Seven Ways to Destroy an Outfit

Picture yourself:

Pulling one piece of clothing out of your closet after another, glancing at each one before frustratedly throwing each one to the side with a huff of disappointment. After nearly pulling your hair out in frustration, you’ve finally settled on what to wear. You’re ready to face the world… Or are you?

You walk out the door. By the time it’s too late to turn back and change your outfit…You’ve realized you don’t feel like yourself at all. Anxiety lingers in every social interaction as you realize: You’ve killed your outfit… And we don’t mean in the badass-slang-form of the saying.
You’ve destroyed your outfit.

In this post, you will find seven things that will ruin your outfit… A forewarning that can give you direction away from what not to do, so you don’t have to face the scenario above.

X Wearing something quirky, only in hopes of grabbing attention.

We all, deep down, desire to be noticed and known for who we are. Wearing something wildly unique may get all eyes on you…But first ask: is it truly your style? If not you’re more likely to look back at this choice with regret. It’s so much better to be known and loved for who we truly are, without too many bells and whistles getting in the way.

X Grabbing that clothing piece that you know makes you feel uncomfortable.

Physically uncomfortable, or emotionally uncomfortable, both? Itchy, scratchy, heavy, sheer, tight, loose, hanging in all the wrong ways, revealing all the wrong things? Doesn’t matter which–Any could keep you from being able to enjoy the moment. You need to feel free to move about and be yourself, without feeling self-conscious. It may be a cute piece, but maybe it’s time to grab something new…Something that’s just as cute…but fits you, body and soul, much better.

X Obsessing over trends.

Trends are fun. They bring a sense of “newness” into the fashion world. But when they are your only focus, and the only deciding factor in how you choose what to wear, you are ultimately imprisoning yourself in the ever-changing opinions of others and neglecting the opportunity to shine in the true confidence of who you are.

X Wearing something from another culture, just because it’s “cool”.

In our newly ultra-connected world, we get to have a peek at the lifestyles of people (and communities of people) whom we would not have heard about if it wasn’t for globalization. Culture is fascinating. Diversity is beautiful. It’s so new and exciting to discover how people do things differently than we do. And ohh the styles!

Bindis, feather headdresses, cornrows… May all be very pretty, may be very cool… But there’s so much more to them than that!

There’s nothing racist about enjoying another culture or even desiring to participate in it. But we still need to be sensitive. We need to learn and respect the meanings behind culturally significant pieces, and most of all respect those who the culture does belong to. If, and only if, we can identify with the meaning and not offend those actually from that culture, then we can consider wearing something from it. If you don’t consider these things, you’re just taking something that matters tremendously to somebody else, chewing it up, and spitting it out all over your outfit.

… I don’t know about you, but i think that regurgitating an outfit is a pretty surefire way to ruin it.

X Choosing not to care because you feel that you’ll never measure up.

Who’s to say you don’t have more than enough potential? And who’s creating the “rules” to measure by, anyway? If you feel like you’re not fashionable enough to have great style, please know that’s one of the biggest lies ever told in the fashion world. Style is personal. For that, it is always beautiful, so long as you’re wearing what expresses you… And that’s regardless of “fash-un“, Haute Couture, stick-thin runway models, and the fading trends of the time.

Take a little risk and share yourself, and the things you like, with the world. <3

X Choosing not to care because “F*** what other people think!”

What you think matters. What you feel matters. If you feel like the same doesn’t go for the person next to you, a moment of introspection might be needed. Caring for others comes more easily out of a care for ourselves… The same can be said the other way around: if we don’t care about others, it’s not unlikely that we’re not entirely happy with ourselves. Maybe you feel like other people don’t accept you like they should… But by being angry about that, it shows that you might deep down, a tiny-little-bit, believe the negative things people have thought about yourself. You do matter. I believe that!

Respect goes a long way. Dressing in a way that others can appreciate–or not dressing in a way that makes people feel uncomfortable or offended–can make everybody involved a little happier. Including you.

I believe you can absolutely be you and express that through your style, without hurting those around you or being hurt by them yourself.

X Fearing what others think.

When it comes down to it, your clothing is an extension of yourself, and fearing what others think of you gets in the way of you loving yourself. You are wonderful and have your own unique set of aspects to share with the world!  The people who matter most in your life will be able to see that–worrying about the thoughts of those who don’t know the value of your heart does nothing but hurt you and dull your beautiful shine.

Confidence is your most beautiful accessory.

– xoxo, Alissa

Not sure where to begin with re-defining your style? I want to help you discover the styles that are really you so that what you wear each day is something you truly feel confident walking out the door in. Let’s set up a chat and get you started with a personal style consultation!