Do you ever find yourself saving your 'beautiful' or 'nice' pieces in your wardrobe only for 'special occasions' or events?
Or maybe, you feel like you 'CAN'T' dress a certain way because other people around you may not dress in a similar manner?
If this sounds like you, you're not alone! Believe it or not, this is a recurring theme in many conversations I have with clients.
If this resonates, and you do find yourself always choosing to dress 'down' to blend in with the crowd, or stash away your 'nicer' pieces only to be worn once in a blue moon - I'm going to give you some fresh perspective on these two common scenarios.
Scenario 1:
You're most likely to dress in a way that is practical and comfortable for your everyday lifestyle - and in itself, you justify the reason why you aren't able to wear your 'nicer' pieces more often.
Of course, comfort and practicality are key when it comes to daily dressing. However, a common misconception is that comfort/practicality and style exist independently of each another - meaning, you can either be comfortable/practical OR stylish, but never both.
What if I told you that comfort, practicality and your style can co-exist?
For example, you definitely won’t want to be wearing a beautiful dress and heels while you are running around with your 3-year-old at the park. What you could do though, is to team the dress with a pair of sneakers instead (and potentially a denim jacket) to keep it practical and comfortable, while still feeling good in your favourite dress!
With simple tweaks, you can uncover ways to dress your items down, or differently - while still meeting the brief for your lifestyle. Ordinary days can then become opportunities to dress up and feel good in your clothing.
It's also an essential mindset shift to realise that our wardrobe operates as a whole, rather than segregated sections of clothing. In other words, each piece can be and should be worn in multiple settings (from casual to work to dressed up), depending on what the piece is paired with.
Scenario 2:
You pull out a potential outfit you're keen to wear, only to find yourself swapping it for something else more 'ordinary'. Deep down you worry what others may think, or say, about your outfit choice for that day, and so you opt for the 'safe' option.
When you do step out of your comfort zone and dress up, a passing comment or sometimes a compliment even, makes you feel uncomfortable, as though you've over-dressed for the occasion.
So much overthinking happens when it comes to our style and dressing, doesn't it?
Let's try this instead. Stop overthinking that comment or compliment.
It's likely it was given purely because you're wearing something outside your norm. This gets noticed and therefore, commented upon - with no offence intended!
If you begin to dress in a way that sparks joy and feels like you all the time, this will become your new normal and others will start expecting this of you without even realising. You are in control of switching up the narrative at play!
It's almost crazy to think that in these scenarios we've just played out, the fact of the matter is that we are the ones saying NO to our style. NO to us wearing something 'nice'. NO to being the person we want to be that very day.
You deserve so much better!
It's time to start saying YES to you. YES to your style. YES to wearing that 'pretty' dress today, even if you are only going to the park, or a cafe. Say YES to looking and feeling good in what you choose to wear. And 100% YES to the compliments!
Give yourself a permission slip to play, experiment and have fun!
And guess what? By giving yourself permission to wear whatever makes you happy and feel good, you're forging the path and giving others the same permission to show up for themselves.
Your best style awaits you when you step out of your own way. Are you ready to do that for you today?