MINNIRELLA MAGAZINE
How to Create Your Own Signature Style
How to Create Your Own Signature Style
Do you strive to create your own signature personal style? Or is your image more of an ever evolving journey? I’m sharing my own personal experiences on both angles, plus providing you with my own professional styling advice on how to curate your own timeless personal style!
Which is best? To master your own timeless personal style like a brand, or be constantly updating your look? The correct answer is whichever feels most natural to you and suits your everyday lifestyle. Depending on your lifestyle and the roles you hold, you might choose to adopt a timeless personal style in one area of your life, but be open to experimenting in other areas. Over the years I’ve tried out both. If you’re unsure which works best for you, I’d recommend analysing your style journey until now.
I’ve tried most hairstyles and most hair colours. I’ve been both eccentric in my dress sense, as well as sticking to a simple, classic colour palette at other times. What I’ve learned is that my personal style isn’t limited to the colours and types of clothes I wear. It also involves my hairstyle, my weight, and hair colour. Different items of clothing suit me at different times. The clothes I’d wear at a heavier weight would definitely differ to the sort of pieces I’d wear when I’m at my usual weight. The tones I’d wear with one hair colour will certainly differ to those I’d wear when my hair is darker or lighter. So it’s the overall combination that you really need to consider. Which hair colour do you prefer? Which hair colour suits you best? Does that colour fit well with your preferred hairstyle? And finally, can you wear your hair as such with the colours you love best? You’ll probably find that this makes the process of curating your own signature style much easier.
Typically, I much prefer my hair to be blonde. I find that with blonde hair, I can easily wear a range of colours, as well as an all-black outfit or a classic black and white combo with minimal effort. As for my hairstyle, I feel most comfortable with long hair. I have at times chopped off all my locks and used hair extensions as and when I've desired longer hair, but my hair is simply so much more manageable when longer. Disastrous hair colour experiments have catapulted me back to sporting my natural, undyed hair, which now I’ve come to realise, is dark as I’d recommend myself going. There have been a couple of occasions when I’ve been lured into the idea of sleek, black, shiny hair - which I always come to regret. Dark or black hair always means a dramatic, time consuming style transformation for me. I know that some women experience the same when going blonde or becoming a redhead. For me, it’s when I go medium brown or darker. It requires dying my eyebrows and eyelashes before applying any makeup and I’m constantly having to top up the colour to avoid it fading. It’s not that I’d rule out going darker again, but it‘s definitely the most high maintenance for me, which is why on myself I prefer blonde. On the other hand, there have been times when the enjoyment has came from the experimental excitement and not from the aesthetically-pleasing result.
Many high profile individuals are encouraged to adopt their own signature style, especially those with more official roles. A good example here is Princess Diana. In the early years, she was often seen sporting blue eyeliner and would experiment with different hairstyles and clothes. That was until her makeup artist suggested that she adopted a more timeless style that would compliment her best features and so that people would associate her with a particular look. Of Diana, Princess of Wales’ facial features, I think all would agree that it was her enviable blue eyes that stood out most. Her makeup artist explained that blue eyeliner dulled her clear sapphire eyes instead of enhancing them. So out went the coloured eyeliners, which were replaced by soft black eyeliner and rose and brown eyeshadow to compliment her famous blue eyes. As for hairstyles, any hair transformation was subtle and gradual. As all eyes were constantly on the late Princess, the media would have been first to notice if she had undergone a hairstyle change and any faux pas could have proved damaging to her image. So whenever Diana and her hairdresser discussed hair cuts, the process was gradual, with her hairdresser cutting just a couple of centimetres at a time. Once Lady Di had her hairstyle, colour and makeup on point, she was free to experiment with all the colours of the rainbow where her dress style was concerned and so she did!
What I like best about curating your own signature style is that you can guarantee you’ll always look good. You know which makeup products to buy and apply. Hair maintenance can be simple. And the process each morning of making you look like “you” is easy and stress-free.
Perhaps the anecdote to classic, signature style is Madonna for she has has been reinventing her look over a period of decades! Cropped hair, long hair, blonde, black, suits to sheer. There aren’t many looks that the Queen of Pop hasn’t tried but that’s what makes her iconic. Madonna epitomises extremity, surprise and the “work hard play hard” mantra. Through it, she also provokes respect and admiration for her bold, fearless fashion choices. For those who do it well, like Madonna, it works extremely well! Madonna has never shied away from controversy and people will call her a lot of things - but boring is not one of them! However, it’s important to remember that Madonna’s evolving style is part of her brand and it’s heavily related to her work as part of her performance. But if reinventing yourself and playing around with daring looks is something you love then do it! Madonna has reinvented herself time and time again. To some, her style transformations are almost if not equally as important to her career as her musical abilities because they have became part of the persona. There's no denying that it's a lot of fun to experiment with new styles and reinvent part of or your entire look at times. I think that's why Madonna herself appeals to so many age groups. And best of all, no style transformation ever has to be permanent if you don't like it.
To some, the idea of a high maintenance, ever evolving style will be unappealing. Others may cringe at the thought of sporting the same look for evermore. My professional and personal advice to you would be to follow the option that appeals to you most. You might gain more enjoyment from experimenting rather than worrying whether a new style looks good. Or you might want to maintain a look that guarantees you look your personal best every time without fail. I’d love to know your thoughts and if you need any styling assistance, feel free to reach out!
Timeless Signature Style versus Evolving Style
Which is best? To master your own timeless personal style like a brand, or be constantly updating your look? The correct answer is whichever feels most natural to you and suits your everyday lifestyle. Depending on your lifestyle and the roles you hold, you might choose to adopt a timeless personal style in one area of your life, but be open to experimenting in other areas. Over the years I’ve tried out both. If you’re unsure which works best for you, I’d recommend analysing your style journey until now.
My Style Transformation Over the Years
I’ve tried most hairstyles and most hair colours. I’ve been both eccentric in my dress sense, as well as sticking to a simple, classic colour palette at other times. What I’ve learned is that my personal style isn’t limited to the colours and types of clothes I wear. It also involves my hairstyle, my weight, and hair colour. Different items of clothing suit me at different times. The clothes I’d wear at a heavier weight would definitely differ to the sort of pieces I’d wear when I’m at my usual weight. The tones I’d wear with one hair colour will certainly differ to those I’d wear when my hair is darker or lighter. So it’s the overall combination that you really need to consider. Which hair colour do you prefer? Which hair colour suits you best? Does that colour fit well with your preferred hairstyle? And finally, can you wear your hair as such with the colours you love best? You’ll probably find that this makes the process of curating your own signature style much easier.
Typically, I much prefer my hair to be blonde. I find that with blonde hair, I can easily wear a range of colours, as well as an all-black outfit or a classic black and white combo with minimal effort. As for my hairstyle, I feel most comfortable with long hair. I have at times chopped off all my locks and used hair extensions as and when I've desired longer hair, but my hair is simply so much more manageable when longer. Disastrous hair colour experiments have catapulted me back to sporting my natural, undyed hair, which now I’ve come to realise, is dark as I’d recommend myself going. There have been a couple of occasions when I’ve been lured into the idea of sleek, black, shiny hair - which I always come to regret. Dark or black hair always means a dramatic, time consuming style transformation for me. I know that some women experience the same when going blonde or becoming a redhead. For me, it’s when I go medium brown or darker. It requires dying my eyebrows and eyelashes before applying any makeup and I’m constantly having to top up the colour to avoid it fading. It’s not that I’d rule out going darker again, but it‘s definitely the most high maintenance for me, which is why on myself I prefer blonde. On the other hand, there have been times when the enjoyment has came from the experimental excitement and not from the aesthetically-pleasing result.
Curating Your Own Signature Style
Many high profile individuals are encouraged to adopt their own signature style, especially those with more official roles. A good example here is Princess Diana. In the early years, she was often seen sporting blue eyeliner and would experiment with different hairstyles and clothes. That was until her makeup artist suggested that she adopted a more timeless style that would compliment her best features and so that people would associate her with a particular look. Of Diana, Princess of Wales’ facial features, I think all would agree that it was her enviable blue eyes that stood out most. Her makeup artist explained that blue eyeliner dulled her clear sapphire eyes instead of enhancing them. So out went the coloured eyeliners, which were replaced by soft black eyeliner and rose and brown eyeshadow to compliment her famous blue eyes. As for hairstyles, any hair transformation was subtle and gradual. As all eyes were constantly on the late Princess, the media would have been first to notice if she had undergone a hairstyle change and any faux pas could have proved damaging to her image. So whenever Diana and her hairdresser discussed hair cuts, the process was gradual, with her hairdresser cutting just a couple of centimetres at a time. Once Lady Di had her hairstyle, colour and makeup on point, she was free to experiment with all the colours of the rainbow where her dress style was concerned and so she did!
What I like best about curating your own signature style is that you can guarantee you’ll always look good. You know which makeup products to buy and apply. Hair maintenance can be simple. And the process each morning of making you look like “you” is easy and stress-free.
Evolving Style and the Art of Reinventing Yourself
Perhaps the anecdote to classic, signature style is Madonna for she has has been reinventing her look over a period of decades! Cropped hair, long hair, blonde, black, suits to sheer. There aren’t many looks that the Queen of Pop hasn’t tried but that’s what makes her iconic. Madonna epitomises extremity, surprise and the “work hard play hard” mantra. Through it, she also provokes respect and admiration for her bold, fearless fashion choices. For those who do it well, like Madonna, it works extremely well! Madonna has never shied away from controversy and people will call her a lot of things - but boring is not one of them! However, it’s important to remember that Madonna’s evolving style is part of her brand and it’s heavily related to her work as part of her performance. But if reinventing yourself and playing around with daring looks is something you love then do it! Madonna has reinvented herself time and time again. To some, her style transformations are almost if not equally as important to her career as her musical abilities because they have became part of the persona. There's no denying that it's a lot of fun to experiment with new styles and reinvent part of or your entire look at times. I think that's why Madonna herself appeals to so many age groups. And best of all, no style transformation ever has to be permanent if you don't like it.
To some, the idea of a high maintenance, ever evolving style will be unappealing. Others may cringe at the thought of sporting the same look for evermore. My professional and personal advice to you would be to follow the option that appeals to you most. You might gain more enjoyment from experimenting rather than worrying whether a new style looks good. Or you might want to maintain a look that guarantees you look your personal best every time without fail. I’d love to know your thoughts and if you need any styling assistance, feel free to reach out!