“Hey! Do you remember Heidi?”
“Heidi… hmmm… can’t place the face with the name…”
“The girl who always has red lipstick on!”
“YES!!! Heidi! I totally know who you’re talking about now!”
So yeah, red lipstick is a big part of my signature look. It is the first thing most people notice about me, and the thing I require to feel ready to leave the house in the morning.
It hasn’t always been. I started really finding a signature look in my late 20s, tired of conforming to the masses when my heart was tugging me towards a different look.
I thought back to when I was a kid and the best Christmas present I ever received- it was a vintage dress-up trunk filled with clothes my mom collected from her co-workers and friends, and it was filled with pillbox hats with little nets over the face, long satin elbow gloves, sparkly brooches and a ton of beautiful vintage dresses. That gift set me on a path of self-discovery and led me to discover who I am today.
I was drawn to women who wore those clothes in movies and in books and I noticed that they almost always had on red lipstick.
It started slow- I casually tried on some red lipstick one day and wore it to work. Halfway through the day, I became so self-conscious that I went and washed it off in the bathroom. A few days later, I decided to test drive it again on the weekend while doing errands. I got stopped a few times by women telling me how much they loved my lip color and my confidence started to grow. Little by little I started putting it on more and more until suddenly it became my thing.
I was now known as the woman in the red lipstick.
My husband bought me a beautiful tube of red Chanel lipstick for Christmas, thus encouraging my quest for my “signature”.
I wear it to work, I wear it on the weekends, I wear it to work out, and I literally put it on at the hospital after giving birth. I feel naked without my red lipstick. It’s one small thing that I can do for myself amidst the daily chaos that is being a mom.
So, how do you go about finding your signature look?
- Start by thinking about how you want to be remembered after you walk away. Is it your fabulous earrings? Did you have an awesome band tee from the 70s? Was it the cute little scarf you had tied around your bag? Was it… nothing? It’s never too late to start creating your signature.
- Create a vision board or Pinterest board of things that are aesthetically pleasing to you and see if you have a theme. Do your items have a similar color palette? Are you drawn to things with a bohemian feel or do you like 80s punk? Are all your outfit inspiration photos women in blazers or do you prefer feminine florals? Are you into the classics or do you lean toward brighter colors?
- Find something you love that is recurring in your vision board and check your own closet, makeup drawer, etc to see if you own something similar that you could start using. You need to be able to feel comfortable with your choice so make sure it aligns with who you truly are or want to be. The point here is to be more you, not to dress up as someone else. Finding your signature style is about how you present yourself to the world.
- Test drive with baby steps. Try out your more intentional and curated look on the weekend first- a casual stop at the playground, getting groceries, and see how self-conscious you feel, and then force yourself to do it again.
- Repetition is key! The more you lean into your look the easier it gets and the more people will recognize you for it. I’m pretty true to my vintage aesthetic, however, I do have “off” days where I don’t feel like throwing on a 1950s dress and opt instead for a tee and some bright pants BUT I still always have that red lipstick on. Remember that having a signature look doesn’t always mean you have to go bold.
Here are some ideas to get you started finding your own signature style:
● A favorite go-to lip color that is bright and colorful
● A beautiful scarf that you can change up daily- some days it’s tied around your purse
handle, some days your neck, some days in your hair
● Band tees paired with a blazer and jeans
● Graphic tees with witty sayings that can be paired with skirts and heels or jeans and sneakers
● Some fun sunglasses or a funky pair of prescription glasses that sets you apart from
everyone else
● Incorporating leopard into all of your outfits
● Always having some fun, big earrings on
● Pairing combat boots with everything!
● Super high ponytail a la Arianna Grande
● Having a cool and unique hair color
● Always wearing neutrals or, on the flip side, always wearing bright colors
The most important part about finding your signature look is to have fun! When you love what you are wearing or how you present yourself, your confidence will grow!
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