Make Your Style Your Superpower

How you dress might not change the world, but it can definitely change yours. Why I'm so confident telling that? Because I lived through this statement. Let me explain.

For some reason, many consider fashion and style as something superficial. But stop here for a second and consider that clothes are the one thing you have the longest relationship with! Dressing up is not something that you do once in a blue moon. You do it every.single.day.

And not once. But at least two times a day.

Then how you can say that fashion/clothes don't play any role in your life?

Let me bring here my advertising & marketing background. You are probably tired of hearing about the importance of storytelling. It's a fact. We can't argue with that. But the thing is that your style tells your story and it's the most important one.

Your clothes are not just some nicely sewn fabric. It's a statement. A statement about your personality, traits, status, aspirations, and the way you treat yourself. I always tell my clients to imagine their style as their resume. What does it speak when you're silent?

When you are able to communicate yourself through your outfit you make your life easier. Your style becomes your superpower. People see you and understand you on the spot! Depending on your goal you can present yourself the way you need and change it when it's no longer serves you.

You can speak about your inner world, share your thoughts and experiences. But if you look boring, tired, unflattering – who are you going to tell your stories? We may be the best person in the world but if we're not showing it no one is going to get interested. The easiest way to solve this is through your personal style. 

People are drawn to look at harmonious things. If you look harmoniously, interesting, put-together you have higher chances to get remembered and noticed. Obviously, you would need to prove yourself after that but you got extra points. Why lose them?

There is a thing called "enclothed cognition" that was introduced by Hajo Adam and Adam Galinsky in 2012. It states that what we wear affects our mindset and changes the way we think. Depending on the type of coats people wear (in this case doctor ones) during the experiment they showed different cognitive results!

Another study showed that wearing formal attire can make you feel more powerful and in control of the situation. It even showed that you can boost your creativity and intellect levels compared to same level casual-wearers opponents. There is proof that wearing a suit gives you an advantage in an argument with someone who wears sweats or casual wear.

So when in the morning you're dressing down, subconsciously you are telling your brain that today’s not worth dressing up for. You don't deserve to feel good about yourself. But when you plan ahead and pick items that you love everything changes! 

Look at these two photos of mine. They tell completely different stories but both outfits make me feel amazing about myself! On the left outfit speak about freedom, travel, discovery, and experiments. The right one is about power, status, control, and elegance. One is friendly & open, another is confident & reserved. 

If you know how to use your personal style to your advantage you can change your life. If it sounds too ambitious then think about your personal branding on social media. You can brand yourself through your clothes to get recognized.

I'll tell a personal story here. When I was in middle & high school I was a bit bullied and gossiped about. Why? Because of my style choices. I just couldn't understand how to dress my body and looked at other girls wondering how they do it. Plus, I was into Gothic/Emo/Punk fashion which made me stand out with my colorful dreadlocks. (Fun times). It was time for experiments; however, I couldn't find answers.

Until I found out about the styling system (which happened a couple of years ago) I was lost. I didn't feel confident. I had good fashion days but there were more bad days. Jeans, sweaters, and t-shirts became my norm. I hated it.

The problem was that I didn't understand what suits me. But then everything clicked and I threw away 70% of my closet. (Mind you I was an international student and didn't have much stuff with me). But it was a catharsis moment. I felt so good taking this part of my life into control. It felt amazing looking at the mirror and just adoring yourself. 

When you dress up your walk, poses, gestures, and facial expressions change. Your whole body starts to radiate happiness, joy, and confidence. People around you start to feel it too. They notice you and recognize your efforts. You created more beauty around you because you were brave to change.

The style became my superpower. My superpower became my passion. My passion now helps clients around the world to find their way in fashion and transform themselves. 

And I love it.

Hope I convinced you to take a closer look at what you're wearing and stop thinking that fashion is a fluff. It's definately not.