Why You Think Personal Style Isn’t For You
You think that style is for a certain type of person.
You think it’s reserved for those who live in the big city, rich people or “pretty” people. I mean, I kind of get it. Personal style is often linked to the fashion world, and let’s be honest—that place has a big reputation. For many fashion as an art form is a point of historical or creative interest, but the world in which fashion inhabits carries a reputation of glamour, exclusivity and opulence as if you must be part of the in-crowd in order to participate. While personal style borrows concepts from fashion, that’s not the whole story. Not even close. Fashion isn’t for everyone. Finding your personal style, (the way I think of it), is a holistic approach to make getting dressed easier and ultimately more gratifying. Style is for everyone.
You think caring about your appearance beyond a certain level might seem vain, selfish and/or attention seeking.
Here’s the thing, at some point you will have to put clothes on your body to enter public domain. Why not put something on that makes you feel confident in your own skin? Wear something that makes you feel like your best self. When we feel confident, we are more likely to have positive interactions with others and we are better equipped to handle the inevitable ups and downs that life throws at us. Think of self confidence as the foundation from which we build the life we want to live and personal style is a tool we can use to foster that confidence. Feeling confident in your own skin isn’t vain or selfish nor does it mean you’re asking for attention.
You don’t have time.
I think what you might mean by this is that you don’t have the energy to think about personal style. If you’re sitting there feeling overwhelmed by the idea of going shopping or putting outfits together, let me put a stop to the madness. I’m gonna hit you with some knowledge here: 1. You can find your personal style without shopping, (in fact it’s actually preferable), and 2. whether you find joy in it or not every time you get dressed you are putting an outfit together. Having a dedicated personal style saves you time and energy by taking the guesswork out of getting dressed. Daily dressing becomes faster and easier and you will always have an appropriate outfit to wear for every occasion in your life. Except perhaps your wedding day.
You don’t know where to start.
I have people in my life who feel this way and I understand how this might make you think that style is simply not for you. Good news: I’m here to guide you. Personal style doesn’t look the same for every individual and it can be confusing to sort through all of the information out there on this topic. As I stated previously, you don’t need to have an interest in fashion in order to be stylish. The only requirement is that you take an interest in yourself. In my opinion the best place to start is by asking these questions:
How do I feel when I look at my closet? Do I feel at ease or overwhelmed by what I see? Do I feel excited, bored, filled with dread?
How do I feel when I’m wearing my clothes? Do I feel comfortable and confident? Or do I feel a bit anxious and/or out of place?
These questions are a starting point to get you thinking intentionally about your wardrobe. I think of personal style as an intentional expression of how we feel (or how we want to feel) and how we want to be perceived. This expression can be seen in the physical form of hygiene, hairstyle, clothing, jewelry, tattoos and makeup. Personal style is also conveyed by expression that is felt rather than seen i.e., the way in which we value ourselves, how we communicate with others and our unique personalities. These two forms of expression are so interconnected that one often effects the other. If getting dressed is in anyway a struggle for you, this will most likely effect the way in which you go about your day. And vice versa, if you’re feeling worn out from a long week at work for instance, you may find it difficult to motivate yourself to pick an outfit appropriate for your day ahead.
My goal is to make getting dressed easier and stress free for you so that you can go out into the world living and being your best self in spite of the hard days.
There’s a lot of information to unpack here and I plan to cover more topics over the coming months. If you’d like to stick around and see where things go, I would be honored to have you. Thanks for reading.
Britt