In a world where people follow the say-so of magazines, celebrities, and other forms of media when it comes to our appearance, it’s always refreshing to see someone taking on their own approach to their style. Be this person! Stand out from the crowd and create your own signature look. Here are just a couple of areas to focus on:

Hair

Hair can create a signature look that is solely associated with you. Think of Marilyn Monroe’s blonde bob, Dita Von Teese’s jet black 40’s curls, or Miley Cyrus’s slicked back outgrown pixie cut. If you’re not quite ready to reach for the clippers or bright and bold hair dyes, you can ease yourself into more unique looks with styles like ombre. Ombre is a two or more tone look that’s achieved with balayage (which is French for “sweep”). It involves sweeping bleach through different small triangle sections of the hair and leaving the bleach to take for different amounts of time. This helps your hair to subtly alter from areas of lighter shades to areas of darker shades. The majority of people opting for ombre tend to opt for darker roots, slowly and discreetly becoming lighter towards the ends.

Love top knots!

Clothes

With the rise of street fashion, it’s extremely difficult to curate a personal look that seemingly endless numbers of other people aren’t already wearing at the same time. Think of all of the rails of the same item piled back in big name brand chains. These are going to be bought, there are more in the stockroom, there are even more in other chains, and whole piles of the product are waiting in storehouses to be bought by people online. When you buy the piece you’re looking at, you become one of potentially thousands who are going to have the exact same item. Not only does this make you meld into the background, but it can create awkward situations like turning up at social events or parties in the exact same outfit as somebody else.

The problem with this? It conjures up comparisons between you and the other person, setting off the beginnings of endless “who wore it better?” conversations. Besides this, surely you want to be an individual! Many people think that the only way to do this is to purchase expensive custom or designer pieces that others generally can’t afford. But this isn’t necessarily true. There are various ways to put together an astounding and truly unique wardrobe. Here are just a few to consider:

Shop Vintage

Vintage stores and outlets are a great place to start when it comes to creating a unique style for yourself. Vintage clothes date from the 1990s and the years before. They tend to be one-off pieces, as the others produced at the same time have been disposed of, recycled, or are no longer in good enough condition to wear. This means that you are extremely unlikely to see anyone else with the same piece as you. But don’t just pick up any old item. There’s a thin line between quirky chic and items that you would likely see an elderly relative wearing.

Do a little research of the different eras and get to know desirable vintage labels to look out for. If the sixties cater well to your tastes, look out for St. Michael’s, Aquascutum, and Biba originals. If the seventies are more your thing, search for Levi bell bottoms and old-school graphic tees. Remember to check the quality of everything that you like the look of and try things on before purchasing. Vintage stores rarely offer refunds or exchanges, so you will want to be sure that they fit and have fully functioning zips and no missing buttons or moth holes before paying.

Upcycling

Upcycling is slowly but surely becoming a more common activity. It is a simple process where you transform items that you already own. You can upcycle all sorts of things: furniture, accessories, and (most exciting of all) your wardrobe. You can turn jeans into shorts for the hot summer months, pillowcases into cute beach tote bags, or perhaps just jazz up a jacket with pins and patches. Whatever you decide to do, upcycling puts your personal touch to your clothing. While someone else might have the same base item, yours will almost certainly stand apart from it.

DIY

If you find that you enjoy upcycling, you might want to try out something a little more complex, but even more rewarding: making your own clothes from scratch. This gives you a lot more freedom over your garments, as you can choose the exact design, fabric, and fit. Start out with simple patterns and follow online tutorials and advice pieces. It may take a little time before you start producing things that you want to wear, but practice makes perfect and developing this brilliant life skill is definitely worth the effort.

Altering your look may take a little time, effort, and planning. However, it’s better to get started sooner rather than later. This will allow you to see positive changes and results as soon as possible!

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