’s not in your season? You can still wear it! They work great as pops of color (think: shoes, bags, hats) or pair it with a color from your palette near your face to balance it out.

As my client Shannon shared: “I felt really validated as someone who grew up wearing bright spring colors into early adulthood and then shifted that palette as I entered the workforce. I felt like it gave me the encouraging nudge I needed to wear what makes me happy and feel celebrated as a queer, neurodivergent person who finally feels comfortable taking up some space in the world and shines a little bit brighter because of it.”

HOW TO BUILD A PERSONAL STYLE THAT’S UNIQUELY YOURS OVER TIME

Personal style is an evolution, not a one-time discovery.  You’re not supposed to find your style at 25 and wear it unchanged for the next 40 years. You’re allowed to grow, experiment, and transform. 

Give Yourself Permission to Evolve

Your style is meant to reflect who you are right now- not who you were five years ago or who you think you “should” be. 

Maybe you spent a decade in corporate wear and now crave bohemian ease. Maybe you’re finally ready to embrace bold colors after years of playing it safe.

All of this is okay. Style evolution is growth.

Build Your Style in Layers, Not Overnight

No, you don’t need to overhaul your entire wardrobe this weekend. Building a personal style that feels authentic happens gradually:

• Start with the foundation. Invest in well-fitting basics in your color season- jeans that make you feel amazing, tops that work for your lifestyle, shoes you can actually walk in (and make you feel cute!)
  
• Add personality pieces. Once your foundation is solid, bring in the statement pieces that make your style yours- the vintage blazer, the bold accessories, the unique prints.
  
• Refine as you go. Every few months, do a closet edit. What’s no longer serving you? What’s missing? What are you drawn to now that you weren’t six months ago?
  

Create a Style Mantra

A style mantra is a short phrase that captures how you want to feel in your clothes. It acts as your personal compass when shopping or getting dressed.

Examples:

• “Effortlessly polished”
• “Bold and unapologetic”
• “Edgy with a feminine touch”
• “Comfortable and confident”

What’s yours? Write it down.
Use it as a filter for every style decision.

Make Space for Experimentation

Some of the best style discoveries come from trying something unexpected. Give yourself permission to:

• Try on something you normally wouldn’t
• Experiment with different silhouettes, textures, or color combinations
• Take style risks in low-stakes environments (i.e running errands, coffee with a friend)
• Fail sometimes- not every experiment will work out, and that’s okay

As my client Monica shared: “Susan made me love clothing and fashion again! She helped me find myself through my clothes, and gave me the confidence to be myself. Susan taught me to better understand my new, evolved identity and to embrace it.”

FAQS ON FINDING YOUR PERSONAL STYLE 

How long does it take to find your personal style?

There’s no timeline. For some people, it clicks quickly- they do the self-discovery work and suddenly everything makes sense. For others, it’s a gradual unfolding over months or even years. What matters MOST is that you’re paying attention and staying curious about what feels authentic to you.

Can I have multiple personal styles?

Absolutely! You might have a “work style” and a “weekend style” that feel different but are both authentically you. The key is that they all stem from your core aesthetic and make you feel like yourself, just in different contexts.

What if my personal style doesn’t fit into a specific “aesthetic”?

GREAT! The best personal styles are a unique blend that’s authentic to you, not a cookie-cutter category. You might be minimalist with bohemian touches, or classic with edgy elements, or romantic with a modern twist. Embrace the mix- that’s what makes your style yours.

Do I need to get rid of everything in my closet to start fresh?

Nope! Start by identifying what you love and wear often (your style anchors). Build from there. Gradually release pieces that no longer serve you, but don’t feel pressure to purge everything overnight.

How do I find my personal style if I’m going through a major life transition?

Life transitions- new job, post-partum, divorce, retirement- often trigger style shifts. Give yourself grace. Your style is evolving because you’re evolving. Use the exercises in this post to reconnect with who you are now, not who you were before. (And you can read more about styling through the seasons of life here). 

Is color analysis necessary for finding personal style?

It’s not required, but it definitely helps! Knowing your color season helps you build a cohesive wardrobe that enhances your natural beauty and easily mixes and matches for fun outfit combinations. Take my free quiz to discover your colors.

What if I discover my personal style and then get bored with it?

Then you evolve! Personal style isn’t meant to be static. If something stops feeling authentic, explore what’s calling to you now. Style is a living, breathing expression of who you are- and you’re allowed to change.

READY TO DISCOVER YOUR PERSONAL STYLE?

Finding your personal style is one of the most empowering journeys you can take- uncovering and expressing who you truly are.

Start here:

• Take my Free Color Analysis Quiz to discover which colors make you glow. This is your foundation for building a wardrobe that actually feels like you.
  
• Ready to go deeper? My styling packages include personalized wardrobe audits, shopping support (virtual or in-person), and ongoing guidance as you build a style that’s uniquely yours. Whether you need help for a specific event or want to transform your entire approach to getting dressed, I’m here for you.

You deserve to feel like yourself- unapologetically, confidently, authentically.
You deserve clothes that make you feel incredible.
And you deserve to take up space exactly as you are.

P.S. Want more personalized style guidance and personal styling support? Check out my styling packages or tune in to my podcast on Apple or Spotify where we talk all things style, confidence, and authenticity!