How do you find your personal style?
It's one of the simplest questions to ask. And one of the hardest to answer.
“How would you describe your personal style?”
It's a question that's surprisingly difficult to answer.
Not because there's a right answer.
Not because everyone should have one.
Simply because very few of us have ever stopped to think about it.
Most of us have spent years choosing clothes. We know what ends up in the wardrobe and what doesn't. We know what we wear repeatedly and what quietly disappears to the back of the rail.
But that's very different from understanding why.
A wardrobe can tell you what you wear. Not necessarily what you're looking for.
One of the things I find most interesting when meeting a new client is that the wardrobe rarely tells the whole story.
It tells me what's there.
It tells me what's missing.
Sometimes it even tells me what has become a habit.
What it doesn't always tell me is what someone is drawn to.
That's a different conversation altogether.
Somewhere between curiosity and attraction
Style often begins long before a purchase.
Sometimes it's an outfit that catches your attention on the street.
Sometimes it's a film.
Sometimes it's a particular way someone wears a white shirt, or the ease of a linen outfit in the middle of summer.
Those moments aren't instructions.
They're clues.
Not clues about what you should buy.
Clues about what keeps catching your attention.
I find that a much more interesting place to begin.
The goal isn't to copy. It's to understand.
Most inspiration is lost the moment we try to recreate it exactly.
The interesting question isn't, “Where can I buy that?”
It's, “What is it about this that's speaking to me?”
The answer might be the proportions.
The fabric.
The sense of ease.
The restraint.
Or something that's much harder to put into words.
That's perfectly fine.
You don't need to name it immediately.
You just need to notice that it's there.
Good clothes aren't only for good occasions.
Personal style has always been a conversation
This is why I don't think personal style is something that's either found or built.
It's usually both.
You notice something.
You become curious about it.
You try it.
You keep what feels right.
You leave behind what doesn't.
Over time, those small decisions begin to relate to one another.
Eventually they become recognisable as your style.
Not because someone gave it to you.
Because you spent enough time paying attention to the conversation you were already having with yourself.
That's exactly where a Style Assessment begins. Not by deciding what your style should be, but by understanding the one that's already starting to take shape.