Liking how you look can be complicated in this society. Sometimes “dressing to impress” misleads us into only caring about what others think about our outfits. Sure, there are certain societal standards that would give some people firm boundaries surrounding their outfits, but there are always ways to incorporate a little personal style into any outfit or uniform. Ultimately, the person we should be impressing the most is ourselves. When we love how we look, it shows up in our confidence levels, how we feel, and our productivity.
The world tends to make us feel shallow when we “care too much” about our appearance. Just know that there is a difference between caring about yourself, your appearance, your hygiene, and your self expression and being self-absorbed. Dressing from a more purposeful place is the type of expression that allows us to be the best versions of ourselves. Mix colors, textures, and silhouettes that make you feel good in order to raise your outfit to the next level.
Even if you are a little constrained by workplace dress code, you can always incorporate something to your outfit that makes it feel a little more “you.” For example, even in very corporate settings, incorporating your favorite colors into your shoes, makeup or blouse can make you feel that much more comfortable and confident. If you haven’t heard of the “dopamine dressing” trend, you definitely should check it out and maybe add some pieces to your outfit that make you smile!
Of course it’s more than just a trend, it’s actually science that putting thought into how you dress has a positive effect on your self-esteem, confidence, and overall outlook on life. The psychological term “enclothed cognition” is the concept that our clothes affect our moods, attitudes, behaviors, and interactions. In fact there are many psychologically proven ways to “dress for success” (Sarda-Joshi, 2016). Dressing in a uniform, like a lab coat for example, can make someone more conscious and thoughtful while performing their duties, while wearing a tailored suit can give you the confidence to get down to business in the boardroom!
Ultimately, dressing well takes thought and effort so make it count! The benefits of dressing for yourself are unmatched. These ways to upgrade your wardrobe and dress to impress will have you feeling confident and ready to take on anything life throws your way.
Dress your body type
Everybody deserves to love their bodies and your body deserves to be loved by you! No matter what body type you have, there is a silhouette, pattern, or color that can accentuate the parts of your body that you already love. Whether it’s apple, pear, hourglass, or rectangular, dressing your specific body type gives you maximum confidence even if you’re still working on loving your body completely (We see you, body-positive warriors).
Pick a color palette
Do you have cool, neutral, or warm undertones? Undertones sometimes make a difference in how certain colors either enhance your complexion or wash you out. Even certain metallics can seem to clash against specific skin undertones. Warmer skin tones generally take well to gold whereas silver sits pretty on cooler undertones. Neutral undertones? You can pretty much wear whatever color you want and still look 100% fabulous.
Nonetheless, don’t hesitate to incorporate your favorite colors and patterns. Maybe you have a specific power color that makes you feel confident and strong. Do some research on the psychology of color and maybe incorporate some specific colors to encourage you to feel a certain way for certain meetings, presentations, or events. Again, you could try dopamine dressing, the theory that dressing in brightly colored clothing will help you feel good and ultimately give you a “shot” of dopamine.
Find signature looks
Have you ever looked at someone wearing a uniform and gotten kind of jealous? The ease of getting dressed in the morning when you wear a uniform is unmatched! Look to some of the most financially successful people in the world for inspiration and create your own uniform. This doesn’t mean you have to only wear jeans, a black tee shirt, and sneakers. Make it completely unique to you! When building your wardrobe, get many of the same or similar silhouettes so your confidence is a no-brainer when you get dressed in the morning. Accessories can work well to add variation and style to your uniform!
Get clothing altered
Clothing is supposed to fit your body and never the other way around. Garments that fit how we want them to is the goal here. Generally this means the fit is both comfortable and becoming. Find a tailor or seamstress near you or find a top online tailor that you trust and get your clothing altered to fit your style preference.
A vital piece of knowledge for using a tailoring service that will make things go a lot smoother is to know that it is much easier to take fabric away from a garment than to seamlessly incorporate fabric. Ultimately, if you have clothing that needs alterations, you will have the most success with clothing that fits a little bigger and needs to be tailored down.
Regardless, have your clothing fitting like a glove with online tailoring or by going to your local tailoring shop. It’s worth the investment and can make a huge difference in how you feel about your wardrobe.
The best way to dress to impress is to wear what makes you feel comfortable! By using these 4 tips as a guideline, you’ll gain confidence in your image just by upgrading the way you dress.