Who ARE You Really Dressing For?

By JuliAnn Stitick –

Your husband? Boss? Girlfriends? Audience?  The right answer is YOU!!  It breaks my heart to see women who are unsure about what to wear because they think they need to dress for a role.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting you wear a leather skirt and your rocker boots for a conservative business meeting.  What I am saying is free yourself from the ‘shoulds’ AND be thoughtful about your audience.  There is definitely common ground to be found.

Recently I spoke at a women’s conference in Boston.  As usual, I highlight color as the most powerful element in your wardrobe.  On the final day of the conference, a beautiful woman (originally from India) approached me wearing a bright green ruffled jacket.  She thanked me for inspiring her to embrace color again.  When she moved to the US and went to work for corporate, she felt she needed to wear subdued colors.  I congratulated her for honoring her heritage and dressing in a fashion true to her!  Her smile was contagious and she looked gorgeous.

At a recent Transformational Style One Day, one of the guests said she wanted to embrace more of her artistic side, but that her audiences were very conservative.  The truth is, when we express our style authentically, we more easily attract our peeps.  At first, she was a bit hesitant, but the more I encouraged her and she saw the logic – there was a sense of ‘exhale’.  All she has to do is be herself.  She’ll be more confident, aligned, credible and comfortable.  She’s already got the beautiful thing going on!

Are you dressing in alignment with YOU or are you dressing a ‘part’?  Tomorrow, I challenge you to choose clothes that suit YOU, not a role.  Bet you’ll feel fabulous!

Tell us one small way your wardrobe can take back your culture or express who YOU are?