Why Not . . . Create Your Own Signature Style? Part Trois

Rebecca Moses author of A Life of Style describes how each of us has the potential to turn our lives into a style collage.  After all, our style doesn’t end with what we wear; it blends into how we live and what we come home to every night as well.

Being conscious of how we live and doing so confidently is an expression of who we are on the inside as much as what we project to the world. In order to truly have a signature style, a strong sense of individuality must be paired with a healthy self-confidence.

Discovering what your signature style is is often the most difficult part, so be sure to check out part two of the series where six tips are shared to help discover exactly what stirs your inner passions.  Once you know what causes you to feel giddy, what instigates an unconscious smile or what you could spend hours doing without every looking at the time, the fun part begins, which is how do you want to express yourself to the world?

Such an expression can be revealed in as many ways as there are people on this earth and can be demonstrated in all avenues of a person’s life – fashion, home decor, speech, movement, and behavior.

So I’ve tried to share some examples today of how you might what to incorporate your very own signature style into your every day life. The key is to embody a style that is true to who you are, what you believe and penetrates beyond the surface.

The difference between a true style icon like Sophia Loren or Audrey Hepburn and one of the millions of beautiful women in the world is that Sophia and Audrey have left an impression. An impression that goes beyond their appearance and encompasses how they choose/chose to carry themselves, how they treated others and how they contributed to the community around them.

Let’s get started to discover exactly what your signature style might look like.

Body Language

First impressions are a very funny thing.  The trick is to accept that they exist and embrace them and more importantly, understand what you want your first impression to be of whomever you meet on any given day. Stand up tall, walk confidently, but femininely, sit like a lady, keep your stomach in and be aware of your body, face each person you are speaking to, extend a welcoming hand or kiss on the cheek, be warm, but be aware of your personal space bubble, set your boundaries (everyone’s will be different), refrain from tugging at your clothing in public or touching your hair or face too often (hints at insecurity), and when you smile, do so with sincerity.

Scent

Choose a scent, one that you love, one that is of good quality and remain loyal. Or choose one for day and one for evening. Or one for summer and one for the chillier months. But whatever scent you choose, make it your own and wear it every day.

Accessories

Mireille Guiliano shares that her signature style would be described as always looking pulled together with the help of two key accessories: scarves and necklaces. But for someone else, it may be beautiful earrings and fantastic heels. Take Ines de Fressange, she always looks pulled together, but her footwear of choice is predominately a pair of flats. Whatever you gravitate towards, keep Guiliano’s four universal basics in mind when considering your wardrobe: (1) Dress smexy (never so too much, always keep a little mystery), (2) Invest in “good staples” – quality over quantity, (3)  No one has  perfect body, so accent the positive and camouflage the rest, and (4) Learn to stay within the personal boundaries of your style

Mannerisms

One piece of my signature style is something that is recognizable by past and present students, family members and friends, and in one instance my boss knowing I was in the same restaurant as he was simply because he heard my laugh from across the room. Those every day idiosyncrasies that we do many times subconsciously are very often what others observe and associate with our identity, so what mannerisms do you share with the world on a daily basis? Is it your laugh, is it your eye contact, your ability to truly engage in conversation with the person who is speaking to you no matter what is going on around you, or your curiosity to get to know those around you instead of speaking about yourself? Such mannerisms can say so much.

Unique Decor

Modern, traditional and everything in between. How you choose to adorn your home’s interior is a process that is forever evolving, but as each of us continues to learn more about ourselves and evolve into our best selves, so does our idea of what decor within our home is the most inviting. While we can’t change our bone structure, we can rearrange our furniture, add wallpaper to our walls or tear it down and paint them. The home has a plethora of possibilities for each person to express their signature style and that is what makes it so exciting.

Make Your Mark

A woman’s signature style is her ability to bring her passion to the world, to express just enough of herself with others and to not give a hoot about their opinion. This is self-confidence.  This is knowing and trusting yourself. Some women will make their mark with dramatic flair – Cher and Elizabeth Taylor come to mind, and others will do it subtly, but certainly – Grace Kelly and Anna Wintour.  However you decide to make your mark, be sure it is stylish and impressive woman who does it.

I hope you have enjoyed this series, as I enjoyed putting it together. Being a lover of beauty and inspiration, I can’t help but continually hone my own signature style and I enjoy hearing how you have come to discover yours, as I feel we have so many amazing teachers around us every day. If you would like, I would love to know what your signature style is. Here are a few of what I believe to be pieces of mine to help get the ball rolling:

*an attention getting “cackle” (as mentioned above)

*heels, heels and more heels

*tear-drop earrings

*French decor, or anything French

*incessant jazz music lover

*a dog at my side

*not a pushover

*all things fashion

*a love and appreciation for history

Okay, now, if you’d like, do share . . .

Also, as I am looking to begin a new Why Not . . .? series next week, if you have any suggestions or topics you would like me to tackle, let me know. I’m always looking for more ideas. Have a lovely Wednesday!

{Mireille Guiliano quotes come from her book Women, Work & the Art of Savoir Faire} 

Images: (1) Source (2) Pink Lemonade Design (3) Source (4) Musings In Femininity (5) Lilac and Grey (6) Source (7) Source

Why Not . . . Create Your Own Signature Style?

First of all, what is signature style?

Carrie Bradshaw’s signature silk flower broach.  Lauren Hutton confidently owning her perfectly imperfect smile. Cindy Crawford’s unmistakable beauty mark. Julia Roberts’ infectious laugh. Anna Wintour’s inconspicuous bob. Audrey Hepburn.

There are seemingly endless lists of women and men that come to mind when the term “signature style” buoys up from the conversation. An idea, a look, an attitude, an approach to life that is undeniable relatable to a particular person without question.

You most likely know a few people in your own life who have their own unique, consciously chosen signature style that they confidently express to the world without saying a word about it, unless complimented. After reading Rebecca Moses’s gorgeously illustrated and eloquently written book A Life Of Style which shares the variety of ways style can be cultivated and shared, I began to ponder even more how this idea of possessing a “signature style” ties in to living a simply luxurious life.

I immediately came to the conclusion that creating a signature style, which can be done and expressed in a plethora of ways, is a mandatory ingredient in order to create the life you desire to live.  After all, a signature style requires you to know who you are so that you not only can you express yourself honestly, but you can create the life that will set most comfortably with your soul.

Consequently, I’ve decided to begin 2011 with a three part Why Not . . .? series that helps each one of us create our very own signature style. Today I’d like to focus on the areas in our lives in which a signature style is expressed and revealed to the world around us.

How You Live Your Life

With every decision we make, every path in life we decide to travel, we are revealing our style, our preferences, our priorities, and the way which we feel we can live our best life. As always, actions speak louder than words and that is most certainly something to think about when trying to cultivate a signature style that feels genuine to who we are. By choosing to take care of our health, walk every day, befriend our neighbors and foster a home of nurture and education for our children we immediately say to the world what matters to us. Who we choose to surround ourselves with and how we speak is very telling of what we value and our inner strength and discipline.

What You Wear

Style is quite different from fashion. As Coco Chanel so effortlessly reminds us, “Fashion fades. Only style remains.” Knowing what clothes flatter our individual bodies best, which colors complement our skin tone and which cuts will never look stunning on us, we cultivate a style that is uniquely our own.  The peace of mind is knowing that whatever walks down the runway each season, the knowledge of which skirts to gravitate towards and which dresses to stay away from becomes innate, but it will take time (some more than others) to grasp this knowledge, which, for better or worse, is unique to each and every one of us. 

With all of that said, what you choose to wear on a daily basis, out to dinner, to parent/teacher conferences, on a first interview reveals to onlookers how you feel about yourself and whether or not you really know who you are and what strengths you possess. Without uttering one word, you can have an entire conversation with someone for better or for worse.

How You Live In Your Home

Whether you reside in a grand four story townhouse in Manhattan or a humble studio apartment, how you choose to live, and thereby decorate, your abode communicates a persuasive message to your guests. Between the colors you choose, the fabrics you enjoy and the care you take to spruce up and bring nature in (whether it be by way of plants, animals or simply natural light), you can quickly express a signature style that is all your own.

How You Treat Others

Similar to how you choose to go about living your life, how you choose to treat others on a daily basis when there is no tangible motive for following the golden rule expresses a great deal about your character. Do you truly listen? Do you look others in the eye? Do you arrive on time? When the truth may be something they don’t want to hear, what do you do? How you approach these and other situations as you navigate in our social world conveys your true character.

Keeping these four major areas of our lives in mind as we begin this three part series of Creating Our Own Signature Style. Click here to read part two in this series where you’ll find ways to help you decide how and where to reveal your signature style, and more importantly – part three - what your signature style should be (click here to skip to part three).   Have a wonderful rest of your week and thank you for dropping by.