Pinpointing your personal style

Personal style: It’s what makes you, you! It may not always manifest as a fashion statement, but in your preference for a soft mattress versus a firm one, whether you like creamy or crunchy, or whether you shop at Target or Wal-Mart. We make myriad decisions (big and small) every day, and eventually our choices become part of our identity, our ethos, who we are.

When it comes to fashion and the way we style ourselves, inspiration comes from many places. It could be editorial layouts, the season, music, or even something as abstract as the color of a freshly ripened peach that helps us craft a certain look. When I was younger, I used to clip photos from magazines to collage my ideas, but thanks to a new website, I can streamline the process.

Pinterest has really helped me to further develop my personal style. With this easy online tool,  you can create boards for any category under the sun: evening wear, shoes, home, books, travel, kids, garden, etc. Then, when you stumble across a cool or interesting image on the Internet, you hit the “Pin It” bookmark in your toolbar, and that image is automatically saved to your virtual board. Gone are the days of sorting through old magazines and collaging for inspiration, because I’ve found my new obsession. After having a Pinterest account for the last week, I’ve found a lot of the patterns and style preferences that I naturally gravitate towards, plus a few others that caught my eye. I’ve also shared my new found tool with just about anyone who will listen.

Another great thing about Pinterest is the fact that you can link your account to Facebook or Twitter and find what out what is inspiring your friends as well (this is really going to come in handy come holiday season).

This week,  instead of taking a piece of fashion advice from someone else, think about what you want and like. Start pinning yourself today – I promise you will be surprised at how inspiring your own unique tastes are.

*Photo collage by TCD photo intern Sarah Weiss with images courtesy of: Chigmaroff, Egan Snow, J_O_I_D, jessjamesjakes, Carolyn A. Pappas, Lorena Cupcakes, Jinterwas via Flickr Creative Commons.