They seek you here. They seek you there. Your clothes are loud. But never square. As the old song says, you’re a dedicated follower of fashion… Or, at the very it’s fair to say that you like what you like and know how to stitch a memorable look together. Yet, while you can always be relied upon to make an effort and turn out with pride whatever the occasion, you can’t help feeling that your looks are growing a little stale. While you love every stitch of clothing in your wardrobe, your clothes don’t excite you the way that they once did.
Image by Rubbermaid Products via Flickr
Don’t worry, you don’t need to undergo a complete makeover to get your zeal for fashion back. It’s simply a case of breathing a little new life into your look. You don’t need to completely reinvent yourself or even compromise the look with which people associate. You just need to invite some bold new twists of the unfamiliar into your regular rotation.
The clothes you wear not only impact a great deal on your self-esteem, they can also go a long way towards determining your sense of identity and how you perceive yourself. Thus, a fine balance must be drawn between freshening up your look and making you feel like anything other than your awesome self. Here are some tips on walking that line…
Shop somewhere different
We get brand loyalty. We really do. When a particular designer or brand consistently brings out hit after hit which you feel was tailored just for you… Why would you not reward them with your loyalty? Yet, while you may have your favorite brands, it pays to shop somewhere new every now and then.
Shop at new and exciting brands like Stüssy- you can buy Stüssy here or look for clothes in vintage or charity stores. These are incredible resources for finding the kinds of clothes you just can’t find on the high street no matter whether you’re shopping at the high end or the low end. What’s more, when you buy second-hand clothes, you know that you’re shopping more ethically and degreasing the wheels of a fast fashion industry that’s still having a huge environmental impact despite the sincere efforts of many prominent brands to conduct themselves more sustainably and ethically.
Even a single item or accessory can inject new life into your look when paired with more familiar garments.
Wear something familiar in an unfamiliar way
Guys, girls and those who take a more fluid approach to gender can all take a leaf out of Bea Johnson’s book. Literally, in fact. Author of Zero Waste Home, Mrs Johnson has her own way of countering the effects of fast fashion… She only owns 15 items of clothing. But with these she is able to make as many as 50 outfits for virtually any occasion. She is able to get the most out of her wardrobe by wearing clothes in a variety of different ways in different combinations and configurations.
If you’re looking for a way to shake things up but don’t have the time, energy or money to go shopping, this can be a great way to liven up your look with the exact same clothes. Throw in a few changes to your hair and/or makeup and you have the perfect balance of the familiar and the strange.
Make at least one clothing choice that scares you just a little
Even if we don’t buy exclusively from one designer or label, we can still fall into the habit of making “safe” clothing choices which come to define our look. While there’s nothing wrong with this per se, over time it can lead to a rather monotonous closet. When shopping, it’s a good idea to make just one clothing choice that scares you a little. It should be bold and idiosyncratic but still speak to you in some way. It certainly shouldn’t be something that you hate, but it should still be outside of your comfort zone.
Pieces like these have a way of becoming our favorites and adding a sense of depth, dimension and dynamism to our looks.
Start from the shoes and work your way up
Finally, you can change your entire outfit just by changing your shoes. Shoes can create harmony and add a finishing touch to a look or they can throw in an element of discord that makes a strong statement. They can change your height and the way you walk or stand. They can make a subtle difference… But this can make all the difference.