How to overhaul your personal style in 7 simple steps

Alexandra Breen

Instagram/thestylescout

Having spent years as a top editor at fashion bibles including Elle US, Style.com and Glamour, Alia Ahmed-Yahia is an in-demand style expert with a website, The StyleScout.com, devoted to helping women identify, interpret and apply the latest trends to their daily lives.

We know it can be easy to lose yourself in the constantly-changing world of fast fashion and lose sense of what your style is. Luckily, Ahmed-Yahia is here to help you uncover (or rediscover!) your personal style in 7 steps.

1. Do a Mood Board

Think of yourself as a brand. Tear things out of magazines that you have a positive gut reaction to. Divide the items up into sections: Clothing/outfits you like, Lifestyle (home decor, interiors, entertaining) and Beauty (Hair, makeup, etc). Note: Don’t put any judgement on your picks, you don’t need to know why you like certain things.

2. Edit it down

Look through all of the items that you pulled and identify common themes. For example, did you pull a lot of things in neutral colours? Do you see a lot of dramatic silhouettes, necklines?

Instagram/thestylescout

3. Ask questions

Figure out what works best for you in terms of the image you want to project. For example, if you are someone who wants to have a sexy vibe to your look, you’re going to gravitate towards tighter clothes. Think about a variety of occasions too. Find examples of how you want to look at: work (whether that’s a corporate meeting or school drop off with the kids), a formal event (black-tie wedding, etc.), off-duty (weekend), brunch with friends, a date and going on vacation.

4. Experiment

Go to a department store with lots of selection and price points and try things on. This is an experiment with shape and silhouette. Forget about what you like, try on everything (think: different jean cuts, skirt shapes and lengths, etc). And take pictures.

5. Analyze

Write out silhouettes that work for you based on pictures (you can have a friend weigh in too).

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6. Re-edit

Re-edit your mood board based on what you discovered about the shapes that work/don’t work for you.

7. Take stock

Take a look at your wardrobe and identify any holes that you may have (based on the notion of having at least one perfect outfit for all of the occasions listed above). That will become your shopping list.

And remember: Don’t follow every trend. The most important thing is to find what you’re comfortable in and what looks good on you. If you look at most celebrities, they have a uniform. They don’t follow trends. Even if eclectic bohemian dresses are in style, Victoria Beckham is always wearing a slim sheath dress. Jennifer Aniston is always wearing a basic T-shirt, tailored blazer and slim jeans. That’s her look, she doesn’t deviate.

Note: If you have baby or your body changes, re-visit this process again.

What do you think about this advice? Let us know by tweeting @YahooStyleCA.