The Five Must Haves for Any Complete Wardrobe
If you’ve been reading along on the blogs, you’ll know that I generally detest suggesting that anyone “must have” anything. However, there are a few little things that will help any wardrobe work– feel free to pick and choose.
1. Character.
Your wardrobe needs to say something about who you are as a person. To get this quality in your wardrobe, it’s time to start thinking about your best qualities and how those might be conveyed effectively in a strong visual signature. Are you a fun person? How can you build more fun into your wardrobe? Are you serious? How can your wardrobe reflect your level of attention to detail?
2. Congruence.
In every wardrobe, there needs to be a sense that what you’re wearing matches who you are. Even though your individuality is key to your wardrobe success, you don’t live in a vacuum. People will expect you to look like who you are and what you do, so give some thought to whether your wardrobe makes sense for your industry, company, lifestyle and geographic location.
3. Consistency.
Just like in life, a good wardrobe is consistent – items share a level of quality or style and a strong through-line or theme, regardless of level of formality. If you’re a tidy person, then your work wardrobe and casual wardrobe both need to reflect that. If there’s a big gap between work and casual or between day-to-day and weekend, you’re not telling the truth visually somewhere and might be hiding from yourself, too.
4. Intention.
Every day, a good wardrobe needs to reflect its owner’s intention in life. If you don’t know where you’re going and what you’re doing, any wardrobe will do, but if you have specific goals, your choices in wardrobe items need to and can support you in your success. What are you doing in your day? Who are you meeting? What do you want them to think about you when they see you?
5. Attention.
Everything in life comes down to the details. A worn-out shoe, a dropped hem, threads or buttons hanging and frayed cuffs or bent collars speak to your level of attention to detail. Outdated items speak to your level of currency and forward thinking. Ill-fitting items or things that simply don’t work show a lack of self-care. Keep your eye on the ball – your wardrobe is one of the most powerful communication tools you own and deserves some of your attention.
Help others understand you better – communicate powerfully with a strong visual signature.
Questions? Comments? Let me know…
