What is fashion? What are clothes? These are not the questions we grapple with when trying to figure out what to wear to college or work. We just want to look good and wear clothes that help us do that. And clothes often extend that helping hand. They help our confidence, empower us, and see us through times of joy and even sadness. They become the voice of our hearts and mind and help us express those thoughts and emotions that we may find difficult to articulate through words. In this article, we’ll see how fashion helps us express ourselves.
Fashion inspires confidence
Confidence is often seen as the key to feeling good. But that’s only half the story, for it’s also a key to doing good. When you’re confident, you are operating on another level. You are learning, co-operating, creating, and succeeding at the same time. Confidence is a process, a journey, a feeling that anyone can learn to acquire. Our bet, the shortest way to it is through your clothes. Colors that suit you naturally, silhouettes that flatter your form, and textures that offer a shell of comfort can boost your confidence in no time. And whether you’re hanging out with friends or meeting deadlines at work, your confidence will speak loud and clear through your clothes.
Fashion fuels the power that rests inside us
If you’ve ever watched the TV series Mad Men, you must have noticed how impeccably dressed all the characters were. Centered around American advertising in the 60s, it bore testimony to the fact that when sharp wit is delivered in a sharp suit, the impact is all the more potent.
Power is not only a goal of entrepreneurs and business people but it’s the very essence that drives them. And this stimulus isn’t limited to bosses and super bosses only. An intern, for example, can invoke that sense of power within them simply by choosing their clothes carefully. Think razor-sharp suits, tailored black coats, muted blazers, and pantsuits and you can create a ‘here-to-get-things-done’ aura around you.
When you opt for formal clothes for work, especially as a beginner, you show that you’re serious about your career; and that you value the company you’re joining and the trust they’ve put in you. It shows that you wish to contribute with the same earnestness that you’ve shown in choosing your workwear.
Fashion accentuates our best moments
Fashion has been synonymous with many things and fun has been one of them. The association of fun with fashion is in fact so intimate that it comes naturally to most of us. Think about it, whenever there’s an important occasion to attend – a wedding, promotion, night out, weekend getaways – your clothes become the centre stage of your attention. You spend hours contemplating the perfect pairing, the most comfortable nightwear, the sassiest gown, isn’t it? And it’s not only because they’ll help you live the moment but that they’ll also make a walk down memory lane a pleasant one. In short, fashion not only speaks, it echoes!
Fashion is for all times, even gloomy ones
Life is difficult, in case you haven’t figured that out already. It’s full of problems and often hard to navigate. There will be days when you’ll feel down and out. Those days, fashion, in all likelihood, will be pushed to the back benches of your mind. While you brood over a loss or betrayal, how will you find the time to rock a dress? Fair enough, but considering that problems are a dime a dozen in every life, it makes sense to have a wardrobe ready for the challenge.
There are two ways that fashion can help you deal with such days – one, with bright colors and soft textures to trick your brain and lift your spirits, and second, with oversized garments in muted and neutral colors (a real thing) that can extend much-needed comfort your way. While a word of encouragement and wise, practical advice goes a long way, one shouldn’t underestimate the healing power of the right color, fit, and fall when the going gets tough.
Fashion does not talk as we do, but that doesn’t mean it does not speak. Once you master its language, become well-versed in its grammar, and are sensitive to its many dialects, you’ll see how fashion will help you find your own voice and express it loud and clear.