How to Find Your Style for 2025 (12 methods to choose from)
Whether you constantly chase new trends, feel like you have zero fashion sense, or have been stuck in a "comfort zone" style rut for a looooong, long time - there's never been a better time to find your unique style.
I don't think people believe me when I say that the right clothes can change your life.
As an ADHD & minimalism blogger, one of the main reasons I started to encourage people to find their style is because clothes often make up a large portion of the clutter and chaos in messy homes (...yet most of us only wear a tiny percentage of the clothes that we own - make it make sense?!)
But the truth is that it's so much bigger than that!
Having your own authentic core style is timeless, so you'll no longer feel obliged to keep up with the latest trends or spend a fortune on clothes that you never wear.
Being more intentional about our style can reduce mess, save money, cut down on decision fatigue, help the planet, and boost our confidence.
Read on to find out how...
My approach to finding your own sense of style
I have a three-pronged approach to helping people find their style:
Be kind to yourself - we can't truly shine if we're internally beating ourselves up. I firmly believe that EVERYbody is beautiful - especially when dressed in an authentic personal style blend that lights them up.
YOU are the expert on your style - no matter what style experts say, there's no right or wrong way to dress or find your personal fashion style. You're the only one who can decide what clothes make you feel great. So use any of these methods that you'd like, but keep your agency and trust your gut at the end of the day. You've got this!
Don't pigeonhole yourself into ONE particular style - We don't want to cosplay as a stereotype of a style, so I find that the best way to create an authentic signature look is to blend three fashion styles (…sometimes two, sometimes four, but three is usually the right balance for most people). This style system is wildly unique as there are nearly 30,000 possible style blends!
So the bad news is that you don't have to find one signature style …you have to find three!
But the GOOD news is that I've rounded up all of the easiest ways for you!
12 Ways to Find Your Style
There are several different ways to find your style, so choose one method (…or several) from this list:
1) Take the style quiz
If you want to find your style - fast - the first thing I always recommend is to take a style quiz.
Unfortunately, most style quizzes I've taken are either ridiculously vague or confusingly restrictive.
So I created my own - just answer 5 questions to be given your percentage match with 57 different fashion styles.
Top tip: I recommend exploring any suggested styles that have a 100% or 80% match. You can download this style worksheet to keep track:
This style quiz is the quickest & most effective way I've seen to accurately narrow down your preferred styles:
2) Try a random-style generator
Some of us are natural editors - as in we need to hear some ideas, and then tweak them.
If that sounds like you, a random style generator is a great way to see what style combinations either appeal or completely repel you:
3) List of 57 fashion styles
If you’re more of a researcher, you'll probably prefer to read through all the 57 styles.
In this list, I include a breakdown of each style, as well as style icons and resources where relevant.
Top tip - one of the biggest mistakes people make when choosing a new style blend is overlooking how much effort they can realistically put into their look. To help you make an informed and sustainable decision, styles that may require extra effort are highlighted.
4) Pick styles based on your preferences
Sometimes it’s tricky to pinpoint our ideal look down to a specific style.
It’s not a case of not knowing what you like - it’s more an issue of not being able to give it a specific label.
You can take the guesswork out of finding your style by taking a step back, and working out what types of aesthetics you like.
To help you narrow down your core style I’ve broken down the 57 fashion styles into “best for” lists based on personal preferences & circumstances:
5) Use these Pinterest boards
It's one thing to read about a good style, but for us visual learners, we really need to see it.
I hated having to pick one stock photo for each style - it seemed so flat and lifeless
…How was one photo supposed to summarize an entire style?!
It inspired a pet project (brought to you by our sponsor - ADHD hyperfixation), which has since grown into one of my most popular resources - The fashion styles Pinterest board.
Each of the 57 styles has its own section with 200-700+ reference images, to really capture the variety and richness.
If you're a visual learner, the Pinterest style board will be the best place for you to find your style.
Top tip - create a new Pinterest board for your own personal style, then go through the board section for each of your three styles. Pin any images that resonate with you to your new board. The end result will be a mood board of your own unique styles blended together.
6) See personal style examples
If you can’t imagine what three styles would look like blended together, you’ll love these example style blends & lookbooks:
7) Assess your current style
One way to find your ideal style is to assess what you do & don't like about your current wardrobe.
Here are two suggestions for how to assess your current style:
1) Try on every piece of clothing in your current wardrobe and ask yourself these questions:
What do you like about it?
What don't you like about it?
Would you buy it again?
Are you excited to put it on?
What sort of person do you feel like when you wear it?
Does the color suit you?
Is it comfortable?
What do you like to wear it with?
Top tip - Make a note of common themes to help summarize your preferences. I split the page into two, with likes & dislikes on each side.
2) If you'd like some extra guidance assessing your current wardrobe, I created the Happy Wardrobe Workbook.
It's a fun 4-week style journal that will help you make sense of your clothing choices and how they make you feel.
You log your outfits for 4 weeks, complete weekly reviews, and then use your newfound style knowledge to create an 8-page style blueprint that you can use to curate your closet for years to come.
8) Get inspired by style icons
Borrowing style inspiration from others is highly recommended when it comes to finding your personal look.
Your personal style icon could one of your be favorite celebrities, a Hollywood legend, an influencer, cutouts from fashion magazines, or even someone you know.
Style inspiration is everywhere - just ask yourself who the most stylish women you can think of are.
One of my favorite places to hang out when I still lived in England was Waterloo train station - because of all the prime-time people watching.
I loved seeing all the different styles ranging from city bankers to underground punks.
Top tip: Follow people who look like you on social media. Seeing big and beautiful bodies confidently rocking styles did more for my self-esteem than affirmations could ever do. Bonus - don't hesitate to block or hide anyone in your feed that doesn't make you feel good about yourself - for whatever reason.
9) Get help
Whether you go all out and hire an image consultant or get together with friends - getting help from others is a great way to find your true style!
Just be sure to remain true to your authentic selves and not get swept up in other people’s opinions.
10) Look back
I think there's something so powerful about using our styles from the past as a starting point for our ideal style blend - especially our teenage years!
Think about your styles over the years and consider if there are any themes that you like to hold on to, or resurrect.
11) Look forward
"Dress for the job you want"
"Fake it until you make it"
…These popular sayings do have a grain of truth to them.
Changing how you dress can have a powerful impact on how you feel on the inside and how you act on the outside.
I will always advocate for dressing as close to your true authentic self as possible - but if it serves you - consider dressing for the person you want to be in the future.
12) Dress for your body type
After years of toxic diet culture and self-inflicted body shaming, I’m personally trying to move away from dressing in a “flattering” way.
My goal nowadays is to love my body unconditionally and not focus on making it look smaller.
As such, I don’t have any resources for you about dressing to highlight your best features, but here are my favorite guides from around the web:
Traditional body shapes: The most common body types - apple, pear, etc - probably sound familiar to you.
Kibbe body type system: This system stems from David Kibbe’s (now out of print) book in the 1980s, Metamorphosis.
Next Steps & helpful tips
There you have it, the best 12 methods to find your style!
But there are more goodies for you…
If you’re feeling confident about building your style blend, I’ve got some suggestions for leveling up your wardrobe even more!
And if your style blend is still a work in progress, there are some helpful tips for you.
1) Keep things simple
Just because you love it, doesn't mean you have to wear it!
Trying to combine too many styles will result in a confused & chaotic look, so even if you love several styles, try to narrow it down to your three favourite ones.
If that sounds too restrictive, try this - pick a style or two to use sparingly - on the side.
For instance, Lydia (you can see her personal style blend here) adds more androgynous elements to her look when she wants to feel more badass.
2) Create a second (style) brain
Creating a second brain is a popular strategy for those of us with ADHD.
It’s the practice of keeping information outside your head, so you don't have to spend precious energy trying to remember everything.
When it comes to your style, a second brain could look like:
A post-it note with your style blend on the inside door of your closet
A photo album on your phone with mirror selfies of outfits you like
A note on your phone of likes and dislikes to help you decide what to buy when you're shopping for new clothes
There’s a fantastic 8-page fill-in-the-blanks style blueprint in the Happy Wardrobe Workbook that’s amazing for designing your unique look
3) Signature pieces
I tend to hyper-focus on my style in fits and bursts.
During those times I have a crystal-clear understanding of what I do and don't want to wear.
But soon after my "clear style vision" gets a little foggy and confusing.
The style blend theory is intended to help you - not confuse you - so to avoid style creep, I recommend you specify key pieces and accessories for each style.
Think of it as a style profile that highlights what kind of clothes represent each of the three styles for you.
It will help you discover new combinations & visualize how the styles can be blended in real life.
4) Pick a color/pattern palette
Once you understand of your unique blend of different styles, it's time to hone your closet even further by identifying a color and pattern palette.
Whether you're drawn to bright colors, clashing patterns, or more neutral tones - a color scheme can be a common thread to link your three styles, make shopping easier, and give you a more cohesive look.
Top tip - if you're struggling to pick your three styles, try skipping ahead to this step. Some people find it easier to find their style AFTER they have a color & pattern palette in mind.
5) Consider a personal uniform
Now that you’re being intentional about your wardrobe, it might be a good time to consider a personal uniform.
Instead of spending time and energy considering an infinite amount of clothing combinations every day, a personal uniform helps reduce decision fatigue and analysis paralysis by narrowing down your options.
It’s a carefully selected, pre-determined outfit formula (there are 6 levels to choose from) that makes you feel comfortable, confident, and authentically you.
You can have different outfit formulas for different areas of your life, for example:
Work outfit formula
Going out outfit formula
Free time outfit formula
School outfit formula, etc.
6) Dress for joy
As the saying goes, "dress for success," …but what about dressing for happiness?
What we wear can have a significant impact on our mood, our day, and our overall sense of well-being.
Dopamine dressing is the act of prioritising your happiness when deciding what to wear.
You can learn more about happy hacking your wardrobe here:
7) Style blends for different areas of your life
Very few of us dress the same in every area of our lives, so you can tweak your style blend to adjust as needed.
There will probably be some overlap of styles throughout, but with small tweaks to make your personal look work for each part of your life.
For instance, you may be Goth - Romantic - 90s at the weekend, Fun - geek chic - 90s at work, and Racy - goth - 90s on nights out.
8) Methods to minimize your wardrobe
Now that you’ve identified your personal style and your ideal color palette, it will be much easier to let go of items that you no longer need.
Here are some options for you:
1) If you want to ensure you have everything you need, focus on what to keep by creating a capsule wardrobe list:
2) If you want to get rid of everything that’s not aligned with who you are now, focus on what to let go of:
9) Old & New pieces
Just because you've discovered your unique style blend, it doesn't mean that you have to rush out and buy new things to replace every item in your wardrobe.
With clothing items filling up landfills at alarming rates, try to be responsible & intentional wherever possible when sourcing new pieces and letting go of old items.
This guide will help you decide what to do with clothes you no longer want
For new pieces, some people find it helpful to go on a research window shopping trip - you can gauge how your new style blend feels in the dressing room and make any tweaks as necessary
Thrifted items can be a cheap and cheerful way to "try on" new-to-you styles.
Depending on where you're based, you may be able to find some great pieces at your local flea market.
Alternatively, you could also rent clothing items - so you can live in a style before committing to it.
A great way to incorporate trendy styles without straying too far from your core look is by adding trending accessories.
This intentional shopping checklist will help you decide what to buy and what to skip next time you're shopping.
Top tip: searching online is a great way to find specific second-hand items
10) Your style evolves
If you follow these exercises to identify your unique style blend, it will stand the test of time longer than alternatives - however - it's completely natural for our style to evolve as we walk through different seasons of life.
So the final step of finding your style personality is to be intentional about reviewing your style regularly, and making tweaks whenever you're feeling disconnected from your style blend.
Conclusion
There you go my lovely!
My goal was to provide clear, tangible steps so you don’t get to this point still wondering …b…but how DO I find my style?!
If I’ve done my job right, you'll be feeling confident & excited about your personal style journey after reading these suggestions & ideas.
I'd love to hear how you get on with identifying your clothing style blend, so feel free to add your thoughts or ask any questions in the comments below! 💚
If you want to see all of my intentional wardrobe articles in one spot - you can find them all here
