Welcome to the Diva Dressing blog and wear (ha ha) shall I begin!
The earliest quote on clothing that I can find is from Epictetus (a philosopher) in the year 55. He said;
“Know first, who you are; then adorn yourself accordingly”
Discovering your body shape and then buying your clothes is, and always has been, how to do it.
Clothes are a major part of everybody’s life 7 days a week, so it’s no wonder that we spend a lot of money and time ‘trying’ to get it right.
You have so much to take into account when considering what to wear – what’s available, the climate, the suitability of your attire and what’s considered to be in fashion. Also your family upbringing and home life, your religion and even what sports you play; all contribute to your style of clothing.
On top of all that you have a personality that you want to show off through your clothes.
When you dress for that night out some of you are looking to blend in with the crowd whilst some of you want to stand out and be noticed.
I’m sure that a lot of you have worried about what everyone else is going to be wearing, and then spent all night comparing yourself to the other people there.
A lot of your worry will come from the subconscious knowledge that you’re being judged, like you judge others!
Let me share with you a short story
At a recent networking meeting there was a speaker talking about creativity. I had arrived late and missed the introductions.
When the speaker stood up to do his talk, I switched off. He was dressed in a light grey pinstripe suit, with a pale multi pin striped shirt, no tie, and brown loafers. Added to this, his hair needed a trim and was greying at the ends. He was also about 5’6” in height.
None of these things were bad on their own, but the overall look was insipid! He had come from the Corporate world and hadn’t left the suit behind.
He failed to press the right buttons with me because his look didn’t match what he was portraying – Creativity Speaker. As a none-judgemental person, he had to work harder because I didn’t believe in him from that first moment.
After 5 – 10 mins of speaking he had me totally enthralled and I learned loads; but that first impression is so important.
Some of you will wear a uniform or suit for work, which will remove the worry of what to wear (most of the time).
The panic can then ensue outside of work when you receive an invitation saying smart/casual. This is definitely a challenge as it’s so hard to define. I’m sure you’ve all gone to party feeling either over dressed or under-dressed.
As you know the process of ‘dressing’ isn’t that easy or straight forward.
However, what if you could ‘turn it all on its head’ and say you can go out of the house always knowing that you look good?
Well, you can!
No matter what your body is like, you just need to ‘dress for your body’. Accept your body, warts and all – you all have parts of our bodies that you don’t like.
Part of you feeling good in your clothes is accepting your body. Dressing to make the most of all your ‘good parts‘; and balancing out the ‘not so good parts’.
This will send your self-confidence soaring and then when you go out – you feel more confident and less inclined to compare yourself to others.
When you get it right the world opens up for you
If you’re looking for more reassurance then read on…
Marie Claire Carlyle http://www.marieclairecarlyle.com was a successful Feng Shui consultant and business coach when she came to me wanting to update her look (and subsequently, her wardrobe).
Marie Claire Carlyle had come from a corporate background and felt happy in a suit. She wanted a new look and ended up with one that aged her and didn’t do her justice. Her look was quite ‘hippy’ with long skirts and shapeless tops and long wild hair.
We reassessed her look and went for a much more girly fun look. The skirts became shorter – knee length instead of calf. The jackets and tops became more structured and tailored, and her hair became a short cheeky bob. She became more confident in herself as a result.
This has allowed her to grow, and now she is a publisher author http://www.moneymagnet.com/ and has recently been on stage as a speaker with Jeffrey Archer.
She’s also working towards raising 1 million pounds for a charity http://www.themonastery.co.uk/ having made some wonderful new contacts.
Back to what Epictetus said;
“Know first, who you are, then adorn yourself accordingly”
There will be more hints and tips to come over the coming weeks which will help you understand more about your body shape and how to dress more confidently
Bye for now
Sal x
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