I'm a fan of the 3 Style Word Method - an approach to guiding your style credited to Allison Bornstein, a New York-based stylist. I've found it to be a useful method when clients are struggling with their style - be that one they're currently wearing or one they're aspiring to. It's also something I've suggested trying in my free Style Guide as a way of curating a wardrobe of clothes you actually wear, which reflect your personality and lifestyle and ensures your future purchases are solid ones. However, what if you're struggling to choose your 3 style words? Following a recent conversation, I thought it would be useful to provide you with some tips and inspiration to help you discover those 3 style words which most resonate with you.
A few things before we start:
There's no right or wrong with this - your 3 words are personal to you. You may easily see different words to the ones I've chosen under the I've examples I've included here - that's ok!
As I've said before you might find you have a slight difference in your words for your work life and your home/social life. That's perfectly ok, you might have to reflect different sides of your personality in various roles of your life. However, I would suggest they should not be 3 completely different words for each (i.e. 6 words) - there is probably some similarity between your 2 personas and so some of your words should reflect this. To begin with choose just one area of your life and focus on those 3 style words.
These can change! It can be a work in progress - as you become more comfortable with this method you might discover new words which are more reflective of you. That's brillant. Change your word(s) and see if it feels a better fit. Similarly your style may change following various events in your life - it can be useful to review your style words every now and again.
In case you're wondering why 3 words, it is thought 1 word is too restrictive and more than 3 could lead to overwhelm. So, 3 style words should be just enough to help you on your way.
With those tips in mind, let's get started in helping you to discover your 3 style words.
Have a look in your wardrobe, or at photos on your phone and pick a few outfits (the more the better) which you've worn recently and felt great in. You were comfortable, confident and the clothes felt right. Now examine those outfits and consider what is the theme. There will be a common theme with these outfits, you just need to discover it! If you're struggling with it, why not show a friend - an independent eye can be useful for this task.
2. Where do you want to get to?
Whose style do you aspire to? What is it you're trying to achieve? This is where it can be really useful to have a moodboard (e.g. on Pinterest or a folder of photos on your phone) for you to draw inspiration from. Is it that you love an influencer on social media and her minimalist, effortless style? Or it could be a celeb and you are always drawn to their boho, flowy looks. Have a think or, even better, create a moodboard with the style you would like to get to. Next, you've guessed it, come up with an adjective to describe the overriding feel of these looks.
3. Need more help and prompts?
If you're feeling stuck with what "counts" as style words, I've created a table below with some ideas for you. Needless to say this is not an exhaustive list. But it might provide some inspiration for you to get started.
4. Eliminate similar words
As you are honing in on your style words it can be useful to eliminate words which are on a similar vein - e.g. 80s and colourful, minimal and neutral, glamourous and polished. So that your 3 words and working their hardest for you (and to allow you to pick another which is also reflective of you, your personality and lifestyle) I would suggest choosing one which is most applicable and relevant to you if you think 2 of your words are similar.
I hope this has been helpful in guiding you towards discovering your 3 style words. It can be a really useful approach to ensuring your outfits feel right to you and also that future purchases provide you with value. You want anything that is being added to your wardrobe to deserve it's place in your wardrobe and so it should be a good fit with the rest of your clothes. By nailing down your 3 style words this can be a great step in the right direction.
Why not play 3 Style Word game when you're out and about? When you next see someone who looks put together or like they've got their style game sorted have a think about how you could describe their style in 3 words. It can be fun to hone the skill of describing a look.
Remember, you will see different things to other people - for instance you might see a person who personifies "edgy" but a friend might describe that as "tomboy". It goes without saying, this doesn't matter - we've all had different experiences so will have different interpretations of these adjectives.
Lastly, if you've not already signed up to my free 8 Step Style Guide, here's a link to get you started. Just pop in your email address and the first step will be pinged to your inbox.
Until next time,
Lou x
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