Image taken from www.vogue.co.uk
What is your fashion story? How did it start?
I recently saw a pair of patchwork jeans by Victoria Beckham that put my senses in a spin. I was suddenly taken back to being 15 and wearing a pair almost exactly the same. I matched them with a pair of black suede cork wedges and a horizontal black and white stripe jumper and I felt so grown up, so cool. I'm pretty sure I remember stomping my way into English class on a 'jeans for genes day' thinking 'these are the best jeans ever.' I remember feeling secure in myself, head held high.
I was never the best at sport, I wasn't the best academically and the boys appeared not to be interested in me, but fashion and clothing gave me a creative outlet and a way to define myself. An opportunity to say 'I'm not as boring as you think', or maybe a more likely story, 'not as boring as I feel.' I shaped who I was through my clothes, carved my way out of those awkward teenage years. When you are a teenager you have the endless hours and time to dedicate to thinking about yourself, you are so consumed in your own life that shaping who you are and who you want to be is possible. So what happens as you get older? Your early twenties aren't too bad for thinking about yourself but as soon as career or babies or just general life start to take over, how do you continue to shape, carve and curate your style for the life you want to lead. For the you of today and perhaps most importantly for the you of tomorrow.
Seeing these jeans was a small reminder of the role that fashion has played in my life, how it has shaped my memories and experiences and how it can continue to shape my life and experiences to come. However where I was in fashion then is very different to where I am today and I wonder how I would feel in those jeans now (if I could fit in them!) Despite the Victoria Beckham ones looking so similar they are different. A higher waist, a different silhouette and even through they evoke the old memories they will probably match my evolved feelings. The patchwork jeans have moved on and so have I.
So how does fashion exist in your world? What is your clothing tale and how can you mould it to your advantage? Use it to boost yourself and more successfully communicate who you are.
Here are great 3 ways that you can use fashion to boost your now:
1. Conquer Change
We all have to face some rather overwhelming moments in our life from new job to new baby to saying goodbye to an old marriage or an old way of life. By encouraging ourselves to try something new, something we never thought would work we can see that we can evolve and that change will be the making of us.
Tip for Tomorrow: Pop into an independent shop you would never normally go in and be open to what you see, get curious and think 'could this be me?'
2. Elevate yourself
Does the world really see how fabulous you truly are? Are you fulfilling your dreams?
You may be a success, you may have the dream job, the dream life. You may not. Wherever you are in your life adventure, there is a high possibility that you can lift your game. By wearing the clothes of the you of tomorrow, stepping up your standards when it comes to what you buy and most importantly how much you buy you will see your confidence lift and elevate to the level you dream of.
Tip for Tomorrow: Wear more tailoring with your casual gear to feel more 'put together'.
3. Grow your self-perception
Take care of yourself, give yourself a little time to look after you. So often we berate ourselves, tell ourselves we are not worthy and when we start to care a little about our appearance we can shift our self-perception.
Tip for Tomorrow: Try a new outfit combination. Pick your outfit in all one colour but differing tones.
I often hear people say "oh I remember it the first time round so won't be doing it again" but for me I don't really get that. I get excited about the prospect of asking, is it for me, do I still love it, how would I do it differently, how would I do it better? So don't just write off trends for yourself as been there done that, this time around could be quite a different experience. What would you like to change? Where are you in fashion right now? And most importantly where will you be in fashion tomorrow?