Why you should dress for yourself. Let’s paint a picture here. You pick up a magazine and start lusting over all the models and actresses in beautiful outfits. You start a mental list of all the pieces you want. While you are out, you do a little bit of window shopping and see some stylish looking outfits that have been strategically put together with the specific goal of being sold. Your mental list gets longer. Then while you are out having coffee, a fabulous looking woman comes in. You know the one, her outfit was obviously made for her, she’s carrying the coolest bag ever and not a single hair is out of place, even though there’s windstorm going on outside. You resolve to go shopping to spruce up your wardrobe and everything spins out of control. Nothing fits, everything is wrong and you can’t quite make anything work. So what do you do? Do you try to dress like everyone else or do you choose the pieces that you really love?
WHY YOU SHOULD DRESS FOR YOURSELF
To be comfortable. The key is making fashion work for you and not the other way around. I’m not one to love wearing body con dresses and when they are on trend it’s something I stay away from. You want to stay contemporary, but that doesn’t mean you need to sacrifice your comfort for what someone else is telling you that you absolutely can’t live without.
To be confident. This speaks to the above point. If you are only relying on the advice and whims of designers and marketers then it’s likely that you will never really like what you have on. If you are never proud of what you are wearing then how can you possibly expect to be confident?
To be yourself. Your body is unique to you and only to you. In order to look your best, your clothing needs to fit well. You have a certain lifestyle. See how the word “you” appears over a half a dozen times in this paragraph? Well, that’s because if you follow what everyone else is saying then it’s no longer about you and your style should be about you. Sure, you can tweak it and you should as you get older and as your life changes, but you still have to remain true to yourself.
To be a part of society. Here’s the thing, an outfit can look amazing on a runway and you might be picturing yourself blissfully running down the street in crazy high stilettos, your billowy dress floating behind you held together only by a thin belt and did I mention that all this is happening in the dead of winter? Okay, but in reality that might look just a little strange and might be totally work inappropriate. Unless they are ready to wear pieces, it’s probably best to be inspired by a designers chosen fabrics, patterns and shapes rather than by the pieces themselves and even then, only if you really love them.
To be an original. I like to laugh that when I was in university, wearing all black, boots to my knees, hair to my waist, striking makeup, I was an “original” who looked exactly like everyone else. That’s the thing about what we see in store windows and magazines, everyone else sees those styles as well and they don’t capture just your imagination. To be an original, you have to add something real from yourself to the outfit.
While it’s completely normal to take inspiration from magazines, store windows and fashionistas on the street, it’s really important to stay true to yourself and your style. Be aware that your style and tastes will change, so it will be as if you are discovering a new you every few years!
So do you tend to dress for yourself or do your prefer to follow the trends?
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10 Comments
Such a good article. you know when you try to get a hold of that item EVERY blogger is wearing and it is just completely sold out everywhere… Haha… I was that person for a while. Not realizing that the fact that something is sold out everywhere means every woman and her dog is probably now sporting it. Super original.
As a mother to a rather active 2 yr old, I cannot run down the street in killer stilletos all day either. So I have been forced to make my own style – and I am far more comprotable in my own skin now that I can wear things that I am happy in, rather than whatever is in fashion tells me to wear. I realised a bit of a secret as well – It doesn’t help having a closet full of clothes if you don’t take care of your appearances. So I have got less clothes, but making sure they fit properly (the seemstress is my very best friend atm) and I spend less money on clothes and more on hairdresser and naildesigners etc to make sure I look well presented. Then – I can wear alomst whatever I want and it still looks good 🙂
I LOVE this! Thank you so much. I agree with you 1000% (yup more than 100). I totally laugh my head off when I’m walking down the street and there’s a bunch of girls in front of me and they all look the same! I think it’s something we all have to go through but I’m so glad I grew out of it!
xo
And to be happy 🙂
Alexander @ Mr Essentialist
YES! Thank you.
xo
I always dress for myself. I find that many things that look great on other women look awful on me. I also love being comfortable in what I am wearing. Thank you so much for this great article
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Some really fantastic points here, my biggest goal as a stylist to encouraging my clients to always be themselves and let that shines through in their wardrobe. It’s easy to want to follow “the norm” or trends, so I completely agree.
This is so true! I personally dress for myself and only follow fashion trends when I truly like them – and usually a couple years down the road when they’ve become more mainstream and people won’t stare at me in the street…
I’m extremely selective when I shop for clothes, I like to stay within my comfort zone, and in the case of fashion I think it’s a rather good thing. At least for me! There are so many styles that look great on models but terribly awkward on me.
I also always find it sad when I see a very pretty girl wearing a bodycon dress and platform stilettos who can’t walk without looking like a penguin because of her outfit and shoes… Clothes are made to be lived in, if you can’t perform normal movements like stand up and cross the street you can’t expect them to be flattering!
Beaumiroir
Totally agree! Baci, Valeria – Coco et La vie en rose NEW POST
YAY!
xo