September: a month associated with Fashion Week and back-to-school shopping. What a perfect time to think about outer branding, and in particular, personal style. After all, your image is a huge part of your personal brand.
In this post, our resident personal stylist Chantelle Znideric reminds us of the importance of spending some time on our image, and shares five tips for creating a “signature style”.
Award-winning personal stylist Chantelle Znideric
Have you ever thought about what your image says about you?
We’re all human so lets admit it, we people watch ALL the time! We subconsciously apply this when we’re at work or off duty, however, have we taken the time recently to look in the mirror and observed our own personal presentation?
Appearance has a major impact on the way we initially perceive people when we first meet them. We make judgments based on how someone looks without even realising it. According to some research, 55% of that first impression is based on our appearance and actions alone!
Thinking about how you want to be perceived by others or dressing in a stylish and appropriate way, not only in work, but also in every day life is key to getting ahead and feeling confident. As a personal stylist, I believe that having a signature style is important and incredibly good for the soul.
Here are five simple tips to creating your signature style:
Define yourself. Think long and hard about coming up with five key words that best describe what you are or what you think you would like people to see when they look at you. For example: confident (but not arrogant), creative, organized, quality and effortless. It could be anything, as long as you whole-heartedly agree with your answers. Ask your nearest and dearest what they think your qualities are if you’re struggling.
Look to your inspirations. Research current celebrities and high profile individuals that you can base your key words upon. Align yourself with those likeminded individuals and take note if how they present themselves. Do they have a signature outfit, certain quirkiness or hairstyle? Use your key words and inspirations as a guide when creating new outfits.
Address your current wardrobe. Go through your garments and assess whether to keep, fix or ditch them. If you’ve had the same garments for years then it’s likely they may require updating! For those items you’re hanging onto, think about how you can revamp them to give them a new lease of life. In the same vein if you haven’t worn items for years then get rid – it’s definitely time for a change.
Strive for overall wardrobe excellence. Don’t just think about individual items within your wardrobe, look at the larger picture. To enhance your overall look, also consider colour, fabric and details to make you stand out from the crowd in a positive way.
Integrate a unique piece into your daily look. Whether it be a pocket square, brooch, bold tie, hat, or distinct glasses, making a piece your own and consistently adding it to your day-to-day outfits will help create a distinct look.
Take small steps and work on getting one area right before moving onto the next. You need to feel happy with even the smallest of changes, and the more you can ease gently into the new you the more successful you will become.
Most importantly, don’t take it all too seriously. There’s no harm in injecting a little of your personality into your outfits even if you do work in the City. Creating a signature style is ongoing, so have fun with it!
CHANTELLE ZNIDERIC is a highly acclaimed style consultancy, founded by award-winning personal stylist Chantelle Znideric. She is recognised as one of the UK’s leading fashion and style experts. Chantelle, along with her experienced and talented stylist team, have built up an enviable reputation for their unique approach to providing exceptional personal styling services for discerning individuals in the UK and overseas.
