5 Tips For Cultivating Personal Style In Your 40s

Thanks to social media and the Internet, trend cycles have never moved faster. Fashion fads come and go monthly. As a result, there's an emerging interest in personal style, particularly for those in their 40s. That is, fashion dictated by personal expression rather than industry-wide trends. "Personal style is something you can't copy. It's 'personal,'" personal stylist Brooke Ann tells Women.com exclusively. "Anyone can be fashionable. Just buy trends. Personal style is part of your identity."

However, actually connecting with your own sense of taste can be difficult, especially with the constant temptation of new aesthetics and Pinterest inspo. The good news is there are no right or wrong answers. "Developing a personal style is really about building a wardrobe that fits into your life. It's less about what's 'in style' and more about having a closet of clothes that you love to wear, and regularly," explains one Reddit user. "Often times when you see someone has great personal style, it's really that they just found pieces that work for them, and they wear similar styles on repeat, so it becomes a signature."

Fortunately, knowing what you love gets easier as you get older. When you know yourself better, it's easier to tap into what brings you joy rather than getting swept up in trends. Especially if you're over 40, you likely already have a refined set of preferences and tastes. Whether you're expressing those for the first time or reconnecting with them after years of confusion, getting in touch with your personal style can be fun.

Too often, people look to external inspiration when figuring out how to get dressed. But while Pinterest or recent runway shows can be a great place to catch up on trends, too much scrolling can also overwhelm and confuse your personal style. Brooke Ann tells Women.com exclusively that you're better off reflecting on what you want your self-presentation to express about yourself and letting that knowledge guide you. Take time to familiarize yourself with who you aspire to be seen as, as well as the kinds of clothes you naturally gravitate toward. "Look at the patterns you love, fabric you're drawn to, the outfit that makes you smile," says Brooke. "That will be where you can start, by tapping into your feelings."

Let your own joy be your guide, rather than an influencer's rundown of what's in style for the current season. "I do think everyone should have something that can make them feel connected to their inner child. It doesn't have to be 'childish,' but something that sparks joy," says Brooke. "As an example, I always loved leopard and cheetah prints, and it reminds me of my childhood watching 'The Cheetah Girls.'" That might mean revisiting some of your adolescent looks for inspiration, like the Y2K fashion trends that are in full revival mode.

Personal style is all about creative expression, but one of the fastest ways to interrupt your creative process is by focusing too hard on categorizing yourself. Try not to focus on whether your style counts as "quiet luxury" or "bohemian," especially if you're still figuring out what you like. "I always say don't try to limit yourself into a box or an aesthetic," Brooke Ann tells Women.com exclusively. "You get to be your own aesthetic. That's what personal style is all about. Not about mimicking, but to express all parts of who you are."

Instead, tune into the emotions that different outfits and garments evoke for you. You'll know you're on the right track when something makes you feel confident and comfortable, not simply because it checks a particular trendy box like "minimalist" or "Y2K." This can also involve giving yourself permission to let go of outdated rules about dressing. "For me, what helped was ignoring what's 'age-appropriate' and focusing on what's energy-appropriate," wrote one Reddit user. "I started asking: what clothes make me feel confident, bold, and like I actually exist in the room? That changed everything."

Different style frameworks can help you zero in on your personal style. Determining your color season — which considers your skin's undertones as well as how high- or low-contrast your features are — can help you understand why certain colors seem to work for you more than others. Similarly, the Kibbe Body Type system provides a guide to the natural lines of the body and how fabric drapes differently depending on your silhouette. These frameworks will give you language for understanding how various garments evokes different vibes. "I felt this was an objective way to know what colors and styles suit me best based on my physical attributes," wrote one Reddit user. "I don't think of it as a restriction of what I can wear, but to help me narrow down the world of possibilities."

Another popular system for thinking about personal style is the three-word method, which distills the elements of a person's taste into three words. In turn, those words become a road map to assembling outfits that capture your intended vibe. The tool was coined by stylist Allison Bornstein, who uses "classic," "'70s," and "polished" as the adjectives to guide her own style. Think of your three words as dials that can be turned up or down to capture the vibe you want in your outfits.

Personal style is, by definition, personal, which means there is no one-size-fits-all approach to making it work. At the end of the day, it's something you need to figure out for yourself through trial and error. "As much as people wish it's an easy to find your style, it's actually a journey," Brooke Ann tells Women.com exclusively. "You learn your style by learning about yourself. You say to yourself, 'Wow, this feels like ME' or 'Oh, something is off, this doesn't feel right,' and sometimes it's an intuitive feeling." More often than not, personal style is less of a conscious decision to look a particular way than it is the result of simply repeating what works. Play around with the styling techniques that complete any outfit, and get a feel for which ones you prefer.

While it's hard to beat online shopping for convenience, there's no substitute for trying clothes on in front of a mirror. In fact, shopping in person can yield some valuable discoveries. "One of the most helpful activities for figuring out what looks good on you is to try on a ton of different clothing with different silhouettes on in person," wrote one Reddit user. "Some of my favorite outfits stem from surprising in-store realizations that X looks good on me when I thought Y would."

One of the best ways to hone in on your style preferences is to be diligent about documenting your outfits. You can use a digital closet app, like Indyx or Stylebook, or simply log photos in your phone's camera roll. Doing so will force you to be honest about what pieces you reach for most and what styles are best suited to your actual lifestyle. "I realized that my daily personal style and my dream aesthetic were different, which explained why I often felt I had nothing to wear," wrote one Reddit user. "This realization led me to start decluttering because having less clutter allows for a clearer view of what you have and what you might be missing, ultimately leading to better purchasing decisions."

This tip is especially pertinent after 40. While your lifestyle has likely evolved in adulthood, you still probably have plenty of pieces taking up real estate in your closet that you no longer wear. Plus, logging your outfits will give you a better sense of what parts of your wardrobe are worth investing in. For example, if you never wear your heels because your office is more casual, then you may be better off splurging on something you'll wear more frequently, like ballet flats, sneakers, or this comfortable shoe trend that's loved by women of all ages.