Do you look at your wardrobe, shrug (or sigh with dismay!) and want to walk away? Are you feeling uninspired or bored? Do you wear the same basic ‘uniform’ every day and would love to shake things up a bit but don’t know how?
Would you love to feel like this woman every time you get dressed?
Have you (gasp!) even considered filling your closet with athleisure wear and blending in with everyone else so you don’t have to think about it anymore…
…although we all know that doesn’t really work!
Just so you know, everyone gets into a slump now and then about what they’re wearing. It can take month after month of feeling bored when suddenly it hits you…you’re in a wardrobe slump…a rut…and it doesn’t feel good.
That’s the bad news.
The good news is that you can get out of a slump and feel more joy when you get dressed.
Let me show you where I’m headed with this. Clothing yourself is one thing. That’s where things like athleisure wear and an endless supply of yoga pants comes in.
Then there’s getting dressed with intention hopefully with the ultimate (and achievable) goal of expressing your own brand of joy and beauty.
You get to choose! (I know…when you’re in a slump it doesn’t feel like you get to choose…you just feel bored or stuck…but you really do get to choose and I can help.)
Have you ever seen someone – maybe a stranger in the grocery store, someone at work, a sales associate at a store, or someone in your book club – and you feel a true sense of delight …….. When you see them, your eyes want to linger and take in her look.
Perhaps she exudes creativity with a clever twist and it makes you smile. Maybe it’s a friend who consistently wears color in her outfits in ways you haven’t and you can’t stop looking at her.
First things first…don’t get down on yourself because you don’t feel your look is as delicious as hers. Take a breath…let that go and move forward.
So now, let’s say you’re ready to leave the fashion slump and dress in a way that excites you and, as an added bonus, 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:
1. Add delicious radiance with your use of color. This could be as simple as stepping out of your typical black or neutral uniform and introducing some new lovely colors into your wardrobe. Every fashion season there seems to be an emphasis on a few specific colors. Perhaps there is one that you’ve been wanting to add to your wardrobe. Choose a few new colors to play with in clothes, coats, shoes, handbags, or scarves—scarves are a great way to experiment with color without having to commit to or invest in an entire outfit.
Or maybe try adding a pair of colored tights to that basic black dress or skirt. You could even buy a new pair of sunglasses with a colored frame—we all feel more ‘cool’ and fashionable in sunglasses!
Bringing beautiful colors into your life will inspire you and make you feel refreshed. (*See below if you can’t tell what colors make you sparkle.)
2. Bring a smile to your face by adding one more accessory. One area of fashion where the sky’s the limit in terms of having variety is accessories. Yes, people, in general, are looking more and more casual in their dress, but accessories are still popular. And, when you make choices that suit your personality, body shape and enhance an outfit you never have to worry about being over accessorized.
Look around…you’ll see everything from a minimalistic approach to accessorizing with a hand full of rings and a pile of necklaces all on the same person! The key is to find the right mix for you. If you aren’t sure, experiment a little and see what happens.
- If you like rings, add one more to your fingers than you wear now.
- If you like bangles, create a cluster of 3 or more for your wrist.
- If you like finer, more delicate jewelry wear two or three necklaces at once—layering is very popular and never feels like too much when done with delicate pieces.
- And, if you have been eyeing a pair of shoulder grazing earrings go for it!
If you aren’t sure, make it easy by wearing just one standout (that doesn’t mean it has to be gigantic…just beautiful to you) piece. Even if your lifestyle is casual or your workplace is more relaxed, you can always walk out the door wearing one fabulous item.
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.
And, imagine your one stand out accessory bringing focus up to your face.
Your choices are many. Let me suggest a few:
- A blazer in a beautiful pattern when you’d customarily have chosen a solid color.
- Carry an oversized handbag or, if that feels too scary, try a handbag in a pretty color. An exaggerated shape or unusual color draws someone in, and they can’t wait to see the rest of the outfit.
- Instead of wearing a black or tan coat, wear one in beautiful blue or red or, if you can find it, one in a warm autumnal shade (if that suits your natural coloring).
- Wear a simple outfit and have fun with your shoes. Maybe choose a pair in a pretty plaid, an unusual texture or a punch of color and give your black or brown shoes a break.
- Tie your scarf in a new way or wear a bulkier scarf than usual. As long as it doesn’t overwhelm you, that little bit of extra volume adds drama and draws focus to your face.
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.
This happens in two ways:
- They delight in seeing the beauty you have created in your outfit,
- Your self-confidence and joy are contagious and people will feel your uplifting energy.
The most important thing is that you do something different (but still in keeping with who you are) to edge you out of your wardrobe slump so getting dressed feels fun again!
Experiment! If you don’t like what you create you can take it off and no one else has to see it. But, when you hit upon something you love, you’ll be excited to wear it and break the out of your fashion rut!
Want more inspiration or to share a success? Feel free to join my free Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/YourTotalImageWithGinger/
And, if you are completely stuck and find yourself grabbing for the same old black pants and top because you don’t know what else to wear, check out my 6-week class ‘Create Your Personal Style in 6 Weeks’
