The Art of Dressing Like Yourself: A Personalized Capsule Wardrobe

Did I lose you there?

I’ll try to explain what I mean.

Do you ever look at an outfit that someone is wearing and think, “I love that look!” then go through your closet and try to put together a look that has the same vibe?

But when you are done it just doesn’t have that same draw that it had when it was on the other person.

That is because it isn’t your style. Some aspects might be, but not the entire look.

It doesn’t mean that with a few simple changes you can get that same feeling that you had when you saw it on someone else.

It’s about really understanding your personal style. Not copying someone else’s.

BUT, you can still garner inspiration from those people to help guide you to finding yours.

The concept that style has to fall under specific categories like classic, edgy, bohemian, sporty etc., is outdated.

The idea now is that generally most people are a combination of these style elements so very rarely do fall under only one.

We find that we borrow parts of these, like a recipe.

Little bits of each in different measurements to get the final product.

These measurements will vary depending on what look you are making and what mood you are feeling.

So the new way to define your style is by using a group of adjectives.

My adjectives are chill/relaxed, classic, and unexpected. You can add a modifier which is the word that ties it all together and makes your outfit look different from someone else that may have the same adjectives.

Every outfit that I wear contains these elements.

Finding Your Style Adjectives

If you can’t think of what your style adjectives are then a good place to start is by doing a deep dive into your wardrobe and your favourite outfits.

Make note of outfits on others that you like. After you start to really pay attention you will begin to notice a theme.

There will be similar elements that each piece will have that you never realized previously.

You will notice that this wardrobe only includes one pair of jeans. In previous years my most worn bottoms were jeans and my capsule wardrobe would have 2-3 pairs in any given season.

Over the last year or so my style has become even more chill/relaxed. I gravitate to looser, slouchy jeans versus tight, and loose-fitting trousers with wide or straight legs.

I am appreciating comfort these days.

Most of my tops and sweaters are also looser because I prefer more realxed knitwear, and the ability to layer with these pieces.

Yesterday I wore an outfit that is the perfect reflection of my style.

I will often buy some of my pieces in the men’s section either in-store or while shopping secondhand.

Like the men’s cashmere sweater for example.

They are the same as the women’s but fit me a bit longer, the shoulders hang a bit lower, and it overall has more of a relaxed feel that I can slip over a t-shirt, than the women’s more fitted versions which I personally am not a fan of.

I will often like a men’s button-up shirt more as well.

The grey trousers that I included I bought in Uniqlo from the men’s section. I tried on several sizes to get the fit that I was striving for.

These trousers also have and tie inside the waistband so you can keep it from sliding down your body without the need of a belt if you like slouchy trousers too.

I wear them a lot, and you can see them here, and here.

It also allows you to see a pair of my brightly coloured socks which is also an important part of my wardrobe.

I love the unexpected look that a bright-coloured sock gives to an outfit. The rainbow wall of socks at Uniqlo is my happy place.

This week I put together another Digital Style Guide that focuses on the winter uniform. It is a list of 10 outfit ideas that I pull from when I don’t know what to wear.

They are so easy to use as a basic outline, then you can fill in the pieces with what you have, and change it up to keep the same basic uniform but to achieve many different looks.

I always like to keep a collection of tried and true outfits ideas that I can just pull out and adapt to my mood when I am at a loss of what to wear which are what I included in this guide.

I am also a huge proponent of secondhand shopping, as you know.

My animal print coat that I have been wearing a lot lately is my statement piece. It was expensive, but I have been searching for one like this for over 20 years.

(I also used Klarna to pay, which isn’t necessarily good, but allows me to pay in affordable increments instead of all at once.)

The coat is 1950s vintage from Etsy. You can find a lot of them on there if you search “Animal Print”, then choose the filter category as clothing > women’s clothing > jackets & coats, and then refine it further by scrolling to the bottom of filters and selecting vintage.

I also want to note that several of my pieces are seemingly expensive, But 95% of the designer or pricier pieces that I have bought are secondhand, therefore a fraction of the original price.

Shopping secondhand allows me to have things that would normally be out of my price range.

And since I think that jumping on every new trend takes away from your unique style, and is not sustainable for the environment than I don’t care if something that I buy secondhand isn’t considered current.

This is usually when I find the best outfits that are the most me.

I go by the way that something makes me feel versus how in style or trendy it is, because dressing for how it makes me feel, not someone else’s perceived idea of what works or is cool is what truly makes my style me.

Like Iris Apfel said, ‘Fashion you can buy, but style you possess“.

You might also like:
A 90s DKNY Inspired Winter Capsule Wardrobe
A Cool Palette Winter Capsule Wardrobe
A Winter Capsule Wardrobe on a Budget
The Better Than Basic Capsule Wardrobe for Winter
How to Build a 90s Winona Ryder Capsule Wardrobe
How to Build a 90s Kate Moss Capsule Wardrobe
Styling Navy and Black in a Fall Capsule Wardrobe
A 90s Minimalist Fall Capsule Wardrobe

I am now offering digital styling guides, and personal styling services. If you are looking for some styling help that is inexpensive and easy, check out my digital styling guides. If you want some one-on-one help shopping, building and editing your wardrobe, or packing for a trip, I can also assist. Check out all the styling services that I offer here.

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