The Power of a Good Outfit: Tips from a Fashionista
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The term “fashionista” has undergone a contextual transformation. Thanks to shows like “Sex and the City”, the once negative word used to describe shallow, materialistic women is now used to describe people who look to their clothing as an expression of their identity.
I was a very feminine dresser at 6 years old, wanting exclusively to wear dresses so that I could twirl around and see the reactions of the kids when the skirt ballooned up like a princess. I knew very early on, the power of a good outfit!
I recall fighting with my mother some mornings as she tried to get me to wear pants; a determined little thing, I won out most of the time and would rotate between 3 dresses each and every week. Now of course I realize that wearing the same outfit over and over again is actually a fashion faux pas but I used what I had at the time.
In Grade 4, Grunge became trendy and a mental shift happened; no longer did I long for sweet, girly clothes, now I longed for dark and dreary. For the next 3 years I would steel Metallica, Nirvana and Pearl Jam shirts from my brother. These shirts, already big on him, would swallow me whole but I remember thinking I was super cool and most importantly thought I was able to express a different side of myself.
It wasn’t until Grade 7 where I looked at my closet, full of hand-me-downs and traditional “boy” clothes that I asked my mom to help me trade in these dark, ill-fitting tees for some newer, form-fitting ones with colour. My mom excitedly went out to buy me a brand new wardrobe, I’m sure relieved, given that she was always super fashionable herself. Knowing that the task of putting together an outfit could take a bit of time, I started planning the night before, sometimes even trying on the clothes to make sure they worked together and that the proportions were spot on.
I recall my friend’s closets being filled to the brim with countless options, and while I only had a few pieces, my mom would tell me that quality was of the utmost importance and that it was better to have a few really good pieces than 100 ill-fitting, worn-out ones and so I was again forced to be creative. I would try to turn my old clothes into something new and fresh. I would cut my jeans into jean shorts, t-shirts into tank tops and mix and match items from my mom’s wardrobe with mine, if she would allow it. For Christmas, all I would ask for was clothes so that I had more options for layering and mixing and matching. What I wore and what the look said about me became a fundamental aspect of my late teens and early twenties.
“You cannot climb the ladder of success dressed in the costume of failure” — Zig Ziglar
After university, I interned in the buying department at Holt Renfew, Canada’s leading luxury department store. Day in and day out I was surrounded by fashionable women who enjoyed putting an outfit together as much as I did. This opened my eyes to even great possibilities, and it was here when I realized it’s not just about quality clothes after all. I was surrounded by women wearing the world’s most reputable brand names; Louboutin, Manolo Blahnik, Chanel. To distinguish yourself among this group of women required something a little extra. Sure, you could buy a YSL dress and put it on and feel fabulous, but the real fashionistas were the one’s who would combine that dress with something completely unexpected. I determined it takes more than a quality, trendy brand to be fashionable. To me it’s the ability to combine both current, vintage, expensive and inexpensive clothing for a unique look that is surprising and yet pleasing to the eye.
After many years of building up my wardrobe and countless hours spent researching looks, I still stand by the “power of good outfit”. When I leave for work in the morning and I’m happy about what I’m wearing, it can completely change my day. I’ll wear bright colours and feel cheerful, a flowy skirt and feel feminine or I’ll throw on some leather pants and feel kick ass.
Now I completely understand many people do not value fashion, and that is completely fine; however, if you do but just can’t seem to find the time or don’t know how to get started, here is my advice:
1. Determine first what you want your clothes to say about you. Consider your body the canvas, and the clothes as paint. When somebody looks at you, or more importantly, when you look at you, what feelings do you want the outfit to exude?
2. Now that you’ve figured out your style preference, don’t worry about innovating at the start. Find a “muse” who you think is the epitome of your style and copy that. My fashion muse is Olivia Palermo and I follow her trends on Pinterest. I save picture after picture in a folder and then try to see if I can recreate the same outfit from my closet. There are times, however, when I don’t have the right pieces and the outfit will be on hold. After time I almost forget about it all together and then bam…I’ll be shopping and a missing item will be there staring right at me. I get so excited to buy that item and finally be able to make the outfit I loved work. Sometimes this process can take over a year, but the hunt is just as fun to me!
3. I change my closet out 4 times a year for each season, meaning I put all the items that I know I will not be wearing for the next few months away in a bin or another closet so that each day, I am faced with fewer options. The less items I have to select from the better as it gives me a chance to stand back and assess each piece. It also forces me to be more creative as I now try to wear the same article of clothing in a different way.
4. Proportion is key. I’m 5 feet tall and understand that some prints are too big for my small frame; I want to make sure I’m wearing the clothes and that the clothes aren’t wearing me! Additionally, some styles just do not work on me; for example a romper I can rock, but a jumpsuit, never! If you’re not sure what works on you, try on everything in the store! If you’re in the change room and the initial reaction isn’t of excitement before the garment is even done up, chances are it doesn’t work. If you find yourself fidgeting with it, posing in different directions, then it probably doesn’t work. You should feel good from every angle! Trust that when you know, you know.
5. Make sure you spend the money and the time to get items appropriately hemmed and altered. Sometimes this makes the total difference between a good outfit and a great outfit. Also, what I find is that when I get something better fitted to me, I feel better. I am not spending the day nipping and tucking at my clothes.
6. At the end of it, the experience should be fun! Clothing is not like getting a tattoo, in that none of it is permanent. So try some things. Push yourself outside of your comfort zone just a bit and then wear it confidently because in the end, nothing is sexier than that!
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