Why Fashion Should Make You
Happy
It sounds so simple to wear the things that make us happy but often following trends or even the impact of social media can take over from our simple love of fashion.
I know first hand that there are so many important factors to take into account when we add items to our wardrobe if we do at all and especially as we navigate discovering sustainable and ethical brands/ways to shop. But what about taking things back to the start? What about focusing on the way our clothing makes us feel rather than if it's trend driven?
If we spend our time trying to convince ourselves that a piece fits better than it actually does, that a certain item will be worn everyday when you're quite certain deep down it won't and that you love a piece more than you really do, then I'm sorry to say that you aren't adding to your wardrobe for the right reasons.
Here's why I feel focusing on how our fashion makes us feel to inspire a purchase, is a small step in the right direction for 2020.
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The above outfit was kindly loaned by Ralph & Russo for Paris Fashion Week.
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We all have different opinions and requirements when it comes to fashion and that's how fashion translates into our personal style. The style that we discover, change and grow as we age. The things we love and hate, the things we need and want, the things we require and insist upon are always changing and these are just some of the points that we work through when adding something new to our wardrobe. Does the brand/item align with our sustainable/ethical requirements? Does the item fulfill our needs for this gap in our closet? Does the piece of clothing/accessory make us excited to wear it? No matter your personal requirements in this ever changing fashion space, the latter should be very much a priority. Not only because it's your body/style and you should wear whatever makes you feel happiest but because the feeling our clothes give us also translates into ticking off the above checklist too.
If we begin to ensure those pieces we don't fall in love with straight away aren't added to our wardrobe, then our intake is lessened and we save our purchases for pieces we know we'll get a great cost per wear out of. Similarly, avoiding adding impulse purchases to our closets that may still have the tags on them this time next year, (we're all guilty of this in the past!) is in turn lessening demand for fast fashion. An investment piece of course doesn't have to mean a high price tag, that's not something that everyone can afford, but adding less 'maybe' items to our wardrobes also lends itself to slower fashion no matter the price point. It seems buying clothes that we truly love and that really put a smile on our faces, can be better for us all in the long run.
Take this beautiful Ralph & Russo shirt dress that I wore to attend their SS20 catwalk show in Paris. I wore it because not only was I lucky enough to have multiple dressing options (one of the amazing parts of fashion month) but because I felt great in it. You may notice the sassy leg kick a la Angelina Jolie and the silver head held high as we headed for the show and that's because a piece of clothing brought me joy. So simple but totally how I feel fashion should be. You should resonate with an item that someone has designed and created in a way that makes you fall a little bit in love.
Similarly when my newest outerwear piece arrived, a stunning colour block, two-tone, oversized coat (which you can see here) the response over on YouTube couldn't have been more divided. People loved how statement it was while others hated how modern a style I'd chose, others thought it was a breath of fresh air I'd wear often while some thought I'd get no wear out of it at all. But do you know what the choice came down to and why I decided to give it a home in my new walk in closet? Because the moment I slipped it on, my fashion loving heart skipped a beat. And that's how I know it's a worthwhile purchase. I feel great when I wear it and so I've reached for it multiple times in just one short week. A purchase based on affordability, need, want and current trends but confirmed based on how great it made me feel.
So although there are so many ways in which we will all make decisions on our newest purchases if any, 2020 for me will surely rest more on how my clothing makes me feel. The happier I feel, the more I'll style it and the more I style it, the more both my head and heart align. That's why you should wear fashion that makes you happy.
