How to Find Your Style Icons the Right Way (You Probably Haven't Thought About These Things)

Ah yes, the struggle to find that ever-elusive sense of personal style. We meet again my friend. One really great way to start to sort out your personal style is to find people who you can take inspiration from as you play with what you like. Personally, I think if done right it's more helpful than trying to fit into a certain style box by taking a quiz to see if you're more preppy or romantic. When you have a list of your style icons you'll have a pretty good idea of where your ideal style falls on that spectrum, but you'll also understand the nuance beyond what any quiz could tell you. So your preppy doesn't have to look like it came straight out of the handbook. That's the part that makes it style - it requires it to be more personal than that.

Making a List of Your Style Icons

This may seem simple, but in order for it to work there needs to be a bit of thought behind it or you'll be left with a list of people who have really great style that just isn't for you for whatever reason.

Who is a style icon? A singer, an actor, a character in a TV show, or even someone you know in real life. The key is to be able to spot a pattern in how they dress (if you don't know what I'm talking about, read some of my articles for Evie, I do it all the time for the style icon series). I really love TV show characters for this because wardrobe directors do a really good job of trying to give a character a cohesive wardrobe that's recognizable, so it's easy to get a sense of the patterns I'm talking about if you're not used to spotting them.

It's Not Just If You Like Their Style

Another thing to keep in mind is that a style icon for you isn't just someone who's the style you like.

That piece is so important! I may love the way Zendaya dresses, but if I know that I would never be comfortable in the things she wears and that it doesn't really fit my personality it makes no sense for me to get wardrobe inspiration from her even though I love her style.

Consider Your Personality

Instead, you have to be able to see the style fitting with your personality in some way. What you're drawn to is probably it. You'll know instinctively if someone's style is great but just not for you.

Blair Waldorf, Rory Gilmore, Jackie Kennedy, and Rachel Parcell. Those are my main style icons. At first glance, they don't have a lot in common, but they make a lot of sense as my style icons.

Each of them shares elements of my personality and so I'm able to relate to them. This is important because if you can find that connection beyond what they're wearing chances are if you put on what they were wearing it would suit you because it molds with your personality just like it does with theirs.

It Helps If You Bear Some Resemblance

Another thing my main style icons have in common: brown hair and pale skin. Your style icon doesn't necessarily have to look like you, but it can definitely help you start to see yourself in the clothing. And if you're familiar with color seasons at all hair color and skin tone certainly aren't all that's involved and all these women might not be the same color season, but it can definitely help aid you in that department if it's something that you worry about.

Try to Incorporate Style Icons of Different Levels of Formality

Blair Waldorf and Jackie Kennedy tend to have mostly more formal styles to look at (although believe it or not Jackie actually wore pants much more often than Blair did). Whereas Rory wears the casual styles I can wear to school. And Rachel does both, along with sharing a lot of outfits that are somewhere in the middle.

If you only have fashion icons who are always in very formal looks that would be out of place in your day to day life it's not going to be very helpful. It can be helpful for going out, church, or other events you might have as inspiration, but since most of us don't have cause to be that dressed up all the time you need other options.

But this also swings in the opposite direction. You can't sit and pin only causal outfits, buy only casual clothing and expect to have outfits to wear when you do need to dress more formally. Incorporating both will help you achieve a wardrobe that has a cohesive style that takes you through everything in your life.

I hope that helped! Try going with your gut and writing down all the people you can think of and then using these criteria to try to narrow it down. Best of luck.