Getting Dressed

Tracy McWilliams’ book “Dress to Express” is my favorite personal image resource for working to create a balance of self expression with desired personal image. I like the names of her clothing personalities, and I’ve also included additional descriptors and my own take on their meanings.

Clothing Personality: Actress (aka Dramatic)

Choosing clothing in this category supports a desire to be the center of attention. Every piece of an outfit will look like it was made for that body shape and incorporates to different degrees current fashion trends. Clothing is an artistic outlet to show creativeness.

• Flirty
• Unique twists on current trends
• Style, pattern, fabric matching guru
• Focused on your body’s natural beauty

Clothing Personality: Artist (aka Romantic)

Texture and pattern rule the Artist personality. Whether matching or not, clothing will be comfortable with a loose fit (that is not baggy or shapeless). The first thing that pops into my mind is bohemian, and this is just one facet of the artist personality. Ruffles and frills of layered lightweight fabric to the simple lines of matching cotton pieces fall into this clothing personality.

• Wraps and scarves
• Fringe, embroidery, ruffles
• Layers
• Fabric and jewelry with their own story

There are many ways to express yourself: tattoos, piercings, accessories, and the clothing we wear.

Clothing is the ultimate way to express your feeling. If you wear big baggy clothes, people will assume you are not in the best of moods or don’t like your body very much. If you wear clothing draws attention or focuses on a specific body part people see that you want to draw attention to yourself.

Many of us have clothes that we pull out when we feel fat, sad, happy. We also have clothing that we have for specific occasions that we force ourselves into when we absolutely have to.

Here’s A Thought

What if we only owned clothing that flattered our body shape and that made us feel good? If we didn’t have fat clothes, would we feel fat? Sure we may feel fat, however if we don’t have fat clothes to wear we can help ourselves overcome that feeling by wearing clothing we own that we like and that makes us look good. This is practical application of “Fake it ‘til you make it” and The Secret
When I tried to get rid of my fat clothes the first time, it was very very hard… I didn’t realize how much emotional baggage existed. I tried to give them away and physically could not part with them. It took some time to be able to remove them from the house. I started by removing them from the closet, and that’s a whole other article.

Clothing Personalities

In the coming weeks I will explore the prominent clothing styles that I regularly see:

• Actress
• Artist
• Classic
• Rebel
• Sporty
• Social

This list does not cover all the clothing personalities - mixing and matching them creates unique looks and new clothing personalities.

We, by what we wear, give others cues about how to interact with us. Our clothing gives us the ability to enhance our non-verbal cues and help others interpret us. Most importantly allowing our personality and creativity shine through what we wear makes us feel good.

I love silk - from the weight to the texture.  Most of all it is warm to wear when cool and isn’t too warm when it is hot.  It is easy to wear to work and for non-work functions.

As far as taking care of silk, I’ve always thought it was hard.  Well, it isn’t so difficult after all to maintain silk garments and keep them look as beautiful as when they were first purchased.

Stains

Removing stains from any item of clothing can be tricky, and silk is no exception.  Techniques will vary based on the type of silk.

Depending on the type of stain, there are several solutions offered by Silk Roads.  Tips for our work-wear silk include:

Butter and other Animal Fats (this may also include coconut oil):
Wash in warm sudsy water if a washable fabric. If not, sponge dry fabric with a grease solvent, e.g. laundry pre-soak…

Gum:
Scrape or peel away as much as possible first. Rubbing the stain with ice will harden the gum and make this easier…

Coffee & Tea:
Remove fresh stains from cotton and linen materials by first rinsing in warm water then pouring boiling water from a height of…

In general, corn starch is a tried-and-true method that my grandma shared with me.

Silk Sheets Guide provides a list that includes hints for managing sweat and makeup stains:

Perspiration:
Use diluted ammonia (equal part of ammonia and water). Rinse well.

Lipstick and Makeup:
Try the laundry soap you use to regularly clean the sheets but in a little more concentrated form. If that does not work, try ammonia but be careful…

Be Careful with Your Silk

Notice that in the examples cited here (and on their websites) there is no mention of Oxy-Clean (or similar products) and bleach!  If research doesn’t get you the information you need, your local dry cleaner may be able to help - they are a very good resource for all sorts of stain removal ideas for any fabric.

Sometimes I extend beyond expressing into plain silly when I get creative with what I wear.   On occasion I stretch my creativity and end up feeling awkward about it all day.  If I get compliments I start feeling better, if I don’t I feel sillier.  The thing is - I’m willing to try because expressing myself through my outfits helps other people know who I am.

When we wear clothes that express a little bit of ourselves while adhering to the appropriate attire for the occasion, we help people decide how to interact with us.  Our clothes, like our non-verbal communication, provide cues to the rest of the world

“Women usually love what they buy, yet hate two-thirds of what is in their closets.”
Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic’s Notebook

Because we buy impulsively…  Because we like it but it doesn’t really look that good on our body shape… Because it doesn’t help us express who we are…

All of these things are true, or have been true a time or two for everyone.  Whether using the resources here for exploring your body shape or another site, figuring that out will help you know that even if you like a shirt or skirt, if it doesn’t make you feel pretty when you have it on, it isn’t worth owning

There are times I get tired of cooking - and since we eat well and as natural as possible, we don’t have a lot of convenience food.  With a full schedule there are days it’s easier and preferable to go out or pick something up.

Health Magazine wrote an article reviewing some restaurants for those of us that watch what we eat.

Dressing is one of many creative outlets. For the uber fashionable to the uniqueness of artists all can be erased with an unsightly bulge or panty line.  Isaac Mizrahi , designer, shares his tips.   Besides the right  foundation, knowing your size also is important in creating your dressed image.

Incorporating stripes, floral, or other patterns into our outfits brings a splash of current trends while working for you - to flatter your body shape.

Some of you out there think that dressing professionally equates to stuffy and uncomfortable. Some of you out there think that if there is no pain there’s no gain and that is a price to pay for putting forth the best you.

Why not be comfortable and dress for work at the same time?

Every business has a customer. The presentation of the company brand and product or service extends to every employee in the company. Directly or indirectly, we are an extension of the company brand.

Rarely have I seen dress codes that focus on the presentation of the company brand to present the company a specific way for clients and safety. Most of the time, dress codes tend to be more focused on structuring a dress code that removes potential un-comfortableness between employees .

…But the dress code doesn’t allow comfort!

No matter what you wear anywhere you go - people are watching. “Whose Dress Code?” touches on creating an environment that we thrive in. All of us have clothes that make us feel great and clothes that make us feel frumpy.

If dressing casually makes us too relaxed, even though the energy is there and ready to flow, it doesn’t. Taking the time and care to comb our hair and brush our teeth extends to the clothes we put on our bodies.

Not being comfortable doesn’t meant it is the company’s fault for having a dress code. It means that to do your job (representing the company) you need to explore clothing that helps you do a good job. Think of work clothes like you do your cell phone - it is a necessity in our jobs. When we feel good in our clothes our non-verbal communication reflects it!

Another thing to think about is it really the dress code that is an issue or does your wardrobe not support the dress code:

• Draw an empty pie chart.
• Next to your empty circle write down all of the roles you play in your life.
• Put a percentage next to each role that reflects the percentage of your time you spend.
• Now fill in your pie chart.

The clothes in your closet need to match the amount of time you spend in your different activities. Here is a visual of my current Clothing Type Pie Chart that may help you build yours:

Law of Attraction

This takes many forms, and applies to our clothes and working wardrobe too. When you take care of yourself and present yourself at work wearing professional clothes people notice. This blog post talks about professional environments offering more respect inherently.

When you feel good others feel good - and actions and attitude are reciprocated. Positiveness is just as contagious as negativeness. If your pie chart needs do not match the clothes currently in your closet, as you add and replace clothing make sure to keep in mind what your current lifestyle needs. Making the effort to have the correct clothing in proportion to different parts of your lifestyle will make dressing for work easier (and more comfortable!) while maintaining the level of professionalism your company expects.

This post cracked me up Are you one of ‘those’ women?

What a great introduction to mentioning this season’s slides.

For me, slides are hard because I must walk funny, or something, as I always walk out of them… it doesn’t stop me from trying them on thinking that I might find a pair that works for me.

Love lipstick and hate the telltale signs of wearing it?  Here are 14 tips for lipstick lovers!