Do you look at your wardrobe, shrug and want to walk away? Are you uninspired? Do you wear the same basic uniform every day? Have you thought about calling it quits with fashion?
Just so you know, everyone gets into slumps about what they’re wearing. It often takes months and sometimes even years to realize we’re in a slump. That’s the bad news. The good news is that you can get out of a slump and have fun with clothes again real soon.
Let me show you where I’m headed with this. Clothing yourself is one thing. That’s getting dressed.
Then there’s getting dressed with intention. Then there’s getting dressed and leaving a pleasurable impression.
It’s your choice and there’s help available if you need it. (More about that later.)
We’ve all been left with pleasurable impressions by how someone looks. It could be a stranger in the grocery store, someone at work, a sales associate at a store or someone in your book club. When you see them, your eyes want to linger and take in their look.
Perhaps her look is creative and clever, and it makes you smile. Maybe it’s a friend who consistently wears color in her outfits in ways you haven’t, and it pleases you.
Let’s say you’re ready to leave the fashion slump and dress in a way that puts smiles on faces of strangers. One strategy is to find something that’s already pleasing to you and then go for it with a little more gusto than you have so far.
Here are some ideas for you.
Leave a pleasurable impression with your use of color.
This could be as simple as introducing some pleasing colors into your wardrobe. Every fashion season there seems to be an emphasis on a few specific colors. One excellent color resource is Pantone. This is a company that does color forecasting. If you want inspiration, start there. Or simply go to a retail store where you can pull items from the rack, walk over to a full-length mirror and hold them up to your face. Which colors make you happy? Choose a few colors to play with in clothes, coats, shoes, handbags or scarves. Bringing color into your life will inspire you and make you feel refreshed.
Leave a pleasurable impression by adding one more accessory.
Coco Chanel is famous for telling people to add accessories to their outfit, look in the mirror, take one thing off and then step out into life. As people, in general, are looking more and more casual in their dress, I don’t think this is a rule that applies at this time.
If you like rings, add one more to your fingers than you have. If you like bangles, create a cluster of them for your wrist. If you like finer, more delicate, jewelry wear two or three necklaces at once. Make accessory additions to your outfit, not subtractions.
Leave a pleasurable impression by wearing one stand-out piece. Even if your lifestyle is casual or your workplace is more relaxed, you can always walk out the door wearing one standout piece.
One way to picture this is to think about how you’d dress a table for dinner guests. You may use your everyday dishes and cutlery, but you have fresh flowers at the center of the table in your favorite vase. The centerpiece brings the eye in and then leads you to the other accents you’ve used. So think of the standout piece as being on par with the centerpiece of that dinner table.
Your choices are many. Let me suggest a few.
It doesn’t take a lot of change to feel a big lift. Clothes and accessories are here to be enjoyed. When you wear them in a pleasing fashion, you are making someone else’s day brighter as well as your own.
I’d love to help you make some adjustments to your wardrobe, one’s you’ll find pleasing. It’s all possible. Give me a call or send me an email and we’ll get an appointment on the books. You’ll love the results!
By Tehillah Blech Harris
Tehillah is a NYC-based image consultant, style assessor, wardrobe planner, closet editor and personal shopper. She has over 30 years of experience in the fashion industry and is now doing what she loves best. She’s transforming people’s lives by helping them express themselves more authentically through their appearance. Clients gain confidence and streamline their closets by only buying and wearing clothes that look great on them. And have fun in the process! www.up2date.nyc�
