Today I’m introducing a new feature that will appear each Friday on “Recovering Shopaholic.” I don’t think I’ve mentioned this before, but I’m a very avid reader. Not only do I subscribe to more blogs than I care to admit (I’m gradually paring down to the best ones, just like I’m doing with my clothes), I frequently click on article links posted on Facebook and Twitter. I have a highly intricate bookmarking system in my internet browser for articles on a wide variety of topics, many of which relate to what is discussed on this blog.
I’ve decided to dedicate my Friday posts to sharing “useful links” with my readers. Each Friday, I’ll select a topic and share 5-7 related links from my vast article archives. I’ll also include brief commentary for some of the links, and may even link to articles I’ve written (on other sites) from time to time.
Shopaholics and Personal Style
Are you confused when it comes to your personal style?
Today’s post includes links to help you determine your personal style. While some of you may have a good handle on your individual style statement, this is often an area of difficulty for compulsive shoppers. Many shopaholics buy too much in an effort to find clothing that will best reflect who they are and how they want to be seen.
Although I have helped a number of wardrobe styling clients to discover their personal style, I’ve experienced quite a bit of difficulty in cultivating my own style. It’s seemed to be a moving target in recent years, especially when I was shopping pretty much all the time! I bought lots of different styles but only loved and wore a fraction of my purchases.
I revisited some of the articles and resources I’ve bookmarked over the years and I’m sharing some of the best ones with you today. Enjoy and have a wonderful weekend!
Advice on Determining Your Style
This is an article I wrote on my style business website last year. It offers a few useful tips for defining and expressing a sense of style that works for you.
Sylvia from 40+ Style outlines seven common style statements along with photos and celebrity examples. If you want to delve deeper, Sylvia offers an e-course called “10 Steps to a More Stylish You.” I haven’t taken this course, but it looks quite comprehensive and seems to be a good value for the price.
An “oldie but goodie” post from Sally at Already Pretty, one of my favorite blogs. Sally offers many of the same tips I do, so great minds must think alike! While you’re on Sally’s site, be sure to check out her “Greatest Hits” page for more style tips and tutorials.
For those who enjoy video (something I’d like to do eventually), here’s a short clip from image consultant Tina Gill on eHow.com. Although some of Tina’s advice echoes what’s in the links above, sometimes it’s nice to have an alternate form of delivery. If you like this video, you can check out Tina’s entire video series on Women’s Fashion Advice.
Style Quizzes
I once spent countless hours searching for a good online style quiz to share with my personal styling clients. I wanted to provide them with such a quiz, along with my pre-consult questionnaire, to help them prepare for our first appointment.
I was disappointed with most of the quizzes I found and felt they were either too general or too confusing. I took all of the quizzes myself as part of my vetting process and most didn’t measure up. Here are a few quizzes I do like, including one that was recommended recently via a comment on this blog.
An online version of the in-depth style quiz that appears in the book “I Don’t Have a Thing to Wear” (one of the style books I recommend on my Resources Page). There are 30 multiple-choice questions and you’re directed to select the answer that most appeals to you. This can sometimes be difficult, as two answers may be close or no answer may be appealing. If you do your best, your results should be a fairly good match for who you are.
I just took the quiz again today and was shown to be a mix of the Classic, Mood Dresser, and Modernist personas. The link to the persona descriptions is broken, but I found the information HERE under “Who Are You” (the web page could stand some improvement, but the information is still sound). There is a lot more information on the various style personas in the book.
Imogen Lamport of Inside Out Style (and the co-author of “Svelte in Style”) offers a series of questions and a list of style-related adjectives to guide you in the search for your signature style. If you spend a few minutes answering Imogen’s questions, you should start to gain clarity on the ideal style you’d like to cultivate. If you have the time, I recommend that you browse Imogen’s site, as she has written lots of excellent articles on everything and anything related to style!
Reader Sundaykind provided the link to this quiz in her comment to my “Answering My Own Questions” post. This quiz was created by stylist David Kibbe in the 1980s but is still highly relevant today.
If you take this quiz, it may be helpful to have a trusted friend or family member validate your answers, as many of the questions involve assessing your physical attributes. With my husband’s help, I determined that I’m a “Dramatic Classic.” The third link on the page above takes you to a spreadsheet with lots of guidelines on the shapes, styles, fabrics, colors, and accessories that work best for each type.
Your Comments and Suggestions?
I hope you find the resources above informative and useful. In the comments section below, feel free to post links to other articles related to determine one’s personal style. I also welcome your topic suggestions for future Friday “useful links” posts.
Recovering Shopaholic 
Debbie you have compiled an amazing number of resources to share – these will no doubt help your readers to identify any style issues they might have.
My only resource suggestion is one I think you have mentioned in the past – the Vivienne Files. It has such great ideas for capsule wardrobes and use of accessories.
Also I wanted to say your previous post was very moving. It’s a great test of friendship if one person starts growing in a different direction so I hope you will not only be able to keep your friendship but also by example lead someone else out of the shopping abyss.
I’m glad you liked this post, Megan (and the previous one, too)! I definitely recommend The Vivienne Files and it’s on my must read blog list. I plan to include a list of blogs on my Resources page and The Vivienne Files will definitely be there. Lots of great resources!