August 12, 2024

how to understand your personal style through outfit photos

Finding your personal style can be a process, but it’s an key part of your sustainable fashion journey. One of the most effective and fun ways to learn about your style is by taking photos of your outfits.

I took daily “fit pics” during a summer internship for fun and shared them on my Instagram stories. But after looking back on the photos, I ended up learning a lot about my closet and personal style. You can still see my internship outfits under the “work ‘fits” highlight on my Instagram!

By taking photos of what you wear over time, you can uncover patterns, preferences, and insights that help you zero in on your personal style. Although I now get more data about my closet through my closet audit spreadsheet and tracking what I wear, I still take photos of my outfits to look back on and learn from. Here are some things about your personal style that you can discover through outfit photos.

Spot Outfit Formulas

An outfit formula is a go-to combination of clothing items and accessories which can be referred to when creating an outfit. The easiest way to identify the outfit formulas you gravitate toward is by looking at the outfits you wear.

For example, when I first started documenting my outfits, I noticed that I wore jackets or an outer layer almost every day. More recently, I realized that my outfit choices vary depending on the length of the jacket. If you ever feel like you have “nothing to wear”, knowing your go-to outfit formulas can be incredibly helpful in making the best use of the clothes you already own. And when you are considering adding something new to your closet, knowing the types of items you wear often – and what you wear them with – can help you make informed purchase decisions.

find your color palette

A quick review of your outfit photos can reveal the colors you gravitate toward wearing. Identifying your closet color palette can help clarify your personal style and help you make smart decisions about adding items to your wardrobe.

From my own outfit photos, it’s clear that I wear a lot of blue, black, and white. My secondary color palette consists of pops of color that I wear in accessories or in summer clothing. While I love bold and colorful items, it’s clear through my photos that I rarely wear them. And when I do wear color, I gravitate toward more muted tones. These color palettes have been great reference points for me while shopping, especially when I’m tempted by colorful, bright, and loud items.

It may also become evident that your outfits don’t stick to a particular color palette, and that information is just as valuable and helpful when evaluating items in your closet or on your wishlist!

identify your wardrobe staples

Fashion magazines and brands love to tout importance of certain wardrobe “staples” like a crisp white button-down, a classic LBD, a trench coat, etc. But these lists and recommendations are often just pushing product sales.

What’s truly important is knowing what items are staples in your closet. I wear my closet staples almost every day – denim, ribbed basics, and sneakers with slimmer silhouettes. They are items I know I will get good wear out of in my closet and are items I feel confident investing in from more expensive sustainable and ethical brands.

identify outliers

Looking through old outfit photos can also help you identify outliers in your wardrobe – items that just don’t quite fit in with the rest of your outfits. You may notice a color that stands out amongst your color palette or a silhouette that doesn’t quite make mesh with what you normally wear.

There’s also a lot you can tell from your body language! I can tell if something doesn’t fit with my personal style based on how I pose in photos. Though I love midi- and maxi-length skirts and dresses, I can tell I’m uncomfortable wearing them in photos. I regularly pull up the hems to show more leg or create more shape instead of just wearing the items as they were intended to be worn.

Looking through a large group of outfit photos, identifying outliers, and then pinpointing what makes that outfit or item stand out negatively can help clarify your personal style.

make alterations

For the crafty folks out there, outfit photos can highlight items that need a little alteration to work better in your closet. Whether it’s dyeing a piece a different color, changing its length, or undergoing a bit of a sewing project, small changes can make a big difference.

With all the information I’ve learned from documenting my outfits and what I tend to wear, it was easy for me to see what alterations would allow me to get the most wear out of what’s in my closet. The black jacket was uncomfortably in-between the lengths of jackets I normally wear. Cropping it made the world of a difference. I dyed the tee shirt a darker, more muted hue. And I turned the colorful quilt jacket into a vest to serve as a pop of color instead of a statement piece. I now wear all these items far more often than before their alterations.

other ways to understand your personal style

There are lots of ways to understand your personal style and make the most of what’s in your closet. If taking photos isn’t your thing, here are some other recommendations:

Use a closet app like Acloset or Indyx to audit the items in your closet and get outfit recommendations.
Keep a closet audit or outfit tracking spreadsheet. Learn about how I do this & check out my templates and guides here.
Turn all of your hangers backwards in your closet. When you wear items, return hangers to the proper way. This will give you a quick look at what you’re actually wearing.

Whatever way you decide to document what you wear, there are many things to learn about your personal style. That knowledge will make it easier to build a sustainable wardrobe that works for you.

Make sure you check out my closet audit resources.