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THE BLOG |
Style Challenge Day Three Day One of the style challenge was focusing on body types and how to dress in a way that accentuates your natural beauty. Day two was about putting together complete outfits and finding a fool-proof, finished-look formula. Today is the final day of the Style Challenge and it's all about saying who you are with your outfits! If you missed day One and Two, you can catch up here: The past two days of the Challenge have touched on the most important thing about personal style: your look sends a message to the world around you, and you can use that to your advantage, take control, and show that you're a confident, beautiful person who knows how to dress their body and make complete looks. Now that you know how to do those two things, how do you find your niche and your own look? The answer is much simpler than you might think: Be. You. You don't have to copy someone else's look or style to be stylish. If you're dressing for your body type and creating complete outfits, pick out the pieces you love and really want to wear! I used to be so afraid to wear the things I really wanted to. I found myself in a place where I had outgrown wearing only floral sun dresses and cardigans with flouncy tops and I really wanted to wear new things that interested me like cute leather moto jackets, palazzo pants, and basically everything leopard print. But, it took me years to get over my silly fears of trying something new and a long time to realize that I didn't like my outfits because I was just trying to copy someone else instead of dressing my body shape and fitting those new pieces into my own looks. If you watch basically any makeover shows with people that have outrageous or larger than life styles, or you know people who dress a very distinct, over-the-top way, you'll usually see that they are using fashion as a way to communicate, but the message they're sending is saying "look at the clothes or crazy things I have on so you don't see the real me", That's the spot I found myself in; I was scared to let people see me, the real-deal me, so I wore clothes that were someone else, a crazy blonde weave, and copied other people's styles and struggled to find my own. But, once I started being confident and dropped the fears, [literally it was all Jesus], I stopped trying to hide and started wanting to send the that I knew who I was. I studied fashion, and I started using magazines, Pinterest, Instagram, and red carpet looks as a tool to figure out what I liked and what looks would work for me instead of low-key dreading them because I felt like I had to look exactly like the people I saw in them. A lot of people enjoy fashion, [the industry, the art, the magazines, the culture, the trends] but they don't like getting dressed in the morning because it can seem scary, difficult, and frustrating. But here's the thing: it doesn't have to be! You deserve the best and you for people to see you for who you are, so say it through your clothes! It might seem scary to stop hiding behind your regular or comfortable-go-to outfits that you don't really like, but I promise you that using the pieces you put together to show the world the real, confident you feels a million times better than letting your fears control your look. I used to let the things I didn't like about me from moving in the right direction. But, I realized soon that I was just making excuses and pushing off communicating the real me to the people around me. I decided to use fashion as a language. I started asking myself: what does this piece say? Does it say "professional, respectable, business woman", or does it say "I don't know who I am". If you dig a piece, ask yourself that question: "how will this represent me and does it express who I am and want to be known as?" If the piece says I don't know my identity, I'm hiding, I'm not confident, I'm sloppy, I don't care, or I see myself in a poor light, then say goodbye forever, because you deserve better! Let me tell you: it feels so good to love what you wear, show everyone who you really are, and not hide behind anything! And here's the great part about fashion: if you're working on something about your body or just don't feel comfortable with it, you don't have to show it off or make it the focal point, and you can use fashion like make-up! If you're feeling subconscious about something, and you're still working on being confident, then dress for your body type and use style as a tool! If I'm feeling self-conscious about my stomach, I don't wear tops with hemlines that cover up my hips [to keep the attention away from that area] and I stick with high-waisted jeans and or dresses with cropped denim jackets. Think of it like putting concealer on your face if you have a blemish or dark spot you don't like: you use the tools you have and conceal that puppy up! The other good thing is, when you are feeling good about yourself or you're loving something about you, you can use fashion to showcase your beauty! Once you start the healthy pattern of getting to know your body type, dressing it well, putting together completed looks, and picking out pieces that make you happy, what might seem complicated and impossible will become so easy! You know yourself the best and you'll get the hang of it once you start. Here's the most important thing of all: CLOTHES AREN'T THAT IMPORTANT. Thank you Jesus, clothes don't make or break us, give us value, and at the end of the day there are just more important issues in the world! This is a guide to help you if fashion and dressing your body is stressful. You know your own body the best, and know what you love. Don't be hard on yourself. You might not like every single thing you thought would look fabulous on the hanger, and everything you try on might not be your favorite, even if it might go with your body type well. It's a learning process that you'll keep getting better at, and the best way to get better at it is to celebrate the ways that God made you you, and work on being confident in your own skin! To read my post on confidence, click here: Here are some of my favorite resources and fashion inspirations for when I need a creative new take, new outlook, or tip! Day Three Challenge: Look through your closet and get rid of any and all pieces that don't compliment your body type, show off your natural beauty, or send a different message about how you are. Ask yourself "does this piece represent me and who I want to be" when you're looking through your clothes or buying something new. Say goodbye to hiding and letting your fears control your look and the next time you get dressed, wear something you really love, that brings you joy, even if you're afraid to wear it! Use Day Two of the Style Challenge to help you style that piece you love into a finished outfit that will express confidence and beauty. If someone on social media makes you feel bad or like you have to look just like them, unfollow them ASAP-o! Your job is to be who God made YOU to be! Make a list of people that inspire you and give you creative ideas, and start using them as tools to help you with your looks. If you need any tips, tricks, or advice on putting together an outfit, look, or styling a new piece, you can comment on my posts or message me on Instagram anytime! 😘 Find me @CarlieRaeTice Comments are closed.
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@KyleeLoganArt
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