Create Your Style Goal
Today I am going to show you what I do with all my clients at the beginning of working with them which is creating a style goal! I have discussed this here before, but there have been some changes since I first introduced this tool and I wanted to share and help you create your with a completely revamped and easy process. If you want a free step by step guide while you follow along with this join my free members area here.
This goal will help you make decisions that align with what you really want to have in your closet and wear. It is the guiding light that keeps you aligned with feeling amazing and authentic in your clothes. It is how you become on expert on what your personal style actually is and it's the number one tool that guides me in creating my own.
The first part of the goal is what is important to you when it comes to what you wear. The second part of your goal is your style vision; how you want to feel in your clothes, and the vibe you want to give off. We combine them together so that you know exactly what your personal style is or is going to become.
Before we dive into the first part of the goal, I want to do an exercise with you all. It's called a style wheel.
We are doing this exercise to get some ideas and awareness for the first part of setting your style goal, try to answer as intuitively as possible (no self-editing):
-On a scale of 1-10 how do you currently feel about your personal style?
-What do you think a 10 would feel like? (If you already feel you're at a 10 acknowledge what got you there and what's working really well for you).
-What is important to the version of you that experiences style at a l0?
-What has to be important to get you from a 5 to a 10? Or wherever you're currently at to a 10?
This information plays into the first part of creating a style goal because it helps you see what is actually important to you when it comes to personal style and what you want or deep down know needs to become a priority:
Style goals are made up of two parts to connect your mind and heart when it comes to what you wear (my favourite approach to style). If you don't know me well yet this is something that will let you know if you're aligned to what I am sharing - I take a very analytical AND emotional/spiritual approach to personal style and being able to be in my mind and my heart when it comes to fashion and the clothes I wear may be one of the best cheat codes out there for loving and enjoying personal style! Both are so important because you cannot only think about personal style, and you cannot only expect clothes to changes everything for you, we mix both for a divine transformation of who you are that goes beyond just clothes, your body, your job, your relationships, etc.
Your closet is an amazing lens that tells the story of your life. Let's change the lens and get started changing the story of your life!
The first part of a style goal is what is important to you / the function of your clothes (this is the where the mind comes in and the analytical side of personal style)
Take some time to do a thought download on everything that is important to you when it comes to the clothes you wear, or the things that you want to be important to you, OR for amazing results the thing you know the version of you that experiences personal style as 10 holds as important.
For some it’s comfort, or lots of colour, for others it’s minimal colours, modesty, functionality, quality, brand social responsibility, down to simply being able to throw it in the washer and dryer and not worry about dry cleaning, what’s important to you may be simply feeling good or confident in your clothes as well. Get all of your thoughts out of your head and onto a piece of paper so that you can see every single thing that matters to you.
Doing this as a thought download is important because it's going to take you further than the surface level things, and bringing to your deep burning inner desires, you just have to give yourself the space and time to let them surface.
If you are feeling writers block, really think about what the biggest pains can be with your wardrobe sometimes and what would be important for you to have going forward to eliminate that. Think about the things that would make your personal style feel like a 10.
Once you’ve written everything out, decide what you want your top 3 priorities would be, or better yet what the version of you that already has amazing personal style would pick.
These 3 things are your non-negotiables going forward.
These non-negotiables are your new high standards for yourself and your wardrobe they help you make better decisions while shopping, choosing what to wear, and cleaning out your closet. It eliminates the overwhelm of feeling lost, being easily influenced away from your true self, and it helps you feel confident in the choices you make (less buyers remorse, and more style success).
NOW let's get into the second part and tie this all together.
The second part of a style goal is the visual/feeling part (this is where your heart comes in, we get out of your head and into who you really are).
This is where I have clients create a Pinterest board that is going to be used to inform the visual aspect of their personal style - the vibe they want their clothes to give off, and how they want to feel in their clothes.
Having a visual board reminds you of what you actually want your personal style to really be, and helps you to align with it the best you can daily.
Some things to note before you dive into create what might be yet another vision board thinking it won't yield any results for you:
-This is not designed to be a manifestation board (even though it does this), this is designed to guide and inspire you every single time you get dressed, it's a way to interact with your highest self every day.
-You don’t need to know your personal style yet so don't limit yourself while you are looking for things to pin.
-Expand what you believe you're allowed to wear. What would you love to wear regardless of the rules, your size, and what others think?
-Any outfit that inspires you pin it. You don’t have to have their clothes or want to wear it all, just notice if you like something about it and if it gives you “good vibes”.
-Pin everything that you feel positively drawn to. Notice what feels good before you start analyzing if you can pull it off, when you start doing this you've crossed over into your mind, come back to being in your body and notice the way it physically feels as you look through different outfits.
-Use my example boards for reference, or any of my boards for inspiration if you don't know what to search (I will include Pinterest tips at the bottom of this post).
-This is where the heart of it comes in, all you’re doing is noticing what naturally draws you in. It’s like listening to music, you don’t think about it you just notice how it makes you feel and if it feels good to you or not. This is exactly how you're going to know if it's your authentic personal style or not.
Once you’ve created your style vision board you’ll pull words that are your favourite descriptors BUT what is different is that instead of using words like boho chic, coastal grandmother, old money, minimalist, or cottage core, you are going to use emotions to describe your style aesthetic
List out all the emotions and feelings that come up for you when you look at your vision board, and pick your top 3-5 for easy memory. You'll notice each example board has 3 words that describe the mood, vibe, or feeling of the style. Mine for example is Feminine, Warm, and Rich. I want to feel, and I want my clothes to make me feel, feminine, warm, and rich. I also want this to be the vibe my clothes give off because it is the inner expression of who I am, and my clothes are my greatest tool to amplify this and drawn all the beautiful amazing things that match that.
The reason you are choosing emotions for words is because this is all about how you want to feel in your clothes, the way you want your clothes to make you feel, and the vibe you want to give off.
If you pick words like Parisian, old money, or even something like minimalist or casual chic, it can feel more complicated and overwhelming to try to figure out.
I notice a lot of us start feeling a pressure to get it “right” instead of focusing on feeling confident and like ourselves in our clothes, which is what causes us to get caught in a loop of feeling like we have nothing to wear, because nothing aligns, and it's also what causes us to feel like personal style is shallow.
With emotions you know how you feel about something and if it aligns with what you want, it creates an intrinsic knowing that comes easily because you either feel it or you don’t. You don’t have to guess if something is old money enough or not, or boho-chic or not.
Put the 2 parts together to have an easy to remember goal!
My full goal is : I wear clothes that, I love, fit me well, and are aligned with my style vision. My personal style is feminine, warm, and rich.
Your will be your 3 non-negotiables + your 3-5 words.
Use this goal for picking outfits, cleaning out your closet, and shopping. It will guide you through anything when it comes to clothes and embodying who you are in them.
Bonus put the board up in your closet and on your phone with your written goal and use it to inspire your outfits and re-align you with what really matters to you whenever you need it.
Lastly, here are some tips to utilize Pinterest better as a helpful tool for creating your personal style:
-Break down outfits by parts not specifics - instead of pink floral skirt with cream knit sweater start seeing general pieces so that you can try and re-create outfits with what you have - so any maxi skirt and any sweater you think you’d like to wear together based on your style goal.
-This is also really great for getting ideas on how to wear something you already own differently.
-Whenever I’m stuck on how to style something new or something in a new way I just type into Pinterest the item followed by “outfit ideas” and use tip one to create an outfit with what I have.
-Use Pinterest as it’s intended (SEO) so if you know you like wide leg pants type in the search wide leg pants + outfits + plus size or what ever descriptor you want “feminine” “warm” “rich” it could be your age “30’s”, etc. Search for terms that either describe you or how you want to feel in your clothes.
-Look / search for all different kinds of styles / women (you can use my boards too) but this teaches the Pinterest algorithm to show you more than just one way of looking or one kind of dominant style that’s trending.
As always if you want to accomplish creating your dream personal style that attracts the life you really want sign up for a free consult call with me here.
Love & Trust Yourself