Ten Tips for Creating Your Signature Look

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2020 is going to be a unique year for fashion. With so many ultra-modern looks blending with vintage-inspired retro comebacks, standing out and branding yourself is the overarching theme.

This cacophony of styles creates a unique opportunity in the fashion world: there’s no better time to create your signature look. If you’ve been waiting to bring your fashion game to the next level, the time is now. Here are ten tips for creating your signature look.

Why You Need a Signature Look

You may be wondering why a signature look would matter to you. 2020 is the dawn of a new decade. It’s time to be bold, refresh your life, and go after the things you’ve always wanted.

Beyond being recognizable, signature looks are functional as well. It will make it easier to decide which clothing and accessories you will buy and simplifies the options for what to wear. By having a signature look, you’ll save both time and money without feeling bored or stagnant.

Here are ten steps to take to get closer to creating your signature look.

Define Your Style Words

The best starting point for creating a signature look is to define your desired style using adjectives. What words would you like associated with how you present yourself?

Take time to think about this and write down the words you come up with. Don’t hesitate to look up descriptive words or open the thesaurus to get inspiration. There are also plenty of free quizzes online that will tell you which words are associated with your personality.

These words will create the framework for your signature look. You can use these words to determine whether or not an article of clothing or accessory fits your look.

Know Your Body

Get to know your body a little better. What challenges and opportunities does it present? Don’t limit yourself based on what society tells you you should wear, but consider what you’re comfortable wearing and what cuts or styles give you the most confidence.

When it comes to creating a signature look, it’s not always about what you wear; it’s about how you wear it. Take Lady Gaga, for example. She wore a variety of unique and outlandish outfits that rarely resembled one another. However, she wore them with confidence and became an icon as a result.

Seek Inspiration

If you’re at a loss, look to your favorite celebrities and icons and determine what characteristics speak to you. You may decide that Elton John’s zany glasses are worth emulating or that Stevie Nicks’s general magical demeanor is enviable.

Use your personal heroes as a guideline for crafting your signature look. Chances are, you’re already using elements of what makes them so notable in your wardrobe. Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but making it your own is priceless.

Create Custom Clothing

Don’t think that you’re limited by what’s already on store shelves. There are plenty of options for customization when creating your signature look. For example, if you like casual t-shirts with witty sayings, you can look at Vivid Customs ideas for custom printing options to make your own line.

Alternatively, you can learn some sewing skills and bring out your inner fashion designer. Finally, having bespoke clothing made by outsourcing to a designer for commissioned pieces is well worth the return on investment.

Choose A Defining Element

Within your signature look, there should be one thing that you’re recognized for. It could be a pattern, a style, or even a color. For some, it might be that they always wear a tie. Others might be recognized for their cat-eye style eyeliner and red lipstick. It could be your predilection toward black and white stripes or your ever-changing nail polish.

The key thing to remember when choosing a defining element is that it answers a question: “What is this person known for in regards to fashion?” Someone at the office could say, “she’s the one who always wears polka dots,” and the other person would say, “I know exactly who you mean.”

Decide What You Need

Once you’ve identified your signature look, it’s time to do inventory. Look at your current wardrobe and determine what pieces you need to make your look complete. 

This exercise also creates the opportunity to purge your closet and remove things that don’t fit the look. Send unused items to be donated to charity or passed along to those in need after you get the clothes to replace them.

In the beginning, you may not always be able to invoke your signature look completely. It will take time and money to build up your wardrobe.

Consider the Challenges

Think about the challenges or limitations you face with your preferred look — for example, the dress code at work or the accessibility of the items you like. There are ways to work within your limitations, even if you need to dress your style down a bit.

If you hope to invoke a punk rock-inspired signature look but work in a business-casual office, don’t dismay. Add subtle touches of your look to your wardrobe, such as leather strap bracelets or subtle skull earrings.

Record Your Best Looks

Think about all the times you’ve felt glamorous or stylish. How did you look? What were you wearing? Write down these outfits and take pictures so that you remember them when perfecting your signature style. What was it about these looks that made you feel so great?

As previously mentioned, it’s usually confidence that makes all the difference in a signature look. By knowing which outfits have made you feel your best in the past, you’ll be able to chase that feeling in the future.

Organize Your Closet

Once you start collecting the pieces for your signature look, organize your closet to put outfits together. This process makes it easier to look like you’ve spent hours coordinating your clothing, but it will only take a few minutes.

Try and Tweak

Don’t expect to get it right on the first shot. You might fall in love with the idea of wearing bowler hats all the time, then discover that it’s inconvenient given your lifestyle. Keep an open mind and make adjustments until you find the perfect ensemble.

There’s no better time than the dawn of the new decade to display your signature look. Have some fun with the process, and become an icon in your heart and mind.

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