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An Investment In Style And Confidence

Style and Confidence

Have you ever dreamed of trashing your entire wardrobe and starting again?

You know, tossing all the clothing that makes you feel less than great and replacing it with pieces that reflect either the woman you are. Or, alternatively, the one you are evolving into.

I know I have.

And a friend of mine did exactly that recently.

She gave herself permission, let go of the past (and her fears and preconceptions), hired a stylist and made a fabulous investment.

And I have to tell you, the returns on that investment have been sensational.

She has purchased everything from scratch. Clothing, shoes, belts – the whole lot. There are so many stunning pieces amongst her new purchases. And she looks amazing. There’s a crowd of us wishing she would share photos of her outfits each morning, we love her new look that much.

But, when I mention her investment returns, I’m not just talking about the value of the clothing she has bought. Or how lovely she is looking every single day of the week.

Nope.

By dramatically updating her wardrobe, to my mind, my friend has said, “I am worthy and I will adorn my body accordingly”.

So, when I use the words ‘return on investment’ I’m absolutely referring to the investment she has also made in herself. And, more specifically, the investment she has made in her confidence.

Style And Confidence

I’m always surprised when people overlook the link between the clothes we wear and our confidence levels. (You can read more about my thoughts on style and confidence here.)

Far from being frivolous, building confidence around style can be the starting point to living the life of your dreams. So many women hold themselves back from achieving their desires or moving into the next phase of their life because of how the feel about the way they look.

By taking steps to ensure that they feel good when they head out the door every morning, women are more likely to do the ‘little things’ like speak up in meetings, join that new club or chat to the ‘cool mums’ at the after school pick-up. And pretty soon those confidence levels open up doors to the bigger stuff such as taking on that new project, booking that trip or putting themselves back into the dating game.

When I quizzed my friend on whether she was feeling any different after changing her wardrobe so emphatically she smiled and admitted that she was, in fact, feeling ‘taller’. Digging into that further, I discovered that ‘taller’ meant being comfortable having the attention on her and being more visible.

In watching her, I can see that change in her too. Although she was always naturally chatty and friendly, now she seems more authoritative. And she appears more at ease in both professional and personal interactions.

Finally, my friend’s commitment to herself had an additional ‘collateral benefit’. She has also inspired those of us who enjoy her company to lift their own style games.

And more confident, stylish women in the world can’t be a bad thing.

Are you ready to make a life-changing investment in your style and confidence? Then stay tuned for the upcoming introduction of Distant Francophile Style – one-on-one Style CoachingTM tailored specifically to your needs. And I promise you won’t have to throw everything out and start again like my friend did. Unless, of course, you want to.

Until next time – au revoir.

 

Photo Credit: Scott Gould.

Model: Ruby Cotton, inspired by Frida Kahlo.

Photo taken at Carla Coulson’s ‘Picture This’ workshop, Sydney 2014.

Headpiece by Sara Dobson. You can see more of Sara’s work here.

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