Are you making style harder than it needs to be?

Unfortunately, I see this a lot. Many women think that they have to go through all sorts of lengths to resemble a Hollywood celebrity before they can call themselves stylish, when that could not be farther from the truth.

Maybe you're:

• Assigning so much importance to it that causes you stress, anxiety, and overwhelm.

• Putting so much pressure on yourself to look good that you sometimes end up in tears when getting dressed.

• Telling yourself that you don't look good in a certain style (even though you love love love it) and therefore you can't wear it.

• Thinking about how others will respond/react to your outfit and that determines whether or not you wear it.

• Running any new clothes you buy past your teenagers and letting them veto anything they don’t think you should be wearing.

If any of these sound familiar, you may have lost sight of the purpose of style. And that very important purpose is to express, not impress. 

Once you switch the word around a little bit, it takes on an entirely new meaning.

In other words, the purpose of style is not to impress others, it's to express yourself. You’re not a banana or a grape - it’s not important that you look like the rest of the “bunch”. What’s important is for you to look like you. One of my very favorite quotes is “Be Yourself. Everyone else is already taken.” - Oscar Wilde.

Think about your favorite celebrities for a moment. I’m sure you’ve seen Hollywood award ceremonies or at least the recaps of them. Those ladies wouldn’t dare wear the same thing as everyone else! It’s important to them that they look different from the other celebrities. Because that’s how they represent their own personal style.

And if they are caught wearing the same thing as someone else, where do they end up? In the ‘Who wore it better’ column, being judged and compared side by side. No one likes that! Having your own unique personal style is one surefire way to avoid comparison and be able to stand apart on your own true merits.

Beyonce does not in any way, shape or form want to look like Halle Berry or Jennifer Aniston. I assure you. Not because those women aren’t just as beautiful but because Queen Bey has her own thing going on there - which is what makes her so incredibly iconic.

When it comes to expressing your personal style, wearing what you want to wear and being yourself is key!

When you look at what you wear through the lens of impressing others, it just sucks all the fun right out of getting dressed. 

Much like anything in life, once we detach from what others think and let ourselves really lean in and have FUN with it, we start to recover our passion, desire and love.

When you look at style as a creative outlet to express yourself, it is a whole different story. 

All of a sudden, getting dressed is fun. When you have fun, you feel good. When you feel good, you look great! You can’t help but flash that gorgeous smile and walk a little bit taller than you would if you were all slouched up in your pajamas binging Netflix.

Of course, there’s always a time for pajamas and Netflix because downtime is certainly an important part of life too. But when you’re getting ready to face the day, it helps to look forward to it. And having fun while getting dressed is one surefire way to start your day off in a great mood.

You only get one life. Choose to make it fun!

My challenge to you this week is to pick at least one of the fun hacks from below and do it when you get dressed in the morning.

• Put on a fun, upbeat song and dance to it as you stand in front of your closet. You’ve heard that saying “dance like nobody’s watching.” Here’s your chance to do it! Keep bopping along as you get dressed, and then continue to dance once you're in your outfit for a solid 30 seconds. If you can make the process of getting dressed fun, it helps you choose more fun pieces!

• Put on a piece in your closet that you haven't worn in forever but still love. I don't care if it's a sequined ball gown that you only put on for a few minutes before you have to trade it for practicality. Just wrap yourself in something you love to start your day! Look in the mirror and check yourself out! You look amazing!

• Dress like a kid - my fav way to have fun with style. Pull your two favorite pieces and pair them together. No rules, no judgements, just absolute pride and love for the styles you adore. Kids simply wear whatever makes them happy. They have lots of fun getting dressed for the day. Why can’t we?

• Pick a style rule and break it! Some examples: Can't wear white after labor day; navy and black don't go together; you have to wear dark colors on bottom if you're a pear shape; you shouldn't wear a mini-skirt after the age of 40 (so bogus, right?!). Rules were made to be broken and breaking them is always so much fun.

• Put on a piece you love yet haven't worn (in a long time or maybe ever!) because you don't think you look good in it. Now look at yourself in the mirror and declare this sentence with power, “My body is the least interesting thing about me.” Feels good right? Repeat as many times as you need. This will help release the belief that how you look in a piece matters more than how much you love it. Chances are, you look better in it than you think you do anyway!

Got your style hack picked out? Well, get ready to have some fun getting dressed!

I guarantee you're going to feel uplifted and experience more fun with your style than you have in a long while - maybe ever!

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ABOUT:

I'm a Minneapolis personal stylist on a mission to eradicate outdated style 'rules' so women can unleash themselves in all their beautiful, authentic glory!

I offer personal styling services that empower women to wear what they love by helping them ditch any outdated style rules keeping them stuck, showing them how to dress in a way that embraces their beautiful body and, the key to it all, having fun! I believe in a liberated style approach so there are no style rules, body shapes, seasonal colors or dos and don’ts given out here. Rather, I help my clients tap into what lights them up and dress with the purpose of expressing their authentic selves rather than impressing others.

This is all done through a combination of styling services (including wardrobe edits, shopping trips and styling sessions) available in thoughtfully curated styling packages designed to help clients unleash their true self through the power of style.

When I'm not helping women take back their power style, you can find me reading (about a gazillion books at once), learning the art of pole dancing, making & decorating cakes, binging a random circa 2000's TV show with my hubby, Aaron, while playing with my adorable rescue pup or, of course, shopping! :-)