Frugal Fashion Series: How To Define Your Personal Style

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How many times have you been asked to describe your style and started with "Uhm...." Then fumbled and came up with "Trendy", "Casual" or something similar?

We've all been there and seeing as the question, "How would you describe your personal style?" is fast becoming a really popular question, you really need to figure it out.

"But what does this have to do with being a #frugalista and working with your (limited) budget?" You might be wondering. This article is geared towards two things:

1. Helping you understand how your knowledge of your personal style greatly affects your budget.

2. Giving you an easy method of actually knowing and defining your personal style.

So how does knowing one's style come into play?

Put simply, knowing what you like helps you choose well, there by helping you spend less.

Not convinced?

Think of all the clothing articles you ever bought (probably because you thought you were getting a good deal) but never wore because you realized (a little too late) that you really didn't like them. You probably ended up giving them out.

Now, think of the money you could have spent instead on clothes that you actually like.

Knowing your style helps you know what specific clothing items to invest in rather than just buying clothes randomly.

So this begs the question... How do you know your personal style?

Let me tell you the truth. No one has one particular style. Even people with a generally casual style dress up once in a while. You probably fit into two or more fashion styles. The fact is, most times, our style varies based on occasion.

The key is to just know what you like, then find adjectives to describe those things you like.

Knowing what you like is not as easy as one might think.

So here's what you do: Get a piece of paper and write down things you like. Do this randomly, don't overthink it. Done?

Now, find adjectives that rightly describe a group of things you like.

For example, I have noticed I love earthy tones, sandals, florals, bulky natural jewellry and flowing maxis. The simple adjective here is "Bohemian".

But like I said, not a lot of people fit into one style and I'm one of them. I also like shirts, skater skirts and clothing items similar to the typical high school uniform. The right adjective here is "Preppy".

So if I were to describe my style for instance, I'd say "Preppy Bohemian" (my style isn't just preppy bohemian but we'll go with it in this case).

"Trendy" is an okay description but it's way too vague. An apt description is probably a combination of two or more styles since people usually fit into more than one.

Funky, Punk, Afro, Vintage, Retro, Classic, Bohemian, Preppy, edgy, urban, sporty, glamourous, corporate, Goth, victorian, lolita, laid-back, business-casual, the adjectives are endless.

In conclusion, being able to describe your style would in turn help you define your style which will help you choose well when you go frugal shopping.

N.B: There are so many styles in the world and I'd think it'd be fun to learn about them in an upcoming "Know your style series". Excited?

Now that we know what we like, on to the next step: Finding things we like that are cheap in price but expensive in quality.

The next post in this series would be covering Thrift Shopping (tips & tricks) which is the perfect marriage of our efficient definition of quality.

Let me know if you have any specific questions on the Frugal Fashion Series in the comments section or shoot me an email (ijennamirabelosuji@gmail.com).

Picture credit: All items in the collage can be found on Jumia.com

How would do you describe your personal style?

YOUR THOUGHTS?

Leave a link, let me know in the comments, I'd love to hear from you!

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