You may not have a personal stylist telling you what to wear but that doesn’t mean you need to walk around a frumpy mess. Even you can go from frumpy to foxy with a few simple style tips!

Your personal style has been developing whether you realized it or not. If sweat pants and stained shirts have become your daily uniform, it’s time to step it up and incorporate some new pieces in your wardrobe that will help you look effortlessly stylish.

The first step to developing personal style is to know who you are. Consider your age, occupation, and lifestyle. What kind of an image do you want to project and what do you want to accomplish by sprucing up your wardrobe?

Looking youthful is probably one of your goals but it doesn’t have to mean that you squeeze into clothes from your children or grandchildren! Find age appropriate items that will help you get that promotion you have been going for at work!

Now that you know who you are, let’s explore a few key aspects of personal style.

1. Look for Inspiration- Your favorite celebrity, best friend, or grandma may be just the inspiration you need to develop style of your own. While you shouldn’t copy everything about that person’s look, use it as a base for what you want to develop. Look at modern and classic stars for inspiration and combine elements to create your unique style.

As you evaluate style, pay attention to the fabrics and textures that your style icons wear. To look slimmer, consider cashmere, jersey, or other smooth, matte surfaces. On the contract, shiny, bulky, and stiff textures can make you look bigger than you are.

2. Accentuate Your Assets, Limit Your Liabilities- This might sound like financial advice or something but it is definitely applicable to fashion! If you love your killer legs, show them off! Incorporate short shorts or a mini skirt in your wardrobe so your legs are front and center. On the other hand, if your thighs are bigger than you would like, an A-line skirt is perfect camouflage.

Essentially you want to dress for your body shape. Accentuate the thinnest part of your waist and draw the eye upward if you have something you want to hide!

3. Assess Your Current Wardrobe- The first step here is to get rid of all the clothes that are stained, ripped, worn out, old, or out of style. If something doesn’t fit or isn’t worn, get rid of it to make room for you new clothes! This will also help you to know the style you currently embody and can help you realize what you want to change about it.

4. Start Small- You don’t need to overhaul your wardrobe all at once. That would be expensive! So choose a few pieces that can update your style. Experiment with trendy pieces, earrings, new shoes, or a scarf.

5. Stock Up On Essentials- A few basic pieces can be versatile and be incorporated in a variety of ways. With the trendy pieces you purchased after reading the previous step you can take the following basics from season to season!

• Black Pants: look for a versatile fabric will take you through the seasons and can be dressed up or down
• Black Tank Top: looks classy alone during the day or under a cute jacket and can be dressed up for nighttime
• Black Turtleneck: used alone or for layering the black turtleneck is the winter equivalent of the black tank top
• White Button-up Blouse: easily incorporated in nearly any style
• Jeans: a few pairs of comfortable, every day jeans are essential! Adding a pair of black jeans for going out and skinny jeans that fit you well are all you need
• Little Black Dress: every woman needs a little black dress that is slimming, sexy, and versatile
• Pencil Skirt: for most women, the best length is two inches above the knee and can be worn to work, elegant dinners, and even to “meet the parents”
• Cardigan Sweater: to take an outfit between seasons, throw on a light-weight cardigan
• Black Pumps: look for well-made heels that are comfortable and make your legs look sexy

6. Stay In Your Comfort Zone- If you know that you won’t be comfortable with a certain style or trend, don’t buy it! That item of clothing will end up sitting in the back of your closet until you finally get rid of it a few years down the road.

One thing that can be helpful when you are developing personal style is working with a personal shopper. Many stores offer this service for free and it can be a great help to find someone you trust to help you find clothes that fit right.

On that note, don’t let a salesman push you into buying something that you’re not totally in love with. It won’t do you any good if it stays on the hanger!

Developing personal style doesn’t have to be such a daunting task. With a little help from your style icons you can be flaunting your curves and feeling sexy in styles you love!