Step 1: Style Personality

First impressions - whether we like it or not - are very important in both work and social situations. How often  have you looked at someone when you first met them and thought: "She looks very confident." or maybe "He seems a bit sloppy."? Come on, be honest!  Of course once you get to know someone really well you may change your mind, but wouldn't it be helpful if the way someone dressed totally expressed their personality?

The first step of Imogen Lamport's 7 Steps to Style system will help you to identify your style personality, which in her system can be a combination of styles and not simply the usual Classic, Dramatic, Romantic and other categories.

Growing up I was very much a tomboy, so when I did the House of Colour style assessment in January last year I wasn't surprised to be told I'm a Natural Gamine. The 7 Steps to Style system has 7 personality types: classic, relaxed, dramatic, creative, rebellious, feminine and elegant chic, but the permutations are endless. I wasn't too surprised to score highly for relaxed followed by elegant chic (I try to be chic even if I don't always succeed!), as that is close to Natural Gamine, however both classic and feminine came next, and I didn't expect that.  It goes to prove that many of us are much more complicated than we realise and it's why one style personality is unlikely to suit everyone.

The above styles are very close to the type of clothes residing in my wardrobe, so the assessment by my House of Colour stylist Fiona was pretty accurate. However it didn't necessarily cover the other elements of my style personality, which I have discovered while doing Imogen's course.

My original style recipe, which I concocted with the help  of others in the 7 Steps to Style facebook group, was "Casual Chic with a dash of Colour and Drama". As with all recipes, it's sometimes good to add other ingredients or swap some for those that suit your taste better. I've decided that I'd like to add some elegance to my wardrobe or be even more ambitious and change my style to "Parisian Casual Chic with a dash  of Colour and Femininity". I  know that colour is very important to me and I will cover that in another post.

If you are unable to invest in the 7 Steps to Style system, you can of course try to define your style personality on your own. There are numerous on-line style personality quizzes, though most are limited in what they can tell you. You may prefer to create a Pinterest board of styles that you love and that you feel would suit you, then analyse them to see if you can come up with your unique style recipe. Look in your wardrobe to find which of your clothes make you feel happy, and decide what elements they have in common.  In my case, not surprisingly, colour is an important element. Once you have a good idea of your own style personality, you can use it as one of the criteria when buying new clothes and accessories. Remember though that this is only step one - there are six more to come!