It can be difficult to cast a blanket statement on yourself, but honing in on what you think your personal style is can be a great crutch. Thinking of adjectives to describe your look or even the look you want to achieve can be helpful. I started trying to verbalize my style once I realized how complicated shopping could become. Once you define your style it allows you to recognize which brands you align with best, which designers pique your interest, and which color palettes appeal to you. For instance,

I tend to describe my own style as a mix of minimalism, avant garde, dark colors, leather, textures, cozy knits, long hemlines, structure, sleek, rockstar, bohemia, & androgynous at times.

Once I wrote those out, the words helped me realize what I look for most in clothing: textures, tailoring, and the fine details. It also helped me realize which designers piqued my interest and why:

• •  Burberry—tailoring, color palettes, studs + spikes
• •  Alexander Wang—textures, color palettes, androgynous appeal
• •  Helmut Lang—draping, use of materials, cuts of garments
• •  the Kooples—overall aesthetic, color palette, use of materials, cuts of garments
• •  Zadig & Voltaire—overall aesthetic
• •  All Saints—overall aesthetic
• •  Alexander McQueen—all of the above.

If you aren’t the type for words, it may be better to create a mood board to see which styles attract your eye the most. Flip through the latest issues of Bazaar, Elle, Vogue, Glamour, and W to see which editorial  spreads appeal to you most and tear them out for inspiration from time to time. Or, make a board on your Pinterest. Below are some of my pins from my style board “My Steez” that help me collect my thoughts:

Or if you just straight up don’t know where to begin, take a quiz! I took one on Harper’s Bazaar’s website and it was pretty dead-on:

You are an Avant-Garde.

As an avant-garde, your style oozes a sense of self-assured confidence. You prefer a bit of grit with your glamour, often adding tougher elements of leather and metal hardware to anchor the softer pieces of your outfits. Your wardrobe is a spectrum of neutrals from cream to ebony, enriched by touches of dark brooding hues and deep jewel tones. Despite your rebel without a cause approach, you still possess a clear sense of balanced refinement in your fashion choices. Drawing inspiration from rocker chic legends like Grace Jones, your personal style is an artful curation of bold edginess and understated elegance.

I’d love to hear how you define you! Comments are always more than welcome 🙂