We talked about describing our current style, and the styles we aspire to achieve earlier this week. We also described what our styles are NOT. Some found the exercises fun and easy, while others found them a little hard and tedious. You are all in good company because my clients, who do these exercises when we work together, span the same spectrum of feelings. 

Here is another easy and extremely useful introspective exercise to do at the start of a style renewal or style refresher. Identify and analyze your favourite outfits. Whether there are two outfits or 30 outfits doesn’t matter. These are the outfits that you wear quite often, and that make you feel fabulous. Even as you are reading this, I know that many of you have these outfits flashing in front of you. You know what they are!

Think about why you like these outfits. Why do they make you feel fabulous? Then think about what they share, if anything. Are there common vibes, silhouettes, fabrics, textures, design details and colours? Jot down what comes to mind and use single word adjectives where applicable. 

When I run through this exercise with my clients I’m always struck by how their style preferences jump out at us with the visual aid of the outfits. We are able to isolate aspects of the styles and combinations that really work, and build onto the emerging themes.The outfits also become an effective benchmark and starting point for the next leg of their style journey.

This exercise is most effective if you get these outfits from your wardrobe and lay them in front of you as you think about what makes them your favourites. You might even like to photograph the outfits for easy reference and a collective visual effect. But even if you only do a quick mental analysis, it’s a worthwhile process because it is grounded in your real feelings about your clothes, rather than an intellectual point of view. 

If you like, give it a quick bash right now. What were the first outfits to come to mind when you read this post?