I did something amazing this week!...
Well, it was amazing to me, and might seem completely ordinary to you.
I joined an A road from a slip road to drive the kids to the summer club. This is something I’ve been dreading to do for years. Ever since I passed the driving test, I just couldn’t bring myself to doing it without an instructor in the car. I resorted to avoiding A roads at any cost, even if it meant going a longer route or taking public transport.
I know that everything takes practice, but…
HOW CAN YOU PRACTICE SOMETHING WHEN YOUR AND OTHER PEOPLE’S LIVES DEPEND ON YOUR CONFIDENCE AND SUCCESS??
I also felt a lot of shame around it, feeling inferior for not being able to do it. Always being in the passenger seat on the weekend whenever we drive anywhere, 4 of us, with my husband at the wheel. It didn’t help that I once gave it a go and said: “Right, I’m going to drive us!”... And then completely bombed it! I just froze and couldn’t do it! That scarred me for years… till yesterday!
And now I’m a changed woman, I’ve got a new positive self belief, that I can actually drive properly! Woohoo!
Sooo… my question to you is:
Do you ever feel inferior in the way you dress?
Perhaps you feel that you look boring? Or “too much”? Perhaps you have had a bad experience when someone told you that you look silly at school or you don’t dress appropriately for work and now you carry this belief around? Have you ever skipped an event because you had nothing to wear? Or walked into a room, feeling self conscious that you are dressed differently to anyone else?
Well, I’ve got good news for you!
Noone’s life depends on the way you dress, so you can experiment and practice, till you are happy with the way you look!
Here are 3 tips on how to go from feeling boring or too much with your wardrobe to feeling excited and proud of the clothes you own:
Look at celebs for inspo.
Now, this is dangerous if you don’t know how to do this.
Here is the main tip: Pick someone with a similar body shape. Look for someone with a similar height and build. Similar shoulders and ratio between chest/waist/hips.
Found someone? Great! Save their pics in different outfits on your phone or computer. You can print them off if you like and make a little moodboard for your wall. Notice the shapes of the outfits they go for, the types of prints, fabrics they choose. The length of dresses and the silhouettes, as these are most likely to work on you too.
2. Go through your wardrobe.
Put on some music and take everything out. And no go wild! Try on the combos from your wardrobe you’ve never tried before. Tuck things in or leave them out. Roll up sleeves or leave sleeves long. Just try, try, try.Try different cuts and different necklines. Straight silhouettes and the ones with the waistline. Clash all the prints and textures and see what happens, you never know what it’s gonna look like till you try. There is NOONE there to judge you. And take selfies of everything you try on. Then print out those selfies and lay them all next to each other. Notice which silhouettes and necklines look best. Which prints go well together?
Check out this article for ideas on how to layer the look and how to clash prints.
3. Go window shopping
YOU DO NOT NEED TO BUY ANYTHING WHEN YOU TRY THINGS OUT IN THE SHOPS. Just treat this as an experiment. Go to a big multi-brand shop and select 5-8 different dresses in different shapes. Try them on and notice what looks better on you - pay attention to necklines, fabrics, cuts, length. Is it fitted? Does it have a waistline? Is it frilly or minimal? Take selfies at chest level. You can do this with other clothes categories too: like layering: blazers, bombers, biker jackets, etc, or jumpsuits or trousers.
Done? Now go home and print them off and lay them all next to each other. What comes up for you? What looks best? Which neckline works?
Comment with one takeaway you found most useful in this article.