SIGNATURE STYLE: Life is stressful enough without the daily battle of trying to find something to wear. When you don’t understand your signature style, you can end up in the dreaded situation of the awful outfit – one that not only looks bad, it isn’t YOU.
We’ve all been there. You spend your day dipping in and out of bathrooms to assess your appearance, checking every reflection in an attempt to reassure yourself the gamble you took paid off. This ruins your mood, and looking back, your only memory of the day will be the terrible outfit choice.
So, how do you fix this? How do you become one of those cool girls who always looks great, but more importantly, always looks confident?
The answer is by cultivating a signature style – a ‘personal style formula’ if you will. By following it, you’ll know you will always look good, no matter the day or occasion.
Keep reading for the best techniques every cool girl follows to develop their signature style.
#1 – Seek Inspiration From Others
Firstly, having a signature style means having a visual representation of yourself and what you stand for. This could anything from ultra classic style to rock chick – there’s no limit to what it means to be ‘you’.
However, one of the best ways to seek out style inspiration for yourself is to observe others. If you’re drawn to the style of self-confident, classy women, find likeminded examples on instagram, in your workplace, in restaurants, and on the street to take note of. You may even want to wander the aisles of the classic clothing store Myer, to gain inspiration.
Soon you’ll begin to see overlap in what you like. Perhaps there are certain pieces that give off a specific attitude that resonates with you, or it’s the aesthetics of some types of garments that speak to you the most.
Cool girls seek inspiration everywhere – and fashion is all about telling a story. When you’re looking to tell yours, pay attention to the surrounding characters. People in our everyday lives are our best source of creativity, they are a walking and talking street style model ready t inspire your next outfit moment.
#2 – Create A Moodboard
Once you’ve noticed a pattern in what kind of style you’re drawn to, it’s time to create a moodboard. A moodboard brings together all your loose ideas and creates cohesive energy.
This mosaic of style should show who you are through the varying images, and be a good source to go back to whenever you feel a little in flux. Moodboards can also be constantly updated to represent your growth and change.
A cool girl doesn’t stagnate, she updates with the times. Having a signature style doesn’t mean you stay in the same place forever, like some sort of beautiful butterfly memorialised in amber.
Instead, whether you opt for effortless, understated chic, or over-the-top glamour, what that looks like changes over time but it’s the essence that stays the same. So, remember to refer back to your moodboard, and don’t be afraid to update it.
#3 – Keep The Style But Update The Cut
To solidify the point of updating without compromising the essence, when it comes to actual clothing, it is ok to switch up your wardrobe.
Having a signature style often means having specific silhouettes you refer back to constantly – they’re comfortable, they’re cool, but most importantly, they represent you.
As a result, as times change, we may feel a little nervous to divert from our usual path. But, the cool girl knows that the rule of thumb is it’s ok to update the cut.
Perhaps, you’re a devoted denim girl. Your essence is effortless and timeless, never looking like you’ve pondered your outfit too long. So, whilst a skinny jean may have encapsulated this simple style several years ago, today it would simply look wrong and perhaps even work against the effortless air you’re trying to create today.
A simple fix is to swap the outdated cut for something a more current, like a straight leg. There’s no need to completely switch up your look altogether and suddenly become the embodiment of Courtney Love, but making little changes will bring your look along with the times.
#4 – Create A Capsule Wardrobe
By now you will have developed a solid idea of the signature style you have, complete with a backlog of influences and an understanding of your favourite silhouettes.
Next, it’s time to create the backbone of your wardrobe, the defence against bad outfit days, the capsule wardrobe. If you Google capsule wardrobe, you’ll be met with a variety of videos and articles showcasing white T-shirts, and blue denim.
The words “basics” and “neutrals” are often key players, with the recurring idea that your wardrobe should have a skeleton of simple pieces to refer back to, in order to structure your style around.
The key message is this: yes, a wardrobe should have a base of pieces in which to work the rest of your outfit around, but these pieces are entirely unique to the individual.
Somebody with a maximalist, colourful style is going to have completely different staple pieces to that of an understated minimalist, so it’s important to tailor these capsule items to your taste.
Foundation pieces should be the backbone of your wardrobe and the answer to those “nothing to wear days” so consider what makes you feel good, especially on days that you feel bad.
This includes identifying the colours and patterns that bring out confidence in you, and prop you up on days when you aren’t feeling it. A cool girl never hides – she puts on pieces that boost her mood and her confidence and she gets back out there.
#5 – Understand The Importance Of Accessories
A lot of the work that goes into developing your signature style relies on understanding what you feel comfortable in, and what influences you, in your own unique way.
The final step is to understand the importance of accessories, and the major role they play in signature style. The way you accessorise completely changes your look and overall vibe.
A heavy presence of sparkling crystal jewellery will transform a simple silhouette into something far more extra. And the same works in reverse. Accessorising a dressy clothing item with much simpler, more casual pieces, obviously dresses it down and makes it more versatile for different settings.
Check out Love Isabelle Jewellery for a minimalistic and trendy collection of necklaces, pendants, and chokers to enhance your outfit style.
Final thoughts
Our signature style is important, it’s not only how you show the world who you are, it has an enormous impact on how you feel. So, making the effort to develop yours is worth the investment.
Taking a page out of the cool girl’s book, don’t be afraid to take inspiration from others, and pay close attention to what elevates your mood. You’ll find that these small tweaks will add to your confidence, both inwardly and outwardly.
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