If you feel confused by fashion advice or your closet is full of clothes you don’t wear, you probably haven’t been asking the one question that will help you know what to wear.
When I think about the clothing choices I’ve made over years, it makes my head spin.
My head is spinning not because of what I chose to wear, but why.
My clothing choices were swayed by …Â
- Advertising and marketing campaigns.
- Pressure to “dress for success” a.k.a. what will other people think of me.
- Every article about what to wear for … your body type, your age, your season.
- Personal style (I never had it. I don’t have it now. I really don’t know what that means.)
- What was flattering or what other people said was flattering which was just a fancy way of saying, “That makes you look smaller than you are.”
The one question you need to ask before deciding what to wear
I know this question seems so simple, but it’s one we often overlook. Instead of starting with this one question we ask …
- What will people think?
- Is this age appropriate?
- Have I worn this too many times this week?
- Is this flattering?
Let’s start with this one question instead …
What do I want to wear?
Groundbreaking right? This one question overrides the others and really, we can dismiss them altogether. Aside from work uniforms and very few other exceptions, wear whatever you want.
It might sound like an inconsequential decision, but when you decide to wear what you want and that feels good, you’ll start giving yourself permission to do what you want to do and live how you want to live without wondering what other people will think, if it’s age appropriate or flattering. Those things aren’t real anymore for clothing choices.
Asking and answering this question is going to add more time, energy and delight to your life.
If this sounds hard or even impossible, I know how you feel. Sometimes I still catch myself asking the old questions. We’ve been conditioned for a really long time to ask the old questions so it might be a struggle to ask the new one. Practice and go easy on yourself. This is how we learn and grow and thrive.
So, quick recap … Wear whatever you want (except for these 3 things). See how it feels. Apply to the rest of your life.
P.S. It took me a really long time to figure out why I wasn’t wearing what I wanted to wear and minimalist fashion challenge Project 333 gave me clarity. We are starting a new season on April 1st (or whatever date works best for you). See Project 333 on Instagram for more inspiration.