Dress to Impress Occasions

Ever since you were a child and your mother dressed you, you knew there were certain occasions that required you to dress more formally- church, school dances, working opportunities, and many more. But hopefully these traditions have turned into habits that as young or full grown adults. It is essential to understand the importance of dressing oneself up. But there are five more occasions that are apart of a weekly or monthly routine that you should make efforts towards. They are all events that by dressing up for, you will find yourself excelling at and in return fueling your confidence which will allow you to do your best in every area of life. Then again you will find yourself shinning in these activities even more from your newly elevated self esteem and the cycle will begin again. Take a look below at the five opportunities you have to kick start this sensation.

Working Out

·      The standard baggy t-shirt and sweatpants just won’t cut it if you want to perform your best. Try wearing bright and fun colors and prints as well as mixing it up with various tank tops, leggings, and track jackets. The market for active apparel has expanded tremendously and much of its clothing is acceptable for wearing outside of the gym as well.

Classes/Exams

·      By dressing up for class, you’ll be motivated to pay attention, confident enough to participate in class and ask questions, as well as impress your classmates and professors. And by dressing nicely for exams, it is a subtle sign to yourself that you dressed your best, now you are going to do your best.

Presentations

·      Whether you are standing in front of a small group of people or an audience hall of people, you are going to give your great presentation by feeling your greatest which stems from dressing your at your finest. Not only will you look professional, but you will seem as if you know what your doing, in every aspect.

Meeting Someone Knew

·      You never know when a simple encounter could turn into a lifelong friendship, romantic relationship, or useful networking opportunity therefore you should always make a fantastic first impression and dress accordingly.

A Busy Day

·      If your day is filled with running errands, working, classes, appointments, and social events- dress up; that way you will look presentable for all of these events and you spirits will be lifted, giving you the energy and motivation to complete all the necessary tasks. In addition, if some spontaneous opportunity comes up, you will be well dressed and supplied with confidence to take on whatever challenge comes your way.

Count What Matters

It seems that we as a society revolve our lives around numbers- how much money we have, grades in school, or how much time we have wasted on a task. But what about the numbers we count in regards to our bodies- calories consumed, weight gained, or the size of our clothing. Instead of focusing on detailed and insignificant numbers, why not focus on the bigger picture and count what really matters- your blessings and fantastic qualities.

First, let’s address the behavioral or more abstractly beautiful things about you. Are you an excellent scholar, an intense listener, or have an infectious sense of humor? As far as skin deep assets would you say you are compassionate, thoughtful, patient, passionate, well mannered? These traits, as well as many more are plenty of things to make you feel proud and worthy of yourself.

Want to count some blessings that are a bit more closer to the surface? Well do you have healthy fingers nails that just hold all nail polishes well? Or beautiful long eyelashes? What about you skin tone, can you rock a bright tangerine orange like no one else? What makes physical feature do you have that makes you stand out in society? Or do you possess a ethnic feature that makes you proud of your heritage? Many of these small details are qualities that are often overlooked but are worthy of showing off.

After answering these questions and doing some further self reflection, try doing the following. During a time when you are feeling sensational and overjoyed at all you have accomplished, count what matters by writing down seven aspects from these two categories that you love about yourself. That way, when you are experiencing a rough patch of shame and insecurity, you can look back at this list and be reminded of why you should be grateful. We all possess beauty internally and on the surface, so keep track of what matters and choose to look past your inhibitions.

EDAW

Today, Sunday February 26^th begins the first day of Eating Disorder Awareness Week, EDAW, sponsored by the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, also known as ANAD. It is a week devoted to educating society about eating disorders, as well as reminding the masses the importance of respecting our bodies. So what exactly does EDAW have to do with FashionMatterns, or fashion in general?

Fashion and self confidence have everything to do with each other, and their link explains why it is that I am pursuing a career in fashion. How you choose to dress yourself each day has powerful effects on your self esteem. Even if you may be feeling self conscious about your body one particular day, by simply wearing an outfit that you love, your self esteem can soar.

The well known celebrity stylist, Rachel Zoe has explained this sensation well by saying,

 “I’m a firm believer in the adage that it is what’s on the inside that ultimately counts. I mean, who doesn’t subscribe to that? But there is plenty of virtue in aesthetics, too. And a smear of lip gloss and a bang-up haircut can have powerful results both inside and out.”

It is fashion that made me realize the respect that I owe to myself and my body. The feeling when you put on a dress that extenuates every curve properly, and hides all of your flaws, I live for that feeling. The way that I dress myself makes me feel unstoppable, worthy, and as if I can do anything. This transformative power that I have experienced with fashion is where I draw strength from to get over my fears and insecurities. I hope that by reading all of the upcoming posts for this week, you may learn that fashion is a friend that can help you feel strong while enduring the challenges of life.

Keep checking in and email me your thoughts at fashionmatterns@gmail.com

When In Doubt, Mood Board it Out

Unless you work in the fashion industry or are very passionate about the art of fashion and clothing, you probably are confused by the title of this article. Let me first tell you what a mood board is; a mood board is something we as creators and designers use in fashion to inspire us and give us a general sense of direction. To be more exact, it is typically a poster board with collaged images that have a general theme or idea unifying them. Urban dictionary defines a mood board to be, “A collage or collation of images and text expressing a certain topic or subject, often used to generate ideas or for project work” (Urbandictionary.com).

So why would a mood board be useful to anyone but fashion designers or artists? Well as I stated before, when you are in doubt, you should mood board it out. What I mean by this is, when you are feeling uninspired, unenthusiastic about your wardrobe, or overall lacking a sense of confidence, creating a mood board can give a renewed sense of life to the collection of clothing and accessories that you already own. Hanging up all over my closet are mood boards that I have created over the years. Every time I open up my closest to put together an outfit, I have a plentiful amount of inspiration, but more importantly a starting point to create my outfit.

When it seems as though you have a closest full of clothes, but nothing to wear, it can be helpful to turn to photo shoots, magazine advice, or really anything that you find aesthically interesting for help.

To better clarify this idea, let me give you an example. Being a broke college student, I do not have the resources to go out and buy an entire new wardrobe to work with for the upcoming winter season. So with the start of a new year and a new season, I thought it was time freshen up my outfits. I was very inspired by the recent ad campaign of the brand Ray-Bans. Their advertisements contain the phrase, “Never Hide”. From this slogan, I collected images that are portrayed this: bright pieces, eye catching textures, shiny bling, and of course a confident and alluring attitude.

When creating your mood board the only rule I have is that there are no rules. Simply gather anything and everything that inspires you and put it together on a board. For a more specific and direct sense, stick to a theme (but I have often found, by accident, a person collects pictures that have unifying elements without the person even realizing it). You cannot do wrong when creating a mood board. So do it up and do it big, and get inspired!

Breakfast at Target

It is Saturday morning and the time is 10:00 am. I throw on a chic outfit consisting of jeggings, an oversize sweater, some eye catching jewelry, black ballet flats, and of course my oversize sunglasses. I arrive at my favorite store and grab a tea from Starbucks to drink as I wonder the store. Sounds like its just out of a movie right? Well I am not in Manhattan and I am not outside of one of the most well known luxury jewelry retailers. But I am at my favorite store, spending some time alone, and enjoying my time in my “happy place.” What is this weekly ritual that I perform? Its my breakfast at Target. Not quite as upscale and glamorous and the movie, but its my own version that fits my lifestyle and opportunities.

A lot of the time I do not even buy anything. If I do it is usually some groceries or a fashion magazine- something inexpensive. But the point is that I am getting away from the world for awhile and doing something nice for myself. I believe that this is a great example of one of the themes that I am constantly trying to convey to my readers: fashion and fabulosity is not about spending a fortune. It is being happy and making it work for your budget and resources. And maybe one day I will shop at Tiffany’s and Barneys in Manhattan in between owning a fashion magazine and pursuing my other passions- well I can dream a bit, can’t I? But in the meantime, I am grateful to have my weekly trips to Target that bring a little brightness to my Saturday mornings.

Do What You Can Do

What we can take away from the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show: that yes, everything right down to your panties should be as fabulous as you are! So stop putting yourself down for not having the body of an angel or not having a rock star boyfriend, and embrace what you can do. Whether you can afford the 2 million dollar bra that Miranda Kerr wore, or the 5 for $25 panty deal is more in your price range, buying beautiful and high quality bras and underwear will make you feel great!

The Good, the Bad, and the Excessive Shopping

The holiday season has officially begun, which means, “It’s the happiest season of all, there will be parties for hosting, marshmallows for toasting, and caroling out in the snow…hearts will be glowing when loved ones are near” according to Andy Williams. But for most consuming-obsessed Americans, it means it is time to hit the mall.

What was once a one day shopping ordeal, Black Friday, has now grown into a weekend long event. To retailers, Thanksgiving is now referred to as “Brown Thursday” and it marks the beginning to an exhausting and seemingly never-ending weekend of shopping deals and steals. Although this weekend provides discounts and sales to customers, making some expensive items affordable for the average middle class family, it also is creating unhealthy shopping trends.

Our new shopping habits are completely distracting us from the true meaning behind these holidays, as well as taking away from our time to appreciate family and tradition. When will consumers draw the line and choose to gather around their fireplace with good friends rather than standing outside in the freezing weather on Thanksgiving day, just to one of the first 50 in line at Walmart to be able to buy that flat screen TV that they have always wanted.

These forward statements may surprise some that know me well, for I love to shop and have always ventured into the crowded and overwhelming malls on Black Friday, but we have to practice our shopping habits in moderation. Why should we spend our entire Thanksgiving and holiday weekend in a store, when we could be reconnecting with friends, bonding with our family, and simply appreciating all of the things we already have to be grateful for?

Not to mention, our shopping habits are also affecting the holidays for people who work in retail. These employees, who are the overlooked heroes of the Thanksgiving holiday (other than our mothers who slave away in the kitchen), cannot enjoy the holiday with their family because they are being called to work by their bosses to prepare and cater to our country’s demanding shopping needs.

With our constant growing and revolutionizing society, I am afraid that it is safe to assume that these new “holiday traditions” are not changing, and in fact may get worse in the coming years. To mark the occasions, all we need now are some new Holiday songs by Beiber or JLo raving about the new products we bought and sleep we lost, all in preparation for the perfect holiday.