How to upgrade your everyday outfits

How do you feel about your everyday outfits? 

How much effort do you make if you are having a WFH day or are just doing jobs/relaxing?

The reason I ask is because this might be an area you choose to focus on and I have a simple strategy that can get you feeling great, even on your most casual of days.

I firmly believe that the way we dress affects the way we feel and our energy levels. You can choose to dress for your mood or dress to change it.

For example, on a day when you have a lot to do, perhaps including an important call or a task that feels out of your comfort zone, and you’ve woken up feeling a bit out of sorts and lethargic, you can trick your body into thinking all is well. Just make a bit more of an effort with your outfit, your hair and your make-up and you can make a huge difference to how you feel. You are literally stepping into the shoes of someone who has their sh*t together and then your mind can be tricked into that behaviour.

On the other hand, if you wake up feeling lethargic and dress for your mood in comfy loungewear, you are more likely to continue your day in that vein and not achieve much at all. (And sometimes that’s exactly what we need, so never be ashamed of that!).

Just be aware that it’s a choice.

So, if you are ready to step up your everyday wear and feel productive, stylish and ready-for-anything, here are some ideas for you to try:

1. How much value do you place on your everyday casual clothes? 

What I typically see is women spending a fortune on special occasion wear that they use once or twice a year (or in a lifetime!) and very little on the clothes they wear day in, day out. 

I say switch this around. Buy higher quality, nicer pieces for every day. Higher quality usually means better fabrics that cope better with the wear and tear and laundry process, so your clothes stay nicer for longer.

Remember, everything that you put on your body sends it a signal. When you live in tatty old pieces, you aren’t showing your body the love it deserves.

Think about buying better quality and wearing clothes that feel great each and every day. 

2. Downgrade your categories

Firstly, remove the lowest rung – the worn out, tatty old pieces that are not really fit for purpose. Let them go. Then, make your slightly worn everyday favourites your ‘scruffs’. This category is good for housework, gardening, dog-walking etc.

Then, downgrade some of your ‘best’ pieces to become everyday wear. When I buy new knitwear, I keep it for ‘best’ for a while. Once it’s had enough best wear and is slightly less perfect than it first was, it becomes everyday wear and then eventually ‘scruffs’. That results in one of my favourite winter dog walking outfits being cosy cashmere. I wouldn’t dream of investing in cashmere for dog-walking, but once it’s served me well as a smart jumper, then an everyday jumper, and maybe has a couple of little holes in it, it’s perfect for walks. Think about how you could downgrade some of your pieces and wear your nicer pieces every day.

3. Don’t forget to style your outfits

Just as you wouldn’t dream of getting all dressed up for a night out or a special occasion without including hair, make-up and jewellery to your outfit, think about how you could style your everyday ones. This doesn’t need to take very long, so there really is no excuse. You don’t need ‘big’ hair and a face full of make-up every day but you might feel a million times better with some little touches to your looks.

Wear your jewellery, decide whether you are tucking in your top or deliberately wearing it over your waistband. Roll up your sleeves to show your wrists, add a bracelet. If you have a waist that you like to draw attention to, add a belt to your outfit. Think about the footwear that actually works with your outfit rather than always relying on the same pair of trainers. These small areas of attention can add up to a fab daytime outfit rather than feeling like you’ve thrown on your clothes and not valued how you look.

Let’s get your casual outfits feeling as good as your smarter ones! Leave me a comment to let me know which tips you’ll try.