The late fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent once said that ”Fashion comes and goes, but style lasts forever”. For many fashion lovers, embracing these wise words perfectly highlights the importance of establishing a signature style.
While this personalised look may change once or twice over the years, deciding what looks makes you uniquely you is essential in establishing your fashion journey. Whether you love the casualness of skate clothes or the timeless chic of vintage fashion, establishing your signature style will help you stand out from the crowd.
What Exactly Is A Signature Look?
A signature look or style refers to the unique way an individual showcases their style through outfit selections. It is also the fashion aesthetic that friends and family come to know you by.
If someone ever comments that a specific style or item of clothing reminds them of you, it is usually a clear indication of your personal style, whether you are aware of it or not. Speaking to those around you will help you gain a better insight into your clothing choices if you are unsure yourself.
Why Should You Create Your Own?
Creating your own signature style will help you achieve three main objectives, making it a worthwhile endeavour for any fashion lover. First, it could well save you money on buying clothes. Trying to keep up with the latest fashion trends and fast fashion obsessions can become ridiculously expensive and nearly impossible to maintain. However, if you follow your own style rules, you can stick to a budget more easily, as you will only be making thoughtful purchases for items you truly love.
Secondly, you will (potentially!) look like a true fashionista. Having a clear indication of your style choices will not only position you as a stylish person but will also help others recognise you for your fashion aesthetic.
Finally, establishing your signature style will allow you to have a more organised and streamlined closet, as you have eliminated the items of clothing you will not realistically wear or like. This will simplify the process of getting dressed in the morning as you will no longer sift through options you will never wear. The fact that you’ll be reducing your fashion footprint in the process certainly shouldn’t be sniffed at either!
Some Top Tips On Fashioning Your Own Signature Style On A Budget
If you are unsure where to begin your self-discovery journey, there are a few simple tips to follow to establish your personal style.
Focus On Quality Over Quantity
While it’s tempting to keep up with fast fashion trends, investing in fewer, quality items often proves more beneficial. It may initially cost more, but when divided over the years of wear, the cost per wear decreases remarkably. Furthermore, quality pieces tend to look more luxurious, which could help elevate your overall aesthetic (if that’s what you’re going for, of course).
Hunt For Bargains
Charity shops, outlet malls, online consignment stores, and sale events are your best friends when on a budget. Often, you can find pre-loved high-quality items, vintage pieces, and designer labels at a fraction of their original price. Keep your eyes peeled for these bargains!
Customise Your Clothes
Don’t shy away from customising pieces to match your taste. A bit of tailoring can transform an ill-fitting dress into a flattering outfit with a perfect fit. Embellishments, patches, or even a fresh coat of dye can breathe new life into old clothing.
Read: 4 IDEAL ways to customise your clothes and create a one-of-a-kind wardrobe
Accessorise
Accessories are not to be underestimated. They can effortlessly jazz up any outfit and inject your personal touch. Scarves, belts, hats, jewellery, and even eyewear can refashion a dull outfit into something spectacular. They often come at lower prices compared to clothing, allowing you to switch and swap your style with little financial strain.
Embrace Uniqueness
For most fashion lovers hoping to leave their unique mark in the fashion world, choosing particular elements or a range of features that help their looks stand out is a top priority. It may be a statement colour they wear in every outfit or a bold pattern that acts as a statement component.
It can be a large dominating feature or something small and straightforward, like an everyday accessory that ties your entire outfit together. Whatever the case may be, finding a way to make your looks stand out in a way that is unique to you will help you make your signature style more recognisable.
Seek Out Inspiration
One of the most exciting parts of planning your fashion signature is creating a mood board to organise all your ideas. It will allow you to create a visual representation of your inspiration and how the pieces match together. As your love of fashion develops and transforms, you will be able to track the evaluation with ease.
Commit To Your Choices
Once you have established your style, it is vital to commit to the choices you have made, only buying pieces that match these decisions. While it is possible for your taste to change over the years, if you purchase something that you think you will love but ultimately doesn’t match what you are all about, it is likely to end up in the back of the closet, gathering dust.
You have taken time and effort to create a look that is genuinely yours, embrace your decisions and allow yourself the opportunity to explore them and express yourself as much as possible. Remember, you don’t have to dress like this forever. But you will never know what you love unless you give yourself a chance.
Know Your Body
The key to nailing a good signature look is understanding your body and dressing in a flattering and comfortable way. What that looks like is unique and personal to everyone, but dressing in a way that makes you feel confident will allow you to project that in the way you dress and carry yourself. It will also allow you to pick styles and cuts that flatter your body shape and highlight your best features.
Experiment & Adapt
When you first begin your journey of discovery into what might make your signature style unique, you will likely need to experiment with a few different style choices and clothing pieces to gain a better understanding of how components work together.
Not every decision is going to be a good one, and you will likely end up changing your mind and adapting pieces differently from how you first expected. The good news is that fashion is meant to be an experiment and expression of your personality, so a few wrong choices along the way are all part of the bigger journey.
The Bottom Line
And what a massive journey this article has been. We can’t wait to see you strutting your stuff some place soon!
