If you’re like me just a couple years ago, you know when you like an individual item, but you have a hard time knowing what your overall “style” is.

Over the past couple years, I’ve learned a lot more about what makes my style “my style,” and the steps I took to figure it out are actually pretty simple.

1. Create a collection.

A Pinterest board is perfect for this, but it doesn’t have to be a Pinterest board.  The idea is to collect pieces you love, without worrying at this point about why you like them.  Don’t judge your choices.  Don’t censor them because of practicality.  Just gather.

You can make this as specific or non-specific as you like.  I have a few, myself.  I have one that’s just about colors.  And one that’s for non-clothing.  And one for clothes.  But I would suggest that to start with you don’t divvy it up too much.  Either do just wearables, or do everything, but don’t nitpick it.

One specific note: I don’t censor for modesty on these boards, either.  There are things I love, even though I wouldn’t wear them.  It’s still useful to see them on this board, because of step #2…

2. Begin to note common threads.

Once you have a reasonable-sized collection, you’ll start to see common threads.  Not every piece will have every element, but there will be certain elements that stand out.  The key is to leave the analysis until this stage!  If you try to analyze when you’re adding things to the collection, you won’t end up with a true representation of what you like.

But at this point, analyzing is a good thing.

• Are there certain colors, or types of colors, that pop up again and again?
• Or do you prefer certain color schemes?  (monochromatic, neutrals, high-contrast, complementary…?)
• What lines do you see repeated?
• Is there a certain sort of fabrication that stands out?
• Are there particular embellishments or themes?  Or perhaps there is a notable lack of embellishments?
• What shapes do you see?

For example, I’ve noticed for myself that I love vivid color – but it has to be used in very particular ways or it gets to feeling too “cluttered” for me.  I prefer monochromatic or analogous color schemes, or else a full rainbow effect (which I guess is a variation on an analogous color scheme, in a manner of speaking).  The other color “option” I like is a pop of a single very vivid color in contrast to an otherwise-neutral piece.

I like fairly sleek, simple lines in my clothing – but I prefer for them to have one little bit of “something” that makes them stand out.  This might be an asymmetrical hem, an unusual neckline, or a quirky embellishment.  Something that elevates them above “boring.”  Elongated is good, too.

I like “organic” lines: swirls and clothing cut so that it’s just gently curved instead of perfectly straight.

When I choose prints, they usually convey a sense of “texture” rather than images.  Otherwise, I tend to stick with solids – but I still love actual textures to these solids.

These patterns were difficult for me to see before I had everything all in one place, because they show up in different ways.  But once I had clothing gathered all on a single board, I could see them much more clearly.

(If you really have trouble seeing any common threads, ask someone else to look at the board and tell you what they see.)

3. Rinse & repeat.

To begin with, this will be a one-time thing.  You will have not done it, and then you will have compiled a board and analyzed it.  But don’t leave it at that.  Keep it going, and you’ll refine your understanding.  Keep gathering things, keep looking at the collection, and keep paying attention to what you see.

Once you’ve been at this for a while, you might want to separate your boards.  (That’s why I now have a board specifically for colors.  I also peeled off some of the items from my style board and moved them onto another board, because they were just right exactly as they are.  But I didn’t have these distinctions in the beginning.)

Collecting images of things that aren’t wearables can be telling, too.  Even the flowers I prefer – for the most part – are simple but unusual and/or textured.

Have you tried this?  How did it work for you?