WHY to Dress Well

I posted last week on one way of HOW to dress well, but I wanted to address my thoughts on WHY you should dress well. I could go on and on about this, so I narrowed it down to 3 reasons that I think are most important.

• People think better of you.
• We are judgmental. That is just the way it is and fighting it, however noble, is not going to get you further in life. Getting further in life will get you further in life. And you do that by working harder than others, going faster than others, or just being better than others…AND why wouldn’t you also do what you can to START AHEAD OF OTHERS. When you look put together, people automatically think you are. And that means you don’t have as much to prove.

• You get better service.
• I would NEVER go shopping at a boutique or upscale department store unless I was dressed well. Why? Because they treat you how you dictate when you look like you should be there. If you need help, they help you. If you just want to browse, they let you. If you show interest in an item, they give you other options. This holds true in many other situations. Restaurants. Spas. Sporting events. Bars. Doctors offices. You name it.

• It makes you feel better.
• Clothes effect your mood, or they should. I have a fabulous hot pink shirt dress. Think Mrs. Cleaver meets Marilyn Monroe. When I put that on with my nude, peep-toe heels I am like a super hero. I swear. It makes me feel powerful and fun and pretty and frankly, like I look better than everyone else. It’s magical! Not every day can be a super hero day, but there IS something to the idea of dressing the part. If I have an important meeting, I dress in a suit or something more than business casual. It gives me a feeling of strength that I wouldn’t have in a wrap dress. On the other hand, I have the best red sweat pants that I got at Streetside. I wear those with a black fitted tank and my Ugg house shoes and I am instantly ready for a rainy, cozy, movie day. I’m not saying treat your clothing like costume wear, but let it help you set the tone for where you are, what you are doing, and most importantly… WHAT YOU WANT.