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How to Establish Your Style Trademark

Here’s how to find that *thing* that everyone will associate with you.

Last Updated on April 24, 2020 by Calli - LSU
This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you purchase through our links. Please read our full disclosure here.
Woman wearing a headband
Headbands are a popular style trademark.

Are you a fan of girls with distinct personal style, but unsure of how to personalize your own look? Do you want your sense of style to scream “you”? If so, you should establish your very own style trademark!

A style trademark is a certain look or piece you wear all the time, that people immediately associate with you. For instance, the character Blair Waldorf‘s trademark is the headband. Most of her outfits would just not be complete without the addition of a cute headband. Sometimes they are simple and other times they are elaborate, but nonetheless, Blair usually seems to have a headband incorporated into her look. Having a style trademark is a great way to personalize your look and set yourself apart from everyone else.

Here are some ideas to get you started towards finding your style trademark. Just remember that my ideas are only examples to guide you in the right direction. Your trademark should be 100% YOU!

Tips:

  • Choose something that makes you feel comfortable and confident! You wouldn’t want your trademark to be high heels if you cannot walk 10 feet in them without stumbling.
  • Do not choose a trend as your trademark! Something trendy will go out of style after a few seasons, so your trademark may not seem very fashionable after a while.
  • Remember to choose something that gives you a wide variety of options so that you don’t look like you have the same exact outfit on every day.
  • Make sure your trademark translates to all four seasons. You wouldn’t want to choose flip flops, for example, because your toes would be quite cold in wintertime.
  • Wear your trademark all the time! If you want people to immediately recognize your style, you have to rock your trademark as often as possible. After a little while, people will come to know you for that look.
  • Do not be afraid to change your trademark after a while. If you choose miniskirts as your trademark, you may not still want to be wearing them when you’ve joined the corporate world! Your style is likely to change after a few years (see: How to Change Your Style), so your trademark can evolve too!

Trademark Ideas:

1. Choose a color that looks great on you!

For example, if the color purple makes you happy and draws attention to your flawless skin, you could choose purple as your trademark. Some great purple pieces to invest in would be accessories, cardigans and overcoats, because these can be easily incorporated into your everyday attire without causing you to frequently repeat outfits.  It would also be helpful to have tops, skirts and dresses that include the color purple.

Here are some examples:

Purple clothes and accessories

Cloche Hat-Urban Outfitters, Peacoat- Delias, Leopard Tights- Forever 21, Tee- Marc by Marc Jacobs,  Fishnet Gloves- Girl Props, Belted Dress- Modcloth, Cardigan- Forever 21, Flower Headband- Charlotte Russe, Heels- Unlisted by Kenneth Cole, Sequined Top- Forever 21, Purse- Coach, Eyeshadow- Urban Decay.

2. Choose an accessory that you love!

Scarves are a great accessory to choose as your trademark because they are so versatile. Patterned scarves can add interest to a plain outfit, while solid colored scarves can mix and match with almost anything. Scarves are also wearable in all four seasons – there are thick ones made to keep you warm in the wintertime, as well as scarves made out of lightweight materials to keep you stylish in warmer weather.

Trademark Scarves

Yellow Scarf- Modcloth, Silk Print Scarf- Monsoon, Green Scarf- Aeropostale, Boa Scarf- John Lewis, Blue Scarf- H&M,  Purple Fringe Scarf- Forever 21, Colorful Plaid Scarf- Forever 21, Purple Tassle Scarf- Lucky Brand Jeans, Black Stud Scarf- Refinery 29, Turquoise Floral Scarf- Dorothy Perkins, Black and Purple Striped Scarf- Debanhams, Equestrian Print Satin Scarf- Miss Selfridge

3. Choose your favorite type of clothing!

If you adore showing off your lovely legs and are not a big fan of jeans, skirts would make a great choice for your trademark! They are feminine, stylish, and great for showing off your figure!

Skirts are extremely versatile – you can completely change the look of them simply by choosing different tops to pair them with. You can dress them up with a nice blouse and heels, or dress them down with a cute tee and flats.  You can also add tights or leggings in the colder weather to keep your legs warm. The possibilities with skirts are endless!

Trademark Skirts

Blue Simple Knit Skirt- Forever 21,  Purple Skirt- H&M,  Floral Print Skirt- Miss Selfridge,  Lace and Pinstripe Skirt- Forever 21, Chevron Sequined Skirt- Forever 21,  Black Satin Tulle Skirt- Wet Seal,  Plaid Flannel Skirt- Forever 21,  Tweed Bow Skirt- Forever 21, Purple Lace Skirt- Ruche.

4. Choose your favorite type of shoe!

If your feet hurt at the mere thought of sky-high heels, but you hate the look of athletic shoes, ballet flats would be a great choice for your trademark. They are super cute and extremely comfortable. Ballet flats are also typically less expensive than heels, so you can afford to buy lots of them and have a pair for every day of the week! Flats can be worn with almost any outfit, including casual jeans and dressy cocktail dresses, so they’re a great choice for a signature piece.

Ballet Flats

Metallic Gold Flats- Forever 21,  Pink Glitter Flats- Forever 21,  Silver Bow Flats- Hot Topic,  Teal Pointy Toe Flats-Piperlime,  Black and Pink Flower Flats- Pastry,  Cream “Ballet Flats” –Refinery 29,  Purple Bow Flats- Debenhams,  Folk Print Flats-Delias,  Skull Flats-Hot Topic,  Black Patent Studded Flats- Jeffrey Campbell.

5. Your favorite beauty trick can be your trademark!

If you are a style chameleon who just cannot seem to find a common denominator among your many outfits, you can have a signature beauty look.  The trick is to choose a beauty look that stands out, so people will notice and remember it.

One way to do this is to get inspired by vintage hair and makeup trends. Perhaps you could cut your hair into a short bob to resemble a 1920’s flapper, use bright red 1940’s lip color, or wear dramatic eye makeup inspired by the 1960’s. For tips on vintage beauty trends, check out Fashion Era, where you can find all sorts of information about fashion and beauty from the 1800’s to today.

If you aren’t really into the vintage look, you could use more modern beauty tricks, like coloring your hair a daring shade (à la Hayley Williams of Paramore), or wearing brightly colored eyeliner to match your clothes.  Just remember to pick your trademark according to your own personal taste and style, and always stick to it for best results.

What are your thoughts?

Did you find this article helpful? Are you going to try to establish your own style trademark? Do you already have a signature look? If so, what is it? Let me know what you think by leaving your thoughts in a comment!

Tags : Ballet Flats, Blair Waldorf, eyeliner, Hayley Williams, Leighton Meester, Makeup, Personal Style, Purple, Scarves, skirts

11 Comments
Originally published on January 16, 2010
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Comments

  1. Kitty says

    April 15, 2019 at 10:33 am

    More on Hayley Williams please, I absolutely LOVE her!

    Reply
  2. Kathleen says

    April 15, 2019 at 10:33 am

    This is a good post! It gives every girl a chance to be creative and unique. My style trademark is the peace sign. I wear it every day, whether it’s on my clothes, bags, jewelry, etc. Everyone knows that it’s “my” thing. lol 🙂

    Reply
  3. [email protected] An Ordinary Girl's World says

    May 27, 2019 at 10:11 am

    Fantastic Post!!!
    It seems like something Zephyr would write! Great job!

    My style trademark:
    boho whimsical outfits in aqua blue or purple, with cocktail rings and funky hair accessories

    It SCREAMS me ! and everyone knows me for them, even people I don’t really know.
    It’s great having a style trademark…

    Reply
  4. Grace says

    April 15, 2019 at 10:40 am

    Honestly, I’m not sure about my trademark.

    I’m always wearing a witty tshirt though. I’m still working on getting my own signature style though. So…Yeah.

    Reply
  5. Emily says

    April 15, 2019 at 10:33 am

    This article is brilliant.

    Weirdly enough over the last month I’ve been buying more and more purple items as I love the colour. So I’d have to say that was becoming my trademark.

    I think a colour is a lot easier as a trademark than a specific item.

    Reply
  6. laura says

    May 27, 2019 at 12:07 pm

    My trademark is definatly my fire-truck red doc martins, I wear them everywhere. A few people who don’t know me very well just refer to me as ‘the girl with the red boots’ and i love it. I also wear red lipstick a lot, and a ton of different jackets.

    Reply
  7. Joyce says

    May 28, 2019 at 10:24 am

    Oh I would love an “Inspiered By” piece on Hayley Williams. Her look is so amazing.

    Reply
  8. Taryn says

    April 15, 2019 at 10:49 am

    Would NEVER EVER wearing make-up be considered a trademark? That’s kind of what I’m known for.

    Reply
  9. Fayfay says

    May 29, 2019 at 5:16 pm

    Omg this was LOTS of help. It’s 2012 & I wanna show my more improvement in confidence and break away fom my cliche skool

    Reply
  10. lila says

    April 15, 2019 at 10:33 am

    my trademark is my hair sorta clipped up into a low bun adn tucked into a knit beret and with my bangs sorta waving out with pretty silver earrings. its really cold where i live so it protects my hair from drying out, and deep condtioning my bangs helps too.

    Reply
  11. Deirdre Cloke says

    May 17, 2019 at 7:03 pm

    My signature style is DEFINITELY pastels! Pastel skater skirts and pastel lip stick is what I’m starting to get noticed for the most!!

    Reply

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