Clothing Style Confidence

It’s that time of year when we are thinking about our fall wardrobe and ways to incorporate transitional pieces into the upcoming season. While some of us have no problems getting our wardrobe in order, others of us may struggle a little with putting it all together. Maybe you worry about finding pieces that are stylish but not overly trendy; worry about finding pieces that reflect the image you want to project; or have concerns about finding pieces that flatter your body.

If you have any of these worries, you may lack clothing style confidence. According to a 2018 article, clothing style confidence is described as confidence in the way “people express themselves with clothing and accessories.” Those with clothing style confidence value appearance, yet aren’t “slaves” to fashion. They tend to choose pieces that are timeless, and reflect “authenticity”, “individuality” and “self-expression.” They have a sense of what flatters their body; enjoy being creative with their clothing; and know how to mix and match pieces in ways that create multiple outfits. Their closet is well organized which helps them develop outfits easier. And they maintain their clothing well which contributes to longevity, a hallmark of sustainable consumption.

Clothing Style confidence: Getting your closet organized  

If clothing style confidence sounds like something you might need this fall and beyond, a good place to start is your closet. What do you have, what do you need to let go, and what do you need to buy? 

What do you have?

Let’s focus on the state of your closet. Is it overflowing with clothes you’ve never worn, filled with clothes that look the same, or crammed with ill-fitting pieces?

One way to tackle a disorganized closet is to first figure out what type of lifestyle you want to have. Choose 3 main areas that are important to you—maybe career, relationships, and health; and organize your wardrobe around those areas. For instance, a wardrobe suitable for work may be something that’s important to you; and if you’re looking to grow your relationships, perhaps you need outfits for nights out or weekends. And if you’re into strengthening your body, you may be looking to add workout gear to your wardrobe. Identifying these three areas will help you to better decide what to let go of and what to keep. 

What are you going to let go?

The next step is to purge your closet. While there isn’t one way to do it, it should be done in a manageable way so as to increase your chances of success. One way is to get garbage bags or baskets for clothes you no longer wear. One set of bags will be for clothes that are damaged in some way and can’t be worn as is; and the others will be for clothes that can be worn but no longer fit, are outdated, or some other reason. In order to practice sustainable habits, you want to avoid just throwing these clothes in the trash. Consider how the clothes can be repurposed (dish rag, pillow?), or have them recycled.

How are you going to put your clothes back?

Once you’ve removed unwanted clothes, put the remaining clothes back in your closet. But  don’t just put them back haphazardly, organize them in a useful way. One way to do it is to consider the three main areas, career, relationships, and health; and assemble outfits that fit those areas . Keep in mind that these outfits can be changed and one outfit may fit multiple areas, but it helps you to start thinking about what can go with what. When you’ve created these outfits, you can put them back in your closet as outfits organized according to the three main areas.

You can also choose to go department store style. That is, create a section for shirts, pants, dresses, etc…And you may choose to color-coordinate the sections or arrange them by type, i.e., work shirts, weekend shirts. If you arrange them by type, keep in mind that there will likely be some overlap as many clothing pieces are versatile. For instance, some clothing may be able to be worn both to work and to the gym. 

Once you have your closet organized, you can better determine what pieces you need. But before you accumulate more clothes, be sure you know what pieces enhance your body image. This may be something you’ve already got covered, but if the concept of body image triggers complex emotions, here are some things to consider. 

Clothing Style confidence: Body image/Type

Know how you feel about your body

Before you focus on what flatters your body, it helps to be clear on how you feel about it, or how you feel about yourself in your body. These are complex issues that may take some time to unpack; but it helps to start thinking about it, and how it impacts the way you dress. A 2015 study showed that those with a poor body image are less inclined to purge their closets because it requires them to engage with their clothes, and perhaps determine fit– something they’d rather not think about. As a result, their closets remain disorganized, and they cope in maladaptive ways such as purchasing more clothes they either don’t need or won’t wear; or just wear the same few pieces repeatedly. 

So if you have body image issues that make it difficult for you to begin dressing for your body, you’ll want to start addressing it in the healthiest way possible. This way you can begin to appreciate your body (even if you don’t love it yet) and dress it in a way that makes you feel your best— a necessary component of confident personal style. According to the 2018 article, those with clothing style confidence have what they call “aesthetic perceptual ability.” That’s basically a fancy way of saying they know what looks good on them, and can put clothes together in an aesthetically pleasing way. Of course what’s aesthetically pleasing to one person may not be aesthetically pleasing to another. But if you wear something you like and feel good in, and others respond positively to it, it’s a good sign you’ve tapped into a sense of style that inspires others. 

Be aware of the different body type systems

While the concept of dressing for your body is something we generally espouse; the concept of body type itself can be controversial, and there are varying opinions about how bodies should be categorized. One of the most well-known body type systems focuses on silhouettes and body parts. They consist of five body types including hourglass, apple, pear, rectangle, and inverted triangle. Generally speaking, this body type system focuses on creating balance with the hourglass shape as the standard. And the clothing recommendations typically involve helping you create balance by hiding problem areas. So if you are an inverted triangle shape, it’s recommended to wear clothing that adds curves or volume on the bottom in order to balance out the wider top.  

Another fairly popular, but perhaps lesser known body type system is the Kibbe body types. This system, developed by David Kibbe, was created to address some of the problems associated with the idea that certain clothes are suitable for only one body type. It focuses on the way our body moves in clothes; and argues that clothing is flattering if it embraces our “essence” and is well-integrated into our sense of style. The Kibbe body types focus on the softness (referred to as yin) and structure (yang) of our natural body shape; and includes five main types and 13 subcategories. The main types include dramatic, classic, gamine, natural, and romantic; and it recommends we choose clothes that harmonize with our body. Special attention is paid to the lines and drape of the clothing  to ensure it complements our shape and uniqueness. For instance, a dramatic is thought to be tall and angular with little to no softness. So the recommendation is to wear sharp, geometric clothing with crisp tailored pieces and vertical lines to enhance the height and angularness of the body.  

A quick internet search will show a host of other body type systems, and all have been critiqued in some way. You may find one that works for you, or you may take bits and pieces of several and apply them. While others can give input, it’s ultimately up to you to define, embrace, and dress your body. Maybe you’ve decided you’re a pear shape (wider at the top than the bottom) and also fall under the category of natural (considered a “soft yang” with angular, blunt edges). As recommended, you can decide to wear clothing that balances out your top (e.g., voluminous tops); or you can focus on your “blunt edges,” and choose clothing with relaxed, loosely constructed silhouettes. Overall, learning what most flatters your body is an ongoing work in progress, particularly as we get older and our body shape changes. But once you have a working understanding of what looks good on you, you can dress with increased confidence.

Note: If you are looking for stats on how body image issues are impacted by social media, particularly among younger audiences, check out this resource on social media addiction and mental health issues, lanierlawfirm.com/social-media-addiction/statistics/.

Clothing Style confidence: Shopping on a budget

Make a list

Once you begin figuring out what suits your body, you can make a list of the clothing items you want to buy. Of course, you’ll want your list to be informed by research. One approach is to do an internet search of the pieces you need and figure out what you like. This is purely about waking up your sensibilities so don’t worry about price tags, just take note of the pieces that speak to you. Next, do comparative research to see if the pieces you like come at different price points. This way you can be an informed shopper; and better prepared to shop on a budget. 

Shop anywhere

When you’re shopping with a limited budget, consider low budget or discount shops. You’ll be surprised at what you can find at Walmart or discount stores. In this age of the world wide web, nothing is new, and you’ll be hard pressed to find clothing no one else has access to. So it’s not so much about what you buy but how you style it. 

And don’t rule out vintage or thrift stores (which I love). While you may be able to find more one-of-kind pieces there, keep in mind that it might be difficult to build a capsule wardrobe within a short period of time from vintage stores, particularly if you have specific ideas of what you want. The art of vintage shopping is to have loose expectations because you never know what you’ll find. So while it’s possible to create a wardrobe full of vintage pieces, it’s not likely something that will happen in one month. And a modern wardrobe has a mix of vintage and new pieces to create freshness. So focus on getting the clothes you need and mix it in with great vintage pieces as you find them. 

While shopping, it’s also important to choose pieces that will enhance your wardrobe. This involves identifying at least 2 other pieces in your wardrobe that each new piece will go with. This makes the pieces more versatile and an asset to your wardrobe. More than that, try to buy clothing that can be worn past one season. According to the 2018 article, those with clothing style confidence purchase clothes that can be used for a long time, and tend to opt for timeless styles. So if you are looking to build a wardrobe that doesn’t need to be switched up every season for the latest trend, consider buying staples pieces that you can wear long-term along with one or two trends you enjoy.

Consider color 

It’s true that the colors you wear have an impact on you and others. But the effect of color is complex, and its impact is attributable to a number of factors like our physiological responses to color, our cultural associations with it, our personal experiences with it, and the context in which it’s presented. Generally speaking, warm colors like red, orange, and yellow energize us while cool colors like green, blue, and purple relax us. For example, if you are looking to exude energy you may choose a warm color like orange. And if you are looking to exude a more calming presence, you may gravitate towards cooler colors. 

With budget in mind, you’ll want to consider the colors you purchase so you can spend your money wisely. Neutral colors like black, white, gray, or tan, can be subdued or dramatic. They act as background music when paired with brighter colors, and reinforce the characteristics of those colors. So while you need a variety of colors, you’ll want to make sure you have a fair share of neutrals as they can typically be worn with many other clothing pieces. Essentially, consider the colors you are drawn to, be sure to include neutrals, and know how to wear colors in ways that bring about the impact you are looking for. If you find you don’t have enough of your desired colors in your wardrobe, be sure to target them when shopping.