What's Your Signature?

From the Writer's Desk

The best dressed people I know all have one.

There was a point where it felt like everyone was trying to look different.

Ironically, we all ended up looking the same.

One week it was quiet luxury. Then the clean girl aesthetic. Then coquette. Then tomato girl. Then office siren. Fashion exists as a constant cycle of trying on new identities, and social media made it almost impossible not to. We see hundreds of outfits before breakfast. Inspiration has never been easier to find.

And honestly, (hot take?)... I don't think that's a bad thing.

People are dressing better. They're experimenting more. They're taking risks they probably wouldn't have taken ten years ago. Someone who never would've worn a scarf in their hair is trying one because they saw it styled on Pinterest. Someone else discovers linen, starts layering jewellery, experiments with colour. That's exciting. Fashion should evolve.

But if trends are constantly changing, what actually stays with you?

I've been thinking about that a lot lately.

Because it feels like we're entering another shift. People still love trends, but they're also looking for something that's theirs. Something people immediately associate with them.

A signature.

There was a time when you could recognise someone across the room by one detail alone.

The woman who never left home without a red lip.

The friend whose bangles announced she was coming before she did.

The aunty who wore the same gold hoops every single day.

I believe that never really disappeared. I believe social media just got so loud that those little signatures became harder to notice.

And now.. thankfully.. they're back.

Having a signature doesn't mean every outfit looks the same. It doesn't stop you from experimenting or trying something completely different. It simply gives your wardrobe a thread that runs through it. Something familiar. Something unmistakably you.

Mine?

Probably statement accessories.

If you've seen me a few times, you've probably seen the same oversized necklace too or bright coloured cap too. It finds its way into almost everything I wear. White mini dress? It's there. Jeans and a T-shirt? Still there. I don’t think I really consciously decided it would become my thing. One day I realised I kept reaching for it, and somewhere along the way other people noticed too.

That's usually how it happens.

Your signature isn't always the loudest piece in your wardrobe. Sometimes it's the one you replace immediately when it breaks. The one that somehow makes every outfit feel finished. The one your friends borrow once and immediately say, "This is so you."

And I think that's why signatures matter.

Fashion is always going to move. Trends will come and go, colours will change, silhouettes will come back around, and in another ten years we'll probably be laughing at the things we're wearing now.

A signature grounds you in all of that.

It gives you something to come back to while still leaving room to play.

So this week, I have a question.

If someone had to describe your style in one sentence, what would they say?

Would they mention a pair of earrings you never take off? A stack of rings? A favourite colour? A great blazer? A scarf tied somewhere?

Or are you still figuring it out?

Either answer is perfectly okay.

Don't overthink it.

Wear the scarf. Buy the earrings. Put the lipstick on.

You'll know it's your signature when it starts feeling strange to leave the house without it.