YouLookFab Forum » Topic: How do you know if something counts as part of your signature style?

YouLookFab Forum » Topic: How do you know if something counts as part of your signature style? https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-know-if-something-counts-as-part-of-your-signature-style Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Sat, 25 Apr 2026 18:40:40 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 <![CDATA[Search]]> q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php cindysmith on "How do you know if something counts as part of your signature style?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-know-if-something-counts-as-part-of-your-signature-style#post-1789929 Tue, 21 Mar 2017 12:09:40 +0000 cindysmith 1789929@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I don't know that I have anything new to add, but I wanted to say there's a lot of wonderful food for thought here. I've gone through so many style evolutions in the last decade or so since I got sober, and this discussion helps me feel more like it was all just a natural evolution instead of somebody just acting on whims and flights-of-fancy Author Linda on "How do you know if something counts as part of your signature style?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-know-if-something-counts-as-part-of-your-signature-style#post-1788314 Thu, 16 Mar 2017 13:17:46 +0000 Author Linda 1788314@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I think the "signature" part of style comes from elements deep inside to which we always resonate. Even as a girl I disliked girly and "fussy" clothing. I disdained dresses and lived in pants. My mother nearly lost her mind trying to find a dress I would agree to wear when I was elected May Princess in the 1st grade. We found one. It was blue and had violets on it. I liked violets. That isn't to say I don't appreciate girly looks on others, or occasionally try to style one myself, but... something about the degree of calculation involved just feels off. What makes me "me" expresses itself through other elements. A signature look evolves over time. I wore contact lenses when in my 20s through 40s. Glasses... heaven forbid! I laugh at that now, because I wear turquoise blue frames, or red ones, or serious dark silver depending on whether I feel like looking creative, or dead serious about something. But distinctive eyeglasses are now part of my signature look. So is my silver hair. For decades I was a dedicated natural blonde determined to stay that way. Certain elements remain consistent, though. Color. I've always loved it, but I've always used it for accents. My base is always neutral. I prefer soft fabrics and the kind of loose structure that plays with my body, that looks good in stride. I don't like frills or fuss or extraneous detail. I can count the patterned (except for stripes) tops, never bottoms or dresses, in my closet on one hand.  Signature is what you make of it. It can be a result of conscious choice, or of innate inclination. What it is, though, is consistent. It may not be consistent over a lifetime, but it will be consistent for that period of your life. Staysfit on "How do you know if something counts as part of your signature style?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-know-if-something-counts-as-part-of-your-signature-style#post-1788293 Thu, 16 Mar 2017 12:28:56 +0000 Staysfit 1788293@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Kiwigal/Sally, yes, we cross posted! I agree that thinking about the key pieces I would take with me when I pack is a key to my signature style. I think it includes a combination of my essentials which form the base of my silhouette, and also my statement pieces which are mostly light and delicate pieces. I don't think there is a right or wrong number of items to pack when you travel. If you are happy and comfortable with what you are wearing and have the proper clothing for the climate, then you have all you need. I will say that we were all unprepared for my mom's new desire to be extra frugal with the Heat. She is bundled in four layers and has reduced the thermostat to intolerable levels. Even DS was cold, and he never complains. My down puffer proved to be good indoors and out! :-) Jenni, I am touched by your recollection. It reminds me that I also have some tendency to veer towards items that captured my interest when I was young, despite their not being particularly flattering to my eye now. Despite my figure not changing much, my taste has. Irina, I think you make a good point. Signature style evolves over time. We can accumulate new features over time. I am a big fan of going grey! I would never go back to using color either. Penny, I see how others would accept something as ones signature style, especially if it is something one wears with confidence and joy. Bijou on "How do you know if something counts as part of your signature style?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-know-if-something-counts-as-part-of-your-signature-style#post-1788291 Thu, 16 Mar 2017 12:21:13 +0000 Bijou 1788291@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Our style is always in a state of evolution, yet some things can stay the same and that is our 'signature style'. In many ways, it can be easier to pin point a friends signature style to our own. Reading Angie's post on her signature style, I can see all of her comments being reflected in her style over the past few years. I like how Sally reflected your signature style. Elegant, lean silhouettes, a beautiful colour palette, jeans, stunning dresses and your hair and polished makeup - all elements of your signature style to me.  This is  consistent with the smart, thoughtful, caring person that you are. A true signature style is also a reflection of the person behind the style.  Penny on "How do you know if something counts as part of your signature style?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-know-if-something-counts-as-part-of-your-signature-style#post-1788171 Thu, 16 Mar 2017 02:01:31 +0000 Penny 1788171@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I think that if you view an item or approach as your signature now, it is part of your signature style, and others will come to share in that perception over time, if they haven't already! Irina on "How do you know if something counts as part of your signature style?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-know-if-something-counts-as-part-of-your-signature-style#post-1788128 Thu, 16 Mar 2017 00:03:10 +0000 Irina 1788128@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ If I would look for elements that stayed with me consistently through years, I might find that I have only a couple - I almost exclusively wear pants and I feel most comfortable in jeans. Everything else periodically changes. I don't know how I feel about it. When I fall in love with a style, be it for my clothes or hair, I stay with it for 5-6 years. Then I get bored and search for something else. I think that we can find a signature style at any point in our life, one that will endure the time. It's been 4 years since I stopped coloring my hair. I'm not going to do it ever again. So, plus one to my signature Jenni NZ on "How do you know if something counts as part of your signature style?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-know-if-something-counts-as-part-of-your-signature-style#post-1788118 Wed, 15 Mar 2017 23:44:21 +0000 Jenni NZ 1788118@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I loved Jill's response to Angie's post, where she said she remembers liking stuff in grade school and that her mother said she came out of the womb liking adornment. I tried to work out my signature style first in 2010 before I saw a stylist for the first and only time. I gathered pics of clothes I had loved throughout my life until that point, including my mother's clothes. It became quite clear that I liked vintage or vintagey, pretty, florals, brights since a young girl. I remember quite clearly the first dress I really chose for myself after seeing in a shop age 13. I dragged Mum to the shop next day! It was seersucker, turquoise top half and floral daisy skirt half, slightly fit and flare. That was 1974! I would still like that today. I know what sings to me, maybe that's it. The thing is that what sings to me may not always fit or look right, these days, as unlike you Staysfit ( probably partly because I DON'T stay fit) my shape has changed a lot from slim pear to apple pear. Sal on "How do you know if something counts as part of your signature style?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-know-if-something-counts-as-part-of-your-signature-style#post-1788106 Wed, 15 Mar 2017 23:21:41 +0000 Sal 1788106@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ When I see your style I see your short hair, your glasses, your mostly lean silhouettes (you don't wear a lot of voluminous pieces), your sheath dresses, and a beautiful palette of colour.  It sounds like you like some movement or softness as well - fuller skirts or light jewelry can provide movement, reflection, noise, sparkles.... I also found this a difficult question to answer Staysfit, and I like Gaylene and Barbara Anne's take on it. I often have good success when packing for trips, I do pare it down, and generally feel like I have the right piece for the occasion.  Pieces that I would always choose and take with me are: - Little black dress - camel simple ankle boots - straight jeans But I am not sure that is quite enough? PS we cross posted here Staysfit on "How do you know if something counts as part of your signature style?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-know-if-something-counts-as-part-of-your-signature-style#post-1788104 Wed, 15 Mar 2017 23:16:29 +0000 Staysfit 1788104@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Gaylene, I appreciate your insight. It resonates well with my thinking about my "signature" style. I definitely consider key silhouettes as being unique to my style. My favorite silhouettes have not changed over time. My preference is for a long and lean look. I think that preference is pre-determined by my body shape, and size which have not changed. For example, I am not big on A-line skirts, dresses or fit and flare silhouettes. They have never been my best look. I don't think anyone I know would associate these with me even though I own some. If I were downsizing and needed to do a major cull, they would be the first items pulled out of my closet. However, any item that helped to create a long and lean silhouette would stay. I am understanding you are raising another point here as well. Within the framework of my favorite silhouettes, I am still going to have certain pieces that are key to my signature style, they are the best representative, or make me feel happiest, or whatever..... If I went through all my tall boots I could pick out the one pair that is most representative of my signature style. The same with my statement wrap dresses, or my sheath dresses. Gaylene on "How do you know if something counts as part of your signature style?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-know-if-something-counts-as-part-of-your-signature-style#post-1788093 Wed, 15 Mar 2017 22:37:14 +0000 Gaylene 1788093@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I think "signature style" pieces aren't so much about about time, or what's currently fashionable, as they are about pieces and silhouettes which endure in one form or another for years because they seem to be so intrinsically right for a person. It took a huge reduction in the size of my wardrobe (culling almost 80% in preparation for a major downsizing move) to make my "signature style" very clear. What remained consisted of items which I couldn't live without or bear the thought of leaving behind. The drastic nature of the cull meant I had to choose between items--which two pairs of boots would I keep out of the six much-liked pairs on the floor. The results of my forced choices made my style preferences and future direction very clear. Some pieces that I kept were recent acquisitions, while others were long-time friends I always veered towards when I had to get dressed in a hurry. A less drastic way might be to imagine yourself in similar circumstances and see what items would survive your own drastic cull. Forcing yourself to choose between two favourites can lead to some interesting insights. Staysfit on "How do you know if something counts as part of your signature style?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-know-if-something-counts-as-part-of-your-signature-style#post-1788086 Wed, 15 Mar 2017 22:21:20 +0000 Staysfit 1788086@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Barbara Diane, I love your response! I think I have become boxed into thinking that signature style is somehow something that sticks with a person over time. I have carried the belief, perhaps incorrectly that signature style is that quality that allows my friends to say, "Oh, that's the type of --------(fill in the blank) that Staysfit would wear" and they would be accurate. They could pick out the types of signature pieces I would gravitate towards as well as the essentials, (if they knew and understood the definitions). Barbara Diane on "How do you know if something counts as part of your signature style?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-know-if-something-counts-as-part-of-your-signature-style#post-1788080 Wed, 15 Mar 2017 22:08:46 +0000 Barbara Diane 1788080@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I'm not the arbitrator of this, but I think signature style elements can be brand new. If I found anything new that made me feel amazing that I incorporated into my style, I would count it. I think one of the best things about style is that it can change and grow.  Staysfit on "How do you know if something counts as part of your signature style?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/how-do-you-know-if-something-counts-as-part-of-your-signature-style#post-1788057 Wed, 15 Mar 2017 21:17:57 +0000 Staysfit 1788057@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Angie's post today and some of the responses have me thinking about a number of things. One of them is about the length of time something needs to be a part of your style before you can declare it as your "signature"? I have had a short pixie hair cut for 4 decades, so that seems self evident. It's a signature style. Where should we draw the "time" line? I have used the same color palette for almost three years. Is that too short a time for a signature color palette? At what point can we declare that something is our signature? I would like to say that wearing wrap dresses over slip dresses and then putting a long cardigan over the top is one of my signature looks, but it isn't something I have done for years. It is something I haven't seen many other people do. Does it make it a signature if it's newish but also unique to you? I found myself drawing on something that wasn't part of my style adjectives. A quality that I called "fluttery motion like a circle skirt when you twirl around". It's something that I know my signature style has but it's hard to capture in a still photo or even with my list of single items. Somehow, I find a need to add some sensory descriptors which I have not seen anyone else use before. This is more than texture and layers, it's movement, and swishing sounds and the soft clanging of Bangles. perhaps there is some music and motion to my signature? Did anyone else struggle with this or am I out here alone?