Did you know that the way you dress each day affects the way you feel and how you behave?
I’ve always suspected this to be true, but I had it confirmed recently when I was the speaker at a networking meeting. I asked the women in the room to tell me how different clothes affect their feelings and behaviour:
- One woman shared how when she’s had her hair done she feels great and is far more likely to go out and have some fun.
- Another woman explained how she has realised that she MUST wear expensive shoes in order to feel good. They are like her armour.
- A third described how much better she feels now she has ditched her suits. In this formal attire, she felt boring and uncomfortable and they didn’t reflect her personality at all. She’s embraced a more casual business style that makes her feel truly authentic and far more confident.
How can we learn from these women?
If you’re anything like most of my clients, you’ll have a wardrobe crammed full of clothes, half of which you can’t see. The odd piece will have dropped off the hanger and be lying in a crumpled heap on the floor.
In the rush to get out of the house every morning, you may have fallen into a daily habit of pulling on one of the same two or three outfits which take no thought at all (literally a ‘noneedtothinkaboutfit’).
Let’s change things up a bit.
I believe we all deserve to feel empowered, beautiful and special every day so I’d like to set you a dressing challenge.
You’ll need to take an hour out of your evening sometime in the next week. Be armed and ready with a few bin liners. (Don’t worry; this isn’t a full-on wardrobe clear-out but a way of finding inspiration.) Here’s what to do:
- Pull everything out of your wardrobe.
- As you are handling your clothes, be aware of which pieces you never wear and don’t really like. Pop them straight into a bin liner destined for the charity shop without pausing for thought.
- Next, take all the ‘noneedtothinkaboutfit’ pieces and hang them back up in the wardrobe.
- Then take each remaining piece and start to consider how you might wear it in a more casual way.
- If you buy clothes for particular activities, such as: ‘everyday wear’, ‘special occasions’, ‘going out’, and ‘work wear’, select one or two pieces that are in your ‘going out’ category. This week put some thought into wearing them in a more casual way. A sadly neglected jumper with a sparkly thread, originally bought for a night out, could easily be worn in the daytime with jeans and boots. Give it a go. I bet it’ll make you feel fab.
I’d love you to do me a favour: when you’ve had a go at mixing up your special stuff with your everyday wear, come back here and pop a comment in the box to let me know how you get on. I’m looking forward to hearing about what you’ve come up with!
Or, if you’ve found it too difficult, challenge ME! Which pieces do you have that you can’t get rid of, but you never wear? I’d love to help you get more value out of the clothes that you’ve already got.
