Most people can't afford a personal stylist. That's a luxury afforded to celebrities, perhaps a few top-tier influencers and royals.
But if you or I were to be granted a stylist for a day, there's one exercise they would likely undertake long before they started shopping or pulling clothes from designers: they'd sit down with you and try to define your personal style.
To do this, they might ask about your fashion icons - the famous people whose wardrobes you would raid if you could; the influencers you follow on Instagram. They'd likely probe a bit about your 'aesthetic', too. Are you into the whole quiet luxury mood, or do you prefer your outfits louder and more attention-grabby?
Watch: Fashion rules you've never heard of to level up your style game. Post continues below.
And they'd need to determine your objective - what's the end use of your clothes? Do you need a whole wardrobe of polished corporate workwear, or are you looking to refresh your closet for the season ahead?
Once you'd nutted all of that out together, you might start to get a clearer picture of your style and how you want to show up in the world. Then would come the fun part — trying on clothes through that new lens.
And while we don't all have the budget for a professional to work through this, we can borrow their hacks off TikTok for free.
Allison Bornstein is a stylist and wardrobe consultant based between New York and LA, and shares her best fashion tips on her popular channel.
She's got a simple method to help you identify your style, and it's a system she always uses on her clients during their 1:1 sessions.
In a now viral series, Bornstein shares her 'Three-Word Method' and the thinking behind it.
@allisonbornstein6 FINDING YOUR PERSONAL STYLE! what are your 3 words… comment below!!! #FORDfortheBuilders #fashiontiktok #fyp ♬ original sound - Allison Bornstein
"The three word method is choosing three adjectives to describe your current style, and/or the style that you aspire to have," she says.
"I want you to think of your three words as a checklist," Bornstein explained.
"I want you to call upon your words when you are feeling stuck; when you are looking in the mirror and thinking 'something is not working'. In these cases we want to look int he mirror and ask ourselves, 'are each of my three words represented in this look?'"
To find your words, Bornstein suggests you first take the pieces out of your closet that you wear on repeat.
You then ask yourself how you would describe those items. For example, if you were pulling out a lot of jeans and t-shirts, you might choose words like 'classic' or 'casual'.
This practical word is meant to sum up your current look or the clothes you're drawn to. It might for instance be 'oversized' if you've got a lot of baggier pieces in your wardrobe.
The next word can be more emotional, referencing how you want to feel in your outfit, rather than how you want to look. Think 'playful' or 'joyful'.
For the last word, Bornstein says to picture what your "dream style" would be, looking to outfit references or the people whose wardrobes inspire you.
"Think of this as your north star," she says.
The third word can be more aspirational, for example 'effortless' or 'glamorous'.
With your adjectives in mind, the idea is that you'll have a sort of sartorial compass through which to get dressed, go shopping, and refresh your wardrobe.
"Having these words as a framework and a guideline is going to be so extremely helpful," Bornstein says.
Mamamia Out Loud’s Jessie Stephens recently came across the viral method and challenged her co-hosts Mia Freedman and Holly Wainwright to find their words.
And while the idea is good in theory, what started as a fun exercise quickly turned... existential.
After some back and forth, here are the words they landed on:
Jessie Stephens: "Comfort, Self-assured, Effortless."
Mia Freedman: “Comfortable, Joy, Cool.”
Holly Wainwright: “Easy, Classy, Classic.”
You can listen to the full episode here.
What are your three words? Let us know in the comments below.
Feature image: Tiktok/Allison Bornstein/Mamamia.
Do you have any Streaming Video Services in your household? We want to hear from you! Take our survey now to go in the running to win a $100 gift voucher.