3 Numbers that don’t determine your style
Time to spill the tea on numbers…
NUMBERS NUMBERS NUMBERS.
When did we get so obsessed with measuring and quantifying everything? We’ve even applied numbers where they don’t make any sense like our popularity, success, and intelligence.
Some things are not meant to be quantified or measured with numbers; namely our personal style. In my 6 years of experience as a stylist, there are three numbers that come up constantly with clients: cost, size, and age. Clients fixate on these numbers as if there is a correct set of them to make them have perfect style.
Lady, I’m here to bring you great and possibly distressing news; these numbers are lying to you. They absolutely have no bearing on your personal style. In fact, when I’m wearing something that makes me feel sensational, the last thing on my mind is the number on the tag, how much the item cost, or how old I am. It’s more about the luminous and regal feeling I get, the way I feel unstoppable and magnetic and totally in control.
So why are we so obsessed with the numbers? Well, because frankly, if you haven’t worked with a great stylist, parent or mentor who taught you how to dress your outside to match your inside magic, you turn to the numbers because they “can tell you how good or bad your style is.” Additionally, marketers can make a bigger profit when our sense of status, worth, and self confidence are threatened. They target our feelings around the same numbers that they’ve convinced us determine the level of our style success.
Let’s dive into these numbers, what they don’t mean, and how to release the hold they’ve got on you…
1. THE PRICE TAG
Why it doesn’t matter: Money can’t buy you love, or great style. Shopping designer doesn’t mean the styles and details celebrate or look good on you. Buying everything cheap or because it’s on sale usually won’t leave you feeling great in any of your clothes. Great style can be found at any price point, the key is understanding what style elements, details, colors, and silhouettes work best for you. Most people shop price first; they let the number on the tag dictate whether or not they will even try the piece on. Priced high or low, try before you buy, lady.
My advice: TRY IT ON BEFORE YOU LOOK AT THE PRICE TAG. Doing so will help to ensure you’re making a decision on how the style of the piece makes you feel rather than getting a good deal, or the potential ego boost you’re getting with an expensive piece. Next time you’re in a store, don’t make a beeline to the sale rack; you’re cheating yourself from trying on a great piece or at the very least some inspiration for later shopping.
What to consider instead: 1. Cost per wear: If you really like to stick to the numbers, then consider how much use you’re getting out of a piece, how many outfits you can make with it, and how long the garment can last you. That’s the true measure of clothing’s value. 2. Shop with a variety of price points; the best closets have a range of price points and locations; unless you are a celebrity endorsing a particular brand that’s paying you extremely well, variety is the key. I want you looking less like a walking catalogue for a brand and more like yourself.
2. THE “SIZE”
Why it doesn’t matter: How many times in your life has someone asked to see the size listed on the clothing tag? For that matter, how many times in your life have you asked someone else? I’m guessing that number is pretty tiny. Why? Oh, because NO ONE CARES. Size is an abstract concept created to help manufacturers and sellers collect data about their customers and sales. Sizing changes across every brand out there and sometimes within the brand! Every woman in the world has a variety of sizes in her closet (no, it’s not just you, honey). A number does not determine how incredible you look in your style, so stop identifying so much with it.
My advice: When you’re trying on clothes, bring multiple sizes into the fitting room; your “usual size”, the next size up, and the next size down. TRY THEM ALL ON. You’re looking for the Goldy Locks piece, Not the one that’s baggy and swamps your figure and gives you this false sense of security because you’re “hiding” the bad parts, not the one that cuts of your breathing that you can’t wait to take off 4 seconds into your day. You’re looking for the one that you could live your life comfortably and confidently in. Ditch your inner critic at the fitting room door; she’s not allowed in.
What to consider instead: Buying clothes that honestly compliment and comfort your body. The number on the tag be damned, honor the incredible, resilient, and powerful body you have by wearing clothes that celebrate this vessel- you only get one, lady. If you still feel like you need a number, rate how the clothing makes you feel on a scale of 1 to 10. Ditch anything that makes you feel less than an 8.
3. YOUR AGE
Why it shouldn’t matter to you: Your age does not dictate your style, nor what you “should” wear. Quick example of this: my sister and I vibe in Talbots, (yes, the “old lady store,”) while my mother is the queen of Free People (wear the “cool teens” shop). If we were shopping where we “should be” according to our age, then my mother would look like a rigid, stiff yuppy and my sister and I would look like we dressed up as frumpy hippies. Point is, not all 25 year old should dress the same, nor should all 65 year olds. There is no dress code for your age. Don’t believe me? Here’s a quick google image search of Iris Apfel who is 102 years old.
My advice: Get a little reflective & dreamy. Journal about the styles you loved as a kid and a teenager. Make a pinterest or vision board with some strong visuals. Use these images (instead of using external visuals from influencers and the like) to drive your next few shopping trips. Consider how you can take the style concepts you loved and make them more mature to carry into your life today.
What you could consider instead: Honoring the life, wisdom, and work you’ve built through your clothes. Consider your spiritual age and what resonates with you on an internal level. As a little girl I was obsessed with old Hollywood stars like Grace Kelly. Wearing gowns to Starbucks in my 30s isn’t as endearing as it was when I was 4. But, I can honor my inner child by having a few luxury pieces or accessories and dresses that make me feel like a princess. Dress for your style, not your age.
TLDR: Life isn’t about the numbers, and neither is your style. It can’t be measured, but you can definitely feel it when you’re wearing the style that honors you. Stop focusing on the price, the size, and how “old” you are. You deserve to wear the clothes you want all the time. If you would like to release the chokehold these numbers have on your style, it’s time we connected, lady.
Give this little button a click to explore the services that will help you discover and embody YOUR style, without all that number bull shit.
xoxo
