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Your personal style is like a garden. It must be tended to, cared for, nurtured. So says celebrity stylist Tan France, who’s made millions of Americans teary-eyed by transforming everyday folks into confident, stylish versions of themselves on the Emmy-winning Queer Eye TV series.
That garden requires regular check-ins. And what better time to assess yourself and your wardrobe than fall, a season that allows dimensions, layers and textures that often go by the wayside during hot summer days when the goal is simply staying cool.
The decision is yours. Are you ready to ask yourself, “Am I in a style rut?” Spoiler alert! Honest reflection is required.
“Yes, it may feel good, what you're wearing right now, but, you know, you've worn it for the last 17 years, and you really need to pick it up,” says France in an online “MasterClass” session. “If you know that you've hit a point in your life where you've become a little complacent, your style's stuck in a rut, buy something you wouldn't ordinarily buy and at least try it.”
But where to start? Here’s advice from five fashion pros with more than a century of experience between them.
Recruit a Shopping Buddy
“We are creatures of habit, choosing the same styles, the same colors over and over again,” says Gretchen Bell, a professional wardrobe stylist in Seattle who works with everyday clients as well as commercial powerhouses like Puma, Nordstrom and Levi’s.
“When we step outside of our box, we often find we look great in something we would never expect. That’s why it’s a good idea to have a friend or a personal stylist or a salesperson pick out items for you to try,” she says.
“I have a rule when shopping with people that they have to try on at least three items they dislike and typically would never consider,” she adds. “My clients are always shocked when they find things they love that they never would have picked out themselves.”
Take Note
“If you want to change up your style, one of the easiest ways to do it is to look at people whose style you like,” says Los Angeles-based stylist Karla Welch, whose clients include A-list musicians, actresses and politicians. “Look at what they're wearing and think about how you can incorporate that into your wardrobe.”
Find looks you love on TV shows and in social media posts, tear pictures out of magazines and use all those snapshots to create your own mood board. (For the uninitiated, a mood board is a collection of images, materials, pieces of text and objects that evoke a particular look you find inspiring.)
You also can make notes in a journal about the clothes, colors and styling you see on the street or in stores and want to try. “Write it down. Say, ‘Oh, wow, I loved that color combination of red and purple. I would never have thought of it or chartreuse and navy blue'," Welch says during an online “MasterClass” episode. “Just give yourself all these little clues and visuals of what you see out in the world and start remembering them.”
Start Small: Accessories
Adding or repurposing a few choice accessories is a quick fix I rely on to dispel that “same old, same old” feeling of a fashion rut. For fall, that could mean adding a stack of bangles or a couple of wide bracelets to your wrist or borrowing a menswear tie from your partner or son. What may be too boring (standard stripes in standard colors) or too showy (like that “cute” graphic print) for them may be just right for you.
Don’t limit yourself to using items in traditional ways. That rep stripe tie can belt your favorite jeans or a pair of pants peeking out from under a glen plaid blazer. Ditto for a scarf you usually knot at your neck or over your hair — another ideal belt. A pullover sweater can act as a scarf when you tie it around the shoulders of a trench coat or a denim jacket. I’ve even turned oversized earrings into pendant necklaces. The trick is to imagine new possibilities for old wardrobe friends.
Go Big: Experiment with Color
“The biggest mistake I see people make with color is that they don't incorporate it enough,” says France in a “MasterClass” on that very topic. “The way you find your color is by experimenting with color. Experiment in the fitting room. Experiment before you purchase. Try on as many colors as possible and see what really feels like you. For example, if you know you've always liked blue, try different shades of blue. If you always wear yellow, find different shades within that family — more yellows, dark yellows, oranges. There are other options for you. You may not have considered them.”
Color wheels are handy tools for expanding your color comfort level. Find one online to help you identify the colors you usually wear, then look on either side of that shade for a variation to experiment with.
“So if you think, well, I already like blue, the next color along on that color wheel will also work for you,” says France. “You'll have to find the right shade that works for you. Maybe it's not super bright. It may be a muted version of it. But that is the easiest way to see what color you can move on to next that's not going to be jarring for you.”
Challenge Accepted
“I do love a challenge,” confesses British-based stylist Suzanne Delahunty. “I once challenged myself to wear sweatpants to the office and out to dinner. It’s revelatory what you can achieve if you really put your mind to it.”
Issuing your personalized style challenge is among the eight ways Delahunty recommends for escaping a style rut. (You can read more on her blog here.) “Challenge yourself to not wear black for an entire week,” she writes. “Or challenge yourself to create entire outfits consisting of shades of just one color. Challenge yourself to go into your wardrobe and create three new looks that you’ve never worn before.”
These are challenges well-suited to fall, when you can layer pieces in creative ways to achieve fresh, new looks. Just check your mood board for inspiration and some shopping blogs for trend spotting. Before you know it, you’ll be out of your rut and forging ahead on your style journey.
What's YOUR favorite thing to wear in the fall? Jeans? Big sweaters? Boots? Let us know in the comments below.
Elena Lacey
Follow Article Topics: Fashion
