Everyone is familiar with the adage, “Confidence is key.” While this saying is commonly applied to fashion, it is also applicable to other facets of your life. You need the confidence to approach strangers and make new friends. You need it to secure business contracts and get that promotion. You need it to build people’s trust in you and forge deeper relationships, whether for work or your personal life. Indeed, the effects of building one’s confidence go beyond just looking good.
That said, fashion and confidence-building, while not exclusively related, are still deeply connected. Studies have consistently shown that the clothes you wear can affect your mood and vice versa. For example, when you’re feeling down, you’re more likely to wear clothes that don’t fit you well and have a somber color. On the other hand, when you wear clothes that you feel good in, it boosts your confidence and you generally feel happier. Indeed, there is a close link between confidence and your wardrobe.
Considering how important confidence is in reaching your goals, building a wardrobe that gives you that extra self-esteem boost in the morning can go a long way. If you’re wondering how you can build such a collection, here is a quick guide that you can use to serve as your jumping point. After all, there’s no better day to start than today.
Look Back on a Moment When You Liked Your Outfit
Your experiences are your best references when it comes to determining something that you like. Think back on a time when you felt really good about wearing something. Remember how it felt on you and how you were happier and more confident with it on. It could be any kind of clothing—a nice blouse, a comfortable pair of jeans, or a flowing dress you got as a gift.
Once you’ve determined the garment that made you feel that way, analyze the reason why you liked it so much. For example, you were out shopping for ripped leggings, and you found a black pair that you loved. What was it about that particular pair that made it stand out from the other leggings? Is it the style of the garment? The color? The material?
If you can pinpoint the reason why you loved a particular piece, you can easily use this as a guide for building your wardrobe. Using the earlier example, let’s say you liked the black pair of ripped leggings for its material and high contrast against your complexion. Thus, when you get new clothes or curate your current closet, those are the parameters you’ll use to determine which clothes to put away and which to keep.
Go Over Your Wardrobe to Check the Style You Like
Another method that you can use to determine your preferred style is to go over your current clothes. People gravitate toward the things they like, so you must already have a couple of pieces that you wear all the time. Even if you’re a simple shirt-and-jeans kind of person, this will give you a clearer idea of your preferences and the fashion mold that you have for yourself. After determining the key elements of your look, you can then find new ways to break it while incorporating styles and colors that you still love.
To illustrate, let’s say that your current apparel collection is primarily made up of denim jeans and printed band T-shirts. Maybe you like how practical and versatile they are and how they showcase your love for music. Using these points as a reference, you can explore your outfit options beyond jeans and shirts. After all, there are other kinds of clothes that follow these parameters, so you can switch up your looks and diversify your wardrobe with new pieces that will make you feel more confident about showcasing these parts of your personality.
Research the Look You Wish to Achieve
With a better idea of your preferences, it’s time to explore the horizons beyond your usual style. There are many ways to accomplish this, including flipping through fashion magazines and going on the Internet. Use keywords that describe the material or style that you’re searching for yourself. For example, you can look up “comfortable streetwear”, “classy work clothes”, or “fall colors fashion” if you prefer a warm wintry palette. While browsing, save pictures that you like so you can create a fashion artboard, which you can look at as inspiration for creating your closet.
Aside from your preferences, the other most important thing you have to consider is your body shape. After all, some cuts and styles simply look better on certain body types than others. Instead of trying to force your body to look like one thing, dress yourself up in a manner that flaunts all your best assets. Not only will this help you avoid feeling disappointed if you don’t look like the model in the picture, but it also helps you get to know yourself better because you learn what looks gorgeous on you.
Focus on What Makes You Feel Great
People currently live in a world that is saturated with visuals. Commercials, social media posts, large billboards—all of these work to sell and encourage select standards of beauty. They continuously enforce the image of what counts as attractive, and if you look different, it’s easy to think that you’re not beautiful. It’s important to remember that people come in all shapes, sizes, and colors so it’s unrealistic to expect that you would look the same. Instead, each person is lovely in their own way.
Hence, rather than worrying about whether you fit the current standards or not, focus on making yourself feel good instead. Wear clothes that make you happy. Many clothes in the market are as stylish as they are comfortable, so you won’t be sacrificing one for the other. By finding that balance, you can look great while feeling more confident at the same time.
Add Something Different to Spark Interest
While it is important to use a wardrobe that makes you feel comfortable and confident, it’s important to go out of your comfort zone once in a while. After all, fashion is continuously evolving, and you may see some new styles and trends that pique your interest. Moreover, you’re constantly changing as well, and your preferences from last year might already be different from what they are this year.
Thus, add something different once in a while. It could be a new blouse with a different neckline or bright-colored sneakers rather than your usual neutrals. Changing things up with different accessories, in particular, is an excellent way to freshen up your look without completely abandoning the style you have discovered for yourself.
Take the Time to Build Your Wardrobe
Building confidence takes time and a lot of work. It requires you to go out of your comfort zone, and that’s not easy for everybody. However, it’s work that’s worth it because it allows you to explore new opportunities and try new paths which you never would have encountered had you not. Thus, having a wardrobe that gives you that extra boost every time you get dressed is not only a game-changer in your personal fashion but also in your life. It may seem like a small thing for now, but over time, as you feel more comfortable in your clothes and your skin, you’ll watch your confidence grow as well.
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Hi! I am author + writer on personal development, beauty, relationships and self-care, sharing insights through this blog since 2018. After years of practicing personal growth, emotional wellness and feminine lifestyle (plus 19 years in a thriving relationship), I share effective and tested advice to help you foster beauty, self-improvement and order in your life. Some articles are written by a small team of beautiful writers I trust.
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