American costume designer Edith Head once said: “You can have anything you want in life if you dress for it.” Winner of a record eight Academy Awards for costume design, it’s fair to say she knew a thing or two about style! What we choose to wear says a lot about who we are. Consciously or unconsciously, the choices we make send out lots of tiny signals about our interests, our values, our ambitions and our goals. We are what we wear, and we wear who we are.

This year, as we celebrate International Women’s Day 2023, we’ve compiled a handy guide to a few different fashion trends, and hand-picked the perfect pens to complement each particular style. Enjoy!

 

Parisian Style

Ever since liberation from the corset thanks to Coco Chanel in the 1920s, Parisian fashion has been admired around the world for its effortless cool. The emphasis is on being casual and comfortable, though can be highlighted with one or two formal or designer statement pieces - think fitted blazers over t-shirt and jeans, or some tortoise Celine sunglasses with your favourite LBD. Parisian style is uncomplicated and chic, yet always with purpose. We all know the girl who likes to look like she’s just rolled out of bed, even when it’s taken an hour to pick out the fit!

Complement this style with Kaweco’s AL sport in stonewashed blue, a pen full of charm and character with a distressed, worn-in Sunday-afternoon look. Or, for something just a touch more sophisticated, Waterman’s Allure Deluxe features an engraved motif inspired by Parisian sights on its polished chrome cap, and a choice of colours for the barrel inspired by the French tricolore flag.

Hugo Boss Contour Brushed Navy Ballpoint Pen

Kaweco AL Sport Stonewashed Blue Fountain Pen

Waterman Allure Deluxe White Fountain Pen

 

Business Casual

Dark colour-schemes, classic silhouettes and uncompromised functionality are the hallmarks of this particular aesthetic. Although this style borrows a few things from classic menswear, it is easy to still look strikingly feminine with fitted shirts, pencil skirts or elegant loafers. Clean and simple, this look means business - and so do those who wear it.

Go for something stylish yet understated, like Otto Hutt’s Bauhaus-inspired Design 03 ballpoint, made from weighty brass and combining both matte and shiny details for a contrasting finish; or Faber-Castell’s Ambition with its clean, straight-edged profile and fine guilloche black resin barrel.

Faber-Castell Ambition Rhombus Fountain Pen

Otto Hutt Design 03 Ballpoint Pen Ruthenium

Sheaffer VFM Gunmetal Grey Rollerball Pen

 

Minimalist

For the minimalist, simplicity is everything. After all, a cluttered wardrobe means a cluttered mind! Often particularly eco-conscious, this person shuns fast fashion and opts for quality over quantity. Their wardrobe is likely to contain only a handful of tshirts, a pair of jeans, a few all-occasion dresses. This pared-back approach also means avoiding garish patterns and bright colours, since every item needs to work with everything else when you’ve much less to choose from. Neutral tones and a clean aesthetic makes for a simple yet elegant look.

Check out the LAMY xevo for the epitome of simple yet effective - lightweight, light in colour, but unlikely to lighten your wallet. Or for something stylish yet organic, the Sailor 1911S feels like an extension of one’s own hand, with its cigar-shaped barrel finished in a neutral ivory.

Sailor 1911S Ivory Gold Trim Fountain Pen

LAMY xevo Light Grey Ballpoint Pen

Parker IM Brushed Metal Gold Trim Fountain Pen

 

Girly Style

As renowned 20th century philosopher Cyndi Lauper once said, ‘girls just wanna have fun!’. While not universally adopted, this mantra has guided the lives of many women since, and will continue to do so long into the future. And why shouldn’t it? Whether or not you want to admit it, we all know how much fun it can be to embrace the girly aesthetic. Pastels, pinks, glitter; sugar, spice and everything nice.

Add a zip of lemon to your pencil case with the Waterman Allure pastel yellow fountain pen, or indulge your inner princess with Sailor’s Pro Gear Shikiori Amaoto in gorgeous matte purple resin with a 21k gold medium fine nib.

 

Sailor Pro Gear Slim Shikiori 'Amaoto' Winter Rain Fountain Pen

Waterman Allure Pastel Yellow Fountain Pen

Otto Hutt Design 06 Pink Rollerball Pen

 

Neon Trend

Fashion really does seem to come and go in precise 20 year cycles. First arriving with the psychedelia of the 60s, returning for 80s glam and disco, then clubbing and nu-rave in the 2000s, and now once again in the 2020s - the rumours are true, neon is back! This aesthetic is bold, eye-catching, bright and really, really fun. No one who makes these colours a part of their outfit has ever taken themselves too seriously - after all, how can you while wearing a pair of neon green Wayfarers or a hot pink fishnet crop top?

Why not relive the Frutiger Aero heyday of the mid-2000s with a TWSBI SWIPE Pear Green Fountain Pen featuring a transparent polycarbonate grip section and ink preview window; or turn up the heat a little with the handy and portable Esterbook JR Pocket Orange Sunset Fountain Pen.

Esterbook JR Pocket Orange Sunset Fountain Pen

TWSBI SWIPE Pear Green Fountain Pen

Fisher Space Lime Green Bullet Pen & Green Leather Pen Case Set