StylePower
Mix it up! For 30 days give yourself a new look
If you read my first StylePower piece about not cleaning out your closet, followed my advice and held onto your favorites, you currently have a wardrobe full of clothes you love to wear. You’ve sorted and packed your prom dresses and Pink Lady outfits, and you’ve found a great cause to donate the rest to.
So…why then do you still wear the same six pieces?
A few reasons. Firstly, when you tried everything on to see if you liked it enough to keep it, you may not have taken into account how something made you feel. Is it comfortable? Creeping up on you when you sit? Does it hug or hang in all the right places? Do you feel like a sex bomb while wearing it? Or just a down and out sex worker…?
I’ve come up with a simple list to help make deciding what to wear a little bit more interesting. It focuses on a Monday through Friday schedule, assuming many reading this have Monday through Friday professional lives, with weekends as “free” days to wear whatever the absolute heck you want.
Boden Striped Sneakers
$120
The “challenge” is made up of simple words which are up to your inner-stylist to interpret and make her own. For example, Day One calls for “Vintage”.
Gucci Vintage Logo Hooded Sweatshirt
$360
That could be a vintage scarf, a vintage-inspired dress, or that treasured Gucci you’ve had since high school (yes, that’s “vintage” now!).
Unique Vintage 1950s Purple Magic Carpet Soda Shop Skirt
$68
Interpret any way you like, switch up the days, cross them off, be creative. You don’t have to wait for the start of a new month, just start.
Donald Brooks Vintage 1970s Asian-Inspired Silk Print Gown + Cape Ensemble
$1,895
Most importantly, try not to feature the same darn piece of clothing twice for one whole month. (And don’t forget about accessories!)
Burberry Metallic Detail Vintage Check Purse
$690
I’m not sure anyone loves to shop more than I do, though there is something to be said for wearing what you have. However, when your closet is over-stuffed, it’s easy to grab the pieces you know and trust the most. But if you’re not going to wear the rest—or feature them, which is a whole other thing—then truly, what’s the point?
Moreover, if you need another reason to switch up your outfits, there have been plenty of studies to suggest that making small changes to your daily routine helps give your brain a little bit of a workout. Even better, it helps you practice mindfulness. You are mindfully choosing something to wear every morning. You can thus mindfully brag that you worked out, too, even if it’s just your brain’s gray matter.
There’s another reason. Doing something a little bit different in the morning kick starts your day with the powerful habit of change, which will open your world to more opportunities for positive change throughout the day, if that’s something you want. Have your been moaning about eating better at lunch? Want to spend less money—or spend less time on your phone? Small changes are easy. And small changes add up to big changes.
And don’t forget—if there’s something you really don’t want to put on your body today—barring weather, seasonal, or bloating issues—it’s possible it’s just not for you anymore. Maybe it’s time to give it to another woman who really needs it right now.
Now…who’s ready to play dress-up?
