A sense of so-called "effortless style" has long been considered the toast of the fashion world — but "effortless" can be a misnomer when achieving consistently chic style seemingly requires constant wardrobe updates, and quite possibly an hour with a personal stylist or professional image consultant.
How, then, does the average fashion lover achieve their ideal style potential, without the aid of professional style experts or an endless clothing shopping budget?
Body shape, personal style preferences, and an eye for trendier items of the season all play a role in curating the seemingly effortless "je ne sais quoi" to a widely admired fashionista's look — but at the end of the day, it all comes down to the authentic expression of your best self. If you know yourself and your own personal image goals well enough, you can easily become your very own personal "style expert" — no professional image consultant necessary.
Read on for our tips on how to cultivate a sense of style that suits not only your body type or whatever's in vogue this year, but makes you truly feel like you in the best way.
1. Identify your personal style preferences.
The first — but arguably hardest—step of nailing effortless style is defining what it means to you on a personal level. Are you, for example, into breezy bohemian style, complete with maxi skirts, various lightweight pieces, versatile dresses, chic scarves, and beachside-worthy off-shoulder white shirts that scream "chill vibes all day"? Or do you prefer more classic pieces, channeling your inner Audrey Hepburn to embrace timeless pieces like fitted little black dresses and perfect pearl sets? If preppier looks are more your vibe, maybe you want to trade in the beachy, flowy white shirts popular in boho styles for their more formal, urbanite cousin: the crisp tailored white button-down shirt popular among the corporate set. Or, do you want to nix the white shirts entirely in favor of a more colorful style?
Remember: there's no wrong answer to these questions. Think about the style aesthetics that speak to you instinctively, and pay attention to elements that unify those vibes. Imagine how you would describe your personal vision of "chic style" to an outsider. You can use those descriptors to start quietly putting together your own personal "dress code."
Once you have a strong handle on the descriptors that fit your own preferred clothing choices, you'll be able to put together a multitude of outfits that make you feel like a million bucks.
2. Seek out sartorial inspiration from other stylish women — whether in your life, or among your favorite celebrities, past and present.
Fashion icons are fashion icons for a reason. Brainstorm a list of people whose outfit choices appeal to you: these can include your fashionable best friend, a coworker, or even models and actresses from various eras. Try to identify the key elements that consistently appear across the multitude of outfits they appear in. Does that Hollywood starlet you love constantly pair oversized white shirts with stylish scarves? Does your most stylish aunt actually wear the same three versatile dresses over and over again — but in various combinations, changing up her look with different accessories and hairstyle choices?
Take note of the core pieces of your chosen fashion icon's personal "dress code" — and consider how you might emulate them in your own wardrobe. This can mean everything from signature complementary colors to specific clothing combinations like delicate, lightweight pieces paired with heavier, boxier silhouettes for contrast. It might even refer to a specific "signature item" — like your aunt's versatile dresses, or statement accessories from a particular fashion brand
Taking inspiration from others doesn't, of course, mean that you need to copy everything about them. Maybe your sister's taste in elegant scarves speaks to you, but her bold statement jewelry just isn't your vibe. Maybe you love the classic silhouettes your favorite actress embraces on the red carpet, but you'd prefer a neutral color palette over the brighter colors and bold lip colors she typically rocks.
You can even mix and match sources of inspiration! A daytime outfit might take inspiration from your boldest, edgiest friend's eye-popping color preferences, but opt to tone down those colors with more conservative silhouettes in classic pieces you've loved ever since you saw your cousin's collection of beautifully tailored white shirts at a family gathering.
3. Pay attention to street style.
Speaking of seeking inspiration, it never hurts to take a peek at what's broadly on trend. Fashion rules are made to be broken, and you shouldn't necessarily feel beholden to everything that's currently considered "in style" — but it can give you a good starting point. Trendier items aren't always better than classic pieces (after all, we commonly refer to classic pieces as "timeless pieces" for a reason), but they usually become trendy for a reason.
Scroll through some street style social media accounts, and take note of specific items you like — whether it's a particular party dress silhouette, updated versions of old classic pieces like button-downs, hot accessories like the most stylish scarves of the season, or some bold jewelry. Think about what you might want to adopt for your own wardrobe, and how you can blend them in with your own personal style choices.
4. Organize your current closet.
Organizing your closet isn't just about cleaning out what you don't need or like anymore — though that's an important part of the process! It's also a great opportunity to identify how many cohesive outfits you can put together from what you already own. Identify which of these outfit choices still speak to you — and which don't. One great trick here is to figure out new ways of styling pieces. The most versatile dresses you currently own may actually be able to do double duty as a weekend brunch outfit and evening wear, depending on your accessory and beauty routine choices.
Once you have a better idea of product details that fit in best with your own style aesthetic preferences, you'll be better able to zero in on current gaps in your wardrobe. Maybe you're missing a classic little black dress for evenings out, or the ultimate accessory to pull all your outfits together. Regardless, invest in quality pieces — you won't need to replace quality pieces nearly as frequently as cheap items purchased hastily from the fast fashion market.
Understanding what you're actually missing from your closet will enable you to make smarter clothing choices when you shop — instead of impulsively collecting a mishmash of clothing styles that don't really work together, or enhance your personal image goals. Constant wardrobe updates are both expensive and unnecessary once you get the hang of shopping with intention, and your style potential using items you already own is probably greater than you realize. Curating a cohesive, mix-and-match wardrobe is the key to truly effortless style at minimal expense.
5. Identify what beauty and clothing choices work best for your natural coloring and body type.
While you don't necessarily need to confine yourself to traditional advice on how to "flatter" your body shape or coloring, it's useful to figure out the silhouettes and color palettes that tend to complement your features. Do your features pop better against a neutral color palette, or do neutrals tend to wash you out? Do certain color combinations bring out the color of your eyes? Is there a specific color of lipstick that makes your skin glow?
As far as basic body types go, consider what you're trying to achieve with your look. Yes, certain silhouettes and hemline choices might make you look longer or wider — but don't let that dictate what you want to wear against your true personal preferences. If you avoid buying a maxi-style party dress because you're short and worried that you'll be swallowed by the length of the skirt — but secretly love the look of the maxi length — there's no rule that says you can't give the actual dress a try. You might surprise yourself!
Keep in mind that there's no such thing as a universal dress code or an actual bona fide fashion police. Study up on the traditional rules of fashion and style — but also, experiment with breaking them. Live a little!
Final Words of Wisdom on Embracing "Effortless" Personal Style With Grace
At the end of the day, "effortless style" isn't achieved by conforming to specific trends or copying someone else's look wholesale. It's about knowing what you like, why you like it, and putting together your outfit combinations with real intent — and, if possible, a genuine sense of fun. Whether you love bold jewelry, elegant scarves, or classic pieces in a versatile, neutral color palette, learn to rock your own personal style with grace. That's what dressing for your best self really means.