I wonder how our experience over these past two years has affected how we feel about the way we dress.  Has lockdown affected our dressing confidence?   Without a doubt.

We adapted to a half-life and adopted a more casual wardrobe to feel safe and comfortable.  Perhaps we have lost our identity and forgotten how to dress and show up?

I am convinced that being locked away on a diet of leisurewear and above the waist dressing has impacted upon our confidence.  We overlooked the very comfort we can enjoy by dressing for self-expression, the joy of dressing up and the way that makes us feel.

Has lockdown affected our dressing confidence?

Being intentional when you dress

With that in mind, I wonder how intentional you were when you were planning your wardrobe this morning?  How much thought you gave to the clothes in your wardrobe?  How did you select those clothes?

The clothes we wear are an expression of our unique and individual identities.  Our clothes have the power to elevate us, support us, differentiate us, enhance our personal brand and fill us with joy. The good news?  We can choose how we want to look and how we want to show up.

Believe it or believe it not, our wardrobes and the clothes within hold the secrets to looking good, feeling great and showing up in the most positive way we can.  Be more deliberate in your choices and ask yourself how you wish to present yourself to the world that day.  Connecting ourselves to those feelings through our clothes really can help raise our confidence.

To me dressing in leisurewear promotes a more relaxed feeling, that akin to a day off, snuggling on the sofa to read a good book or watch a film.  We associate certain clothes with differing scenarios.  Similarly a suit transports us to formal work environment perhaps or a wedding.

How can clothes elevate how we feel?

Remember how the garment made you feel

So how can dressing differently or swapping those casual clothes for smarter attire, elevate the way we feel?  Elevate our confidence.  Let’s just think about that.

Remember the outfit that each time you wear it, you feel fabulous…on top of the world, on top of your game.  It could be a dress, killer heels or a blouse with bold pattern….our clothing is powerful.

Remember how that garment made you feel? When you wore the dress, the killer heels?  Empowered, happy, fired up, powerful or capable?

These are all real feelings that we can enjoy and experience from our clothing.

There's always the outfit that generated a compliment

Maybe as an extension of this you received a compliment.  What about the flattering comments you received when you wore that dress or your killer heels?

There is incredible elation from this kind of reaction.

We feel fabulous and seek opportunities to replicate that surely?   So our clothing engenders positive associations – the date night blouse when we met our partner, the interview suit that landed our dream job, the beautifully cut trousers we treated ourselves to when we went self-employed.

Did our leisurewear ever provide us with this kind of reaction?  Fired up and ready to take on the world?  I’m imagining not.

Do you need an extra level of Confidence?

Lingerie can provide an extra level of confidence

Consider our day to day activities and how we are often required to influence, educate, challenge, encourage or to inspire?  Do you agree that sometimes you will find these tasks more challenging when you need to be the expert?

Through my own experiences, I have learned that confidence in our clothing eases those occasions when we need to flex our muscles.  For me, my choice of lingerie always helped to empower me and provide an extra level of confidence.

 

 

When you dress this morning, ask yourself how you would like to feel in your clothes, how you would like to present yourself and connect your clothes to those feelings.  I’d love to hear your thoughts or if you need help to unlock your own dressing confidence code, do get in touch.

Jackie Crawford

Image Consultant

07494 644788

Feature image credit Lindsley Weddings